Visual Experimentation Research on Traditional Residential Courtyard Spaces Using Virtual Eye-Tracking Technology

Courtyard space serves as the soul of traditional residences in Southern China, representing a gem in traditional Chinese architecture. Courtyards play a multifaceted role in architecture, including functions such as lighting, ventilation, water collection, solar radiation, and environmental beautification. This paper, building upon previous research and theoretical foundations, takes three types of courtyards in "Kong House" as the research subjects. Through methods like data collection, literature analysis, questionnaire surveys, and eye-tracking experiments, the study investigates the spatial experience of courtyard spaces in traditional residences. It quantitatively validates the design theory of courtyard spaces, analyzes the similarities and differences in spatial experiences among comprehensive courtyards, landscape courtyards, and functional courtyards, and concludes the study. The experiments indicate that incorporating courtyard spaces in traditional residences can effectively influence human behavior patterns and perceptual choices. Comprehensive courtyards typically stimulate more exploration and lingering behaviors. The combination of virtual reality and eye-tracking experiments provides valuable visual information and statistical data for analyzing human behavior and evaluating traditional residential design schemes.