Sustainability Aesthetics of Hybrid Environments: Creation and Perception by the Emerging Generation of Designers

Abstract In the contemporary sustainability discourse, the interplay between the aesthetic sensibilities of youth and sustainability presents a fertile ground for innovative exploration, particularly through the lens of experimental design and qualitative research. This study explores the concept of sustainability aesthetics and its application for the assessment and development of hybrid spatial environments, focusing on how this aesthetics is created, perceived, and evaluated by an emerging generation of designers (second-semester design students from Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania)). As this generation of emerging designers will be increasingly responsible for making sustainable and aesthetic decisions in both daily life and creative endeavours, understanding their engagement and empathy towards the environment is crucial. This study addresses a significant research gap by investigating trends in the expression of sustainability aesthetics in design and architectural objects and their interactions with contextual environments as well as youth aesthetic sensibilities in this context. Through qualitative assessments and reflective analysis, the study provides insights into the students’ evolving appreciation for sustainability and their ability to express this through aesthetically pleasing and environmentally conscious designs. This research includes a literature review on the application of experimental design in sustainability aesthetics research, the elaborated research methodology for analyzing and evaluating students’ works and their written reflections and primary research findings from the first stage of research – from the sample of more than 20 student works.