Designing Components of University's Communal Spaces in Order to Response to Self-Actualization Need

 Self-actualization is a high level of human requirement and as an existing need, which is the tendency of an individual to grow and realize available potentials. Establishment of suitable spaces at universities can help fulfill such a necessity. At present, a problem of universities is that the communal spaces are often used to meet the basic physical needs and fundamental requirements of students, In other words, communal spaces of a university have not been designed and built according to self-actualization and richness. The purpose of this research is presenting designing components of university’s communal spaces for empowerment of students’ self-actualization (achieving students’ self-actualization). The research method was combinatory; both qualitative and quantitative methods, consisting of documentary, qualitative content analysis, survey method by using the Delphi- technique and causal-comparative that it has done in four steps. The relevant literature was studied using documentary method in the first step and factors affecting self-actualization were identified. In the second step, primitive list of spatial attributes with relevant categorization were identified by using the Delphi- technique method in three rounds. In the third step by using the causal-comparative method, closed- questionnaire according to findings of the second step prepared and distributed in statistical population. The findings were analyzed by using Multivariable Analyze of Variance (MANOVA) and most important spatial attributes affecting self-actualization, were obtained. In the fourth step, the list of designing components that spatial attribute need for forming in the space extracted from resources and surveys of experts, then questionnaire for checking the effect of designing components on forming spatial attribute prepared and distributed among experts. The result of this step is extracting designing components of university’s communal spaces. The results of research showed that the most important attributes that must be exist in communal spaces to lead to self-actualization are privacy and solitude, space presence ability, simplicity in environmental organization and socialization.