Beauty as climate communication: natural building aesthetics and participation in Taiwan

Natural building offers considerable potential to reduce embodied carbon while making housing and material choices a critical arena for climate action. This study investigates how aesthetic experience in natural building environments can foster public participation and support low-carbon housing practices. Focusing on the Family of Four natural building pavilion at the 2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition, the analysis examines how visitors perceived natural materials and how these perceptions influenced their willingness to engage in everyday building and living practices. Data were collected through 34 semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the M – C – D – L (Material, Construction, Design, Lifestyle) framework. Principal component analysis (PCA) and K-means clustering identified three participant types exhibiting distinct levels of practice willingness. The findings reveal that natural building aesthetics function not only as sensory and cultural values but also as a participatory form of climate communication. By linking beauty, behavior, and housing futures, aesthetic experience operates as a climate service that makes low-carbon living emotionally legible and socially desirable. The study contributes to socially and culturally grounded architectural research by framing natural building as both a material technology and a participatory practice, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on cities, consumption, and climate action.