The Role of Spatial Reference Frames in Architecture: Misalignment Impairs Way-Finding Performance

It is generally recognized that the spatial structure of a building is an important factor in way-finding performance. However, surprisingly little research has related way-finding performance directly to topological and geometrical properties of spatial environments. In this study, the authors provide empirical evidence that way-finding performance and the ability of people to orient themselves in their environment depends partly on geometrical relations between different parts of the space. The authors propose that the misalignment of local, cognitive reference frames suggested by architectural features leads to way-finding problems and impairs the integration of spatial knowledge. In an experiment with 56 participants, the authors tested way-finding performance and spatial memory for four virtual environments. Environments differed systematically in their alignment of parts of the building. Results show a main effect of alignment for both way-finding and pointing measures. Implications of these findings for both architectural design and cognitively motivated formal models of space are discussed.