Browsing by Subject "Architectural design."

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Open Access
The analysis and design of urban near-home environments according to psycho-social needs and behavior of human beings
(1996) Serpil, Burçak
In this study, the design of urban near-home environments is examined considering the social and psychological needs of human beings as well as human spatial behavior. After an introduction to the concepts such as environment, near-home environments, human-environment interaction, human basic needs and human spatial behavior; the basic psycho-social needs of human beings are classified as safety, identity, social contact and privacy. These needs are analysed in relation to the design of urban near-home environments. Within this framework, behavioral concepts like territorility, personalisation, crowding are also considered. Furthermore, a research is conducted in Ankara, in two middle-density apartments with near-home environment of different design features. This research explores and compares the influences of these environments--which differ within themselves in terms of design characteristics--on the satisfaction of residents' psycho-social needs. Design suggestions are proposed at the end of the analysis of the findings of the research.
Open Access
An analysis of preference formation in introductory design education
(2001) Koyuncugil, Hüseyin Tolga
Basic design education is an important experience for design students, since they are expected to construct a basis for their further education and future career, and there are several objectives in basic design education to construct this basis. Moreover, during basic design education students begin to form their preferences on visual aspects of design which will determine the quality of design product. The methodology of basic design education is based on social interaction. However, social choice theory assumes that social interaction between people will result with similar preferences of individuals, as opposite to the objectives of basic design education. Thus, the main concern of this study is to investigate probable effects of social interaction in basic design studio on preference formation of basic design students in the case of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design department of Bilkent University to open up a discussion on the relevancy of basic methodology to its objectives, and the validity of the common consents of basic design education. The results of the research show that students form similar sets of preferences because of their social interaction with instructors and their perceptual tendencies, and this manifests a situation contradicted with the objective of basic design education.
Open Access
An analytical re-assessment of introductory design in architectural education
(1998) Farivarsadri, Guita Aviral
Introductory design, as the initial step in architectural education, is of crucial importance. In this course student are supposed to acquire values, knowledge and skills which create a basis for further levels of their professional education. A holistic, human-centered approach to introductory design education aims at providing students with an insight into the context and complexities of architectural design, and their future responsibilities in the very beginning of architectural education. This thesis creates a framework for the assessment of such an introductory design education. A study of different dimensions of this education and a critical analysis of current approaches, creates a basis for proposing a framework for a holistic, human-centered approach. In this critical analysis, the objectives, objects, methods and management of introductory design education are considered in relation to its ideological, sociological, epistemological and pedagogical dimensions.
Open Access
Designers' cognition in traditional versus digital media during conceptual design
(2001) Bilda, Zafer
Designers depend on representations to externalize their design thoughts. External representations are usually in the form of sketches (referred to as traditional media) in architectural design during the conceptual design. There are also attempts to integrate the use of digital representations into the conceptual design in order to construct a digital design medium. This thesis aims at gaining an insight on designers’ cognitive processes while sketching in digital versus traditional media. The analysis of cognitive processes of designers based on their protocols is necessary to reveal their design behaviour in both media. An experiment was designed employing six interior architects (at Bilkent University) solving an interior space planning problem by changing the design media they work with. In order to encode the design behaviour, a coding scheme was utilized so that inspecting both the design activity and the responses to media transition was possible in terms of primitive cognitive actions of designers. The analyses of the coding scheme constituents, which are namely segmentation and cognitive action categories enabled a comparative study demostrating the effect of the use of different media in conceptual design phase. The results depicted that traditional media had advantages over the digital media such as supporting perception of visual-spatial features, and organizational relations of the design, production of alternative solutions and better conception of the design problem. These results also emerged implications for the computer aid in architectural design to support the conceptual phase of the design process.
Open Access
The effects of correlated color temperature on wayfinding : a study in a virtual airport environment
(2013) Kumoğlu, Özge
The aim of the study is to understand the effects of correlated color temperature on wayfinding performance in airports and to compare different color temperatures in order to understand their effects on wayfinding performance. The experiment was conducted with three different sample groups in three different lighting settings that are 3000 K, 6500 K and 12000 K. The participants were total ninety graduate students from twenty-one different departments of twenty-six different universities. The study was conducted in a single phase. The volunteered participants experienced the desktop VE one by one. The participants were seated at the computer and were tested by the researcher. They were asked to direct the researcher from the starting point to the final destination which was stated as gate numbered 109. It was found that correlated color temperature has no significant effect on wayfinding performance in terms of the time spent, the total number of error, the total number of decision points and the route choice during finding the route. However, the correlated color temperature has a significant effect on experiencing hesitations. It was found that the total number of hesitations decrease while the correlated color temperature increases from 3000 K to 12000 K.
