Translating Users’ and Observers’ Perceptual Preferences in the Façades of Tehran Commercial Centers

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Nasibeh Shahabi Maskoun
Mansour Nikpour
Mohsen Ghasemi
Department of Architrcture, Bam.C., Islamic Azad University, Bam, Iran.
10.22034/he.2026.582358.1212
Abstract
Commercial façades in Tehran can no longer be understood merely as exterior envelopes, decorative surfaces, or visual instruments for market differentiation. In contemporary urban conditions, they operate as critical thresholds where architectural expression, environmental performance, commercial visibility, and public perception intersect. The central problem addressed in this study is the lack of a systematic mechanism to translate users’ and observers’ perceptual preferences into measurable, operational design criteria for commercial façades. Focusing on the second substudy of a doctoral research project, this article examines how perceptual judgments can be translated into architectural parameters that inform façade design decisions. The study adopts a quantitative-analytical approach based on 18 parametrically defined façade alternatives and nine design attributes, including entrance legibility, canopy depth, façade greenery, setback, glazing surface, materiality, opening rhythm, window-to-wall ratio, and ground-floor transparency. Data were collected from 309 respondents through 3,090 paired-choice tasks and 1,854 perceptual observations. A discrete choice model was used to estimate the implicit weight of façade attributes in users’ and observers’ decisions. At the same time, Quality Function Deployment (QFD) was employed to translate perceptual needs into design parameters. The results show that entrance legibility is the strongest predictor of façade choice, followed by canopy depth and façade greenery. In contrast, window-to-wall ratio and ground-floor transparency, when considered independently, did not exert a significant effect on selection. The QFD analysis further indicates that perceptual preferences are operationalized mainly through canopy depth, controlled transparency, setback, and the spatial articulation of the entrance threshold. The findings challenge the conventional assumption that greater transparency necessarily enhances commercial attractiveness. Instead, they suggest that a successful commercial façade in Tehran depends on a legible threshold, climatic moderation, perceptual clarity, and the careful translation of human experience into architectural design criteria.
Keywords
Entrance legibility
Commercial façade
Perceptual preferences
Discrete choice model
Quality Function Deployment
Subjects
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Human Ecology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 15 June 2026