COLD CITY IN THE ARCTIC: PERCEPTION MODEL OF THE ARCHITECTURAL SPACE

The lack of large-scale scientific research on human needs in an extreme climate in the Russian theory of architecture does not allow to create an environment that adequately meets the requirements of urban life in the North. The purpose of this article is to conceptualize the structure of urban space in the Arctic. The model includes the material architectural environment, aspects of its sensory perception by man and conceptual representations of the region and the city. The hypothesis of the study: the Arctic city feels "cold" not only because of the objectively extreme climate, but also because of the social and individual perception, as well as - because of the image of the architectural environment. This means that comprehensive work with the material dimension and aspects of its emotional/sensory perception is necessary to correct the "cold" image. The formation of the empirical potential of the environment, through which it is supposed to change the perception of the region towards sustainable development, becomes the main task of architectural design