Cognitive preferences for architectural renovation strategies in traditional villages combining subjective evaluation and eye tracking

With the implementation of the “rural revitalization” strategy, many traditional villages face the challenges of renewal and revitalization. A scientific and effective understanding of these renovation strategies is crucial in the renewal design process. This study integrates eye-tracking technology and subjective evaluation methods to construct a research framework for assessing cognitive preferences regarding architectural renovation strategies in traditional villages. Three villages in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China—She Village, Lixiang Village, and Sujia Ideal Village—were selected as case studies. Subjective evaluation scores were obtained using a semantic differentiation (SD) questionnaire, and the weights of various evaluation dimensions were determined based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Eye-tracking experiments recorded subjects' observation processes of different remodeling spaces, producing focus heatmaps, areas of interest (AOI) maps, and corresponding eye movement data. The comprehensive analysis of these two aspects provides a more thorough understanding and evaluation of renovation strategies in traditional villages: (1) In architectural renovation, the most effective strategies are ranked as follows: block addition, facade renovation, juxtaposition of old and new, and overall reshaping. (2) The metrics of richness and recognizability show significant correlations with eye-tracking data, suggesting their importance in comprehensive analysis. (3) Both high and low subjective evaluation scores attract attention, indicating the need to integrate subjective evaluation results with eye-tracking data for accurate judgment.