Open Access
Evaluation of design studios in terms of environmental comfort conditions
(1998) Igdır, Sevil Funda
Buildings create environments for people to live and work in, and they aim at providing occupant satisfaction. In order to create interior environments which are completely suitable for the activities they involve, some requirements have to be met. These requirements relate to the environmental comfort conditions, the components of which are thermal, visual and acoustical comfort. The important point is that the effects of heat, light and sound are not isolated elements of building design; they are interrelated. In this study, which is a field study, environmental comfort conditions in the design studio are analyzed. Design studios are chosen since there is a living process in these environments where many different functions take place simultaneously. For this purpose, the design studios of the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey are analyzed. The analysis consists of the physical measurements of the environmental comfort parameters, and the subjective responses of the occupants which are evaluated with questionnaires. In order to make an evaluation, the obtained values for physical measurements are compared with the ones compiled from the relevant standards, and the questionnaire responses are analyzed. At the end of the study, recommendations for the amelioration of the measured studios are made.
Open Access
Reflections on environmental control: luminous and sonic environments inside the design studio
(1995) Önen, Ömer
In this thesis, two environmental control parameters -lighting and acoustics - are studied. Since one of architecture's primary concerns is to provide human beings with comfort, emphasis is put on the approach that design decisions pertaining to lighting and acoustics should be considered in the earlier phases of the designing process. The design studio has been chosen since it houses many different functions simultaneously, with its significance as the place where design education actually begins. Accordingly, norms, numeric standards and common designing principles are compiled for design studios. Then, the lighting (luminance, illuminance) and acoustics (sound pressure level) performances of the design studios of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture of Bilkent University are measured. The results are, finally, evaluated and concluded with general technical advice for the amelioration of the measured studios.
Open Access
Spatial factors affecting wayfinding and orientation in a shopping mall
(1997) Ufuk Doğu, Güler
The aim of this thesis is to study the main factors which affect the wayfinding and orientation of individuals in a shopping mall and explain how their behaviors are influenced by these factors. The spatial and individual factors and their properties are defined. Among the spatiaf factors, shape and dimensions, light and color, building configuration, visual accessibility, circulation systems, and signage are considered. Age, gender, occupation, disability, individual psychology and purpose(s) are analyzed as individual factors. Also, the relation between the shopping activity and wayfinding are discussed. The profile of a sample from the Turkish society is tried to be clarified through their wayfinding behaviors during shopping. Properties of a shopping mall is defined from the point of wayfinding, and a case study is conducted in Karum Shopping Center, Ankara.
Open Access
Spatial familiarity as a dimension of wayfinding
(2001) Demirbaş, Güler Ufuk Doğu
Spatial familiarity is a significant, yet insufficiently investigated factor that affects wayfinding. The aim of this thesis is to explore spatial familiarity as a dimension of wayfinding, and explain how it affects human behavior within the built environment. Factors affecting wayfinding are defined under two categories; environmental information and individual characteristics. Spatial familiarity is a concept that comprises these two characteristics and thus, is analyzed separately. Factors affecting spatial familiarity apart from those mentioned above are defined as experience, spatial ability, meaning and expectancy, and environmental complexity. The effects of individual and group differences on spatial familiarity are identified and assessed through an empirical study conducted in two buildings of the Faculty of Art, Design, and Architecture, of Bilkent University. Spatial ability tests, wayfinding tasks, and interviews were administered to subjects from the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design and the Department of Graphic Design. The findings indicate that spatial and individual factors affect spatial familiarity with the built environment.
Open Access
Understanding the effects of cognition in creative decision-making : a creativity model for enhancing the design studio process
(2005) Hasırcı, Deniz
The demand for creativity is a significant concern in all educational environments, especially in institutions of design. Considering this, the study aspires to improve creativity in the design studio. Based on the theories and research addressing creativity in the design field, creative decision-making, and cognitive processes during creative activity, this study analyzes the creative process of design in depth by investigating the characteristics of the decisions made through the stages of the process, and means of supporting those decisions for the main purpose of enhancing academic and professional creativity. The study establishes its basic framework by combining two different models: ‘4P’s’ of creativity by Rhodes and the ‘Five Stages of the Sensational Thinking Model’ of O’Neill and Shallross (5R’s), and makes use of the methods of protocol analysis, observation, product assessment, and retrospective interviews. Implemented in the third year design studio in the Interior Architecture and Environmental Design Department, Bilkent University in Turkey, the study yielded significant results on preferred imagery and representation styles and quantity, time spent at different stages of the process, underdeveloped skills, behavior, in addition to student-student and student-instructor relations, and associations between creative processes and products. Moreover, constructive interaction between students was observed to be helpful in developing their ideas, and students who have used more imagery were detected as more creative. A model was proposed to understand the creative process and test the hypotheses, refined according to the study, and presented in a way to be readily utilized or adapted to various situations.