For this study, researchers developed a methodology for measuring children's visual and non-visual sensory experiences of nature. They then applied this methodology to the indoor and outdoor spaces at three primary schools in Glasgow, Scotland. Previous studies assessing children's exposure to the natural environment have generally focused on typology and/or the quality of the natural environment. Land use databases or classification of land cover data are typical sources of information for such studies. The methodology developed for this study is different in that it was designed to measure the connection between naturalness values (NV) and spatial environmental qualities across varying “Child–Nature–Distance” (C-N-D) ranges. This methodology is based, in part, on the idea that closer connections with nature bring greater benefits to children. “The methodology is proposed to help understand 'real' natural value, dependent upon, not only various factors of the biological characteristics, culture, ethnic and individual experiences, but across varying C-N-D ranges and taking account of the impacts of spatial environmental properties within urban settings.”
A question framing this study asks “How much Nature exists in the limited distances of a child's visual and non-visual experience in both internal and external spaces with particular spatial attributes of the educational environments?” Five sensorial systems (involving seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching) and three value measurement parameters (permeability, impact, naturalness) are considered. Permeability refers to the accessibility of children to nature and vice versa. Impact refers to distance between the natural source and a child. Naturalness refers to the properties of nature in accordance with land coverage planning.
To gain a better understanding of how much naturalness a child directly experiences within an observed space, the methodology developed for this study “abstracts the child's multiple layers of sensory experience, so that each layer can be examined in relation to spatial attributes. The naturalness value (NV) is designated as a positive force or essence of the surrounding environment affecting the physical body of a child. Each place generates a different NV, irrespective of whether the child can or cannot perceive the existence of natural elements.
The application of this methodology to the three schools revealed that “the values of multi-sensorial experience of nature, as they relate to space, significantly depend on particular design characteristics within urban settings, and are impacted by planning decisions on the built environment, and by a variety of architectural elements and interior features.” This means that all sensorial modalities are significantly associated with attributes of nearby nature environments and are dependent on the distance ranges of the child's sensorial experience. These findings indicate that “improvements in primary school architectural environments can be achieved through a consideration of the distance ranges of a child's experience and designing with children's visual and non-visual experiences of nature in mind.” The application of the methodology developed for this study could support design decision making for refurbishing schools and in planning for new schools in efforts to enhance children's sensorial experiences of nature.
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