ICONARP - International Journal Of Architecture And Planning
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Green Building Assessment Model for Historic Buildings of Turkey
Get PDFGrave structures are architectural works reflecting the cultural accumulation, continuity and political power of societies. In the context of sustainability, while "green building" certification systems are developing in building productions in the world, new guidelines are also being created. Of course, new guidelines are also being developed on the certification as green buildings within the scope of the protection and restoration of historical buildings that should be specially considered. In this study, it is aimed to create a model that will allow the historical buildings in Turkey to be evaluated in the context of “the green building” concept. With this model, it is considered that historical building conservation practices will contribute positively to the works of restorers in making those heritage sites more environmentally friendly and sustainable. For the model designed to evaluate historical buildings within the scope of green buildings, historical buildings were handled under 3 groups: a) 1st Group Historical Buildings, b) 2nd Group Historical Buildings and c) Reconstructed Historical Buildings. As creating the designed model, GBC-Italy system criteria were taken as the basis. The criteria were carried out by conducting a questionnaire with experts in this field. Importance of the relevant evaluation criteria in the scoring system were determined by using the AHP method. As a result of the analyzes and calculations, the accuracy of the scoring was confirmed. As historical buildings are evaluated according to the conditions of their periods, it is obvious that they are sustainable buildings. Naturally, nowadays to be able to preserve historical buildings for the future generations in a proper way is usually ensured by giving them a new function. The requirements of the new functions given to create the necessary equipment to provide today\u27s comfort conditions in historical buildings naturally change the sustainable characteristics of the historical heritage. This evaluation system, designed to preserve the green building characteristics of historical buildings and to ensure their sustainability with their new functions, will be an important guide
Visual Accessibility and Inclusive Wayfinding Design in Hospital Environment in Nigeria
Get PDFVisual accessibility refers to the legibility and intelligibility of space cues that most contribute to the searching and use of information from the environment for wayfinding in hospitals. Because of building complexity and expansions over time, there is a lack of visual clarity to navigate and access the most desired destinations in the hospital. However, the inaccessibility of space by many unfamiliar users of any age, gender, or disability resulted in disorientation, uncertainty, stress, frustration, getting lost, and missed medical appointments. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact and barriers of visual accessibility on wayfinding in hospital buildings. Mixed-method approach combined quantitative and qualitative measures for the study area with focus on General Outpatients Departments (GOPD). A simple random sampling technique was used to select 98 participants. 24 respondents were selected for interview, while GOPD hospital buildings were observed for data elicitation. The main findings show that some of the circulation spaces were crowded with patients, and that most destinations within the GOPD were not visible from the main entrance. In addition, indistinctive nodes act as barriers, rendering some buildings inaccessible during navigation. It also revealed that signage, unit building entrances, and lighting were legible and properly positioned, enhancing space accessibility during wayfinding. The main limitations of this study are the absence of physically challenged people and the elderly in the research process, as well as cultural and linguistic differences. The implications are that designers should make simplified building layout more legible to the wide group of users such that core sections are visible and interlinked with high traffic flow pathways in the hospital for inclusive wayfinding. This study suggested solutions to the problems of visual accessibility in the hospital could improve all users\u27 inclusive wayfinding, increase satisfaction, confidence, reduce confusion during direction-finding in the hospital
A Framework Proposal for Plan Evaluation in the Context of Turkish Planning System
Get PDFThis study aims to propose a framework for plan evaluation in the context of Turkish planning system’s structural characteristics. Within the scope of the study, main planning evaluation approaches (conformance-based and performance-based) were examined, and prominent evaluation methods were analyzed in detail. Then, type of planning systems and the major breaking points in changing process of planning system in Turkey are summarized. With reference to these issues, a filtered framework that can be used for plan evaluation in Turkey has been suggested. In this research, it has been concluded that the plan evaluation can be realized in three main dimensions and some sub-criteria: conformity (plan and output accordance, plan effects, relevance), rationality (internal coherence, external coherence, participation, cooperation and coordination), utilisation (guidance or direction). Although it provides an applicable framework, the suggestion does not offer a method that can be applied one-to-one for each plan. Under the rapidly changing conditions in our country, the evaluation criterion should be reconfigured in line with the features of relevant plan. It is foreseen that a basic monitoring mechanism can be created for planning institution by using the framework in this study. Also, it will provide self-evaