The Important Factors of Atrium Design in Shopping Centers: Kourosh Mall and Laleh Park Shopping Mall in Iran

Atriums play an important role as an identity former, offering spatial orientation in shopping mall architecture. The main aim of this study is to examine the substantial factors of atrium design, which bring a sense of place for shopping mall users. This study is quantitative in nature, reviewing two shopping malls located in the two cities in Iran: one is the Laleh Park mall of Tabriz, and the other is the Kurosh mall in Tehran. A total of ۳۵۰ respondents were surveyed and the confirmatory factor analysis was carried out to identify main factors. The results indicate that the design factors considered by the visitors of the two shopping malls are atrium legibility, its decoration, the social image and interaction and the event ambience.

Keywords:

Sense of place , atrium , shopping malls , design