Embodied Cognition-Based Assessment and Optimization of Architectural Classroom Environmental Quality

Specialized classrooms in architecture schools serve as the core spatial infrastructure of architectural education, supporting theoretical instruction, design tutorials, model making, and critique sessions. However, existing studios often follow rigid layouts that respond inadequately to the diversity of learning stages and usage scenarios. Based on embodied cognition theory, this study integrates spatial morphological analysis, stated preference surveys, and semantic differential questionnaires to establish a multidimensional evaluation framework covering psychological perception, spatial environment, audiovisual perception, professional facilities, and professional atmosphere. Four spatial types, classified through global case review, were examined under class-time and self-study scenarios. Statistical analyses reveal a contextual fit effect whereby the same spatial type exhibits divergent perceptual performance depending on the usage scenario, and a stage-dependent gradient in which environmental concern shifts from sensory qualities toward functional efficiency as academic level advances. Gender, visit frequency, and duration of stay showed limited explanatory power relative to spatial and scenario effects. Six evidence-based optimization principles and three tiered conceptual schemes are proposed for lower-year, middle- to upper-year, and advanced users, respectively. This study offers an empirically grounded reference for the evaluation and tiered optimization of architecture design studio environments.