AUTHOR=Marquardt Gesine , Cross Emily S., De Sousa Alexandra A., Edelstein Eve , Farne Alessandro , Leszczynski Marcin , Patterson Miles , Quadflieg Susanne 

TITLE=There or not there? A multidisciplinary review and research agenda on the impact of transparent barriers on human perception, action, and social behavior

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=6

YEAR=2015

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01381

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01381

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>Through advances in production and treatment technologies, transparent glass has become an increasingly versatile material and a global hallmark of modern architecture. In the shape of invisible barriers, it defines spaces while simultaneously shaping their lighting, noise, and climate conditions. Despite these unique architectural qualities, little is known regarding the human experience with glass barriers. Is a material that has been described as being simultaneously <italic>there and not there</italic> from an architectural perspective, actually <italic>there</italic> and/or <italic>not there</italic> from perceptual, behavioral, and social points of view? In this article, we review systematic observations and experimental studies that explore the impact of transparent barriers on human cognition and action. In doing so, the importance of empirical and multidisciplinary approaches to inform the use of glass in contemporary architecture is highlighted and key questions for future inquiry are identified.</p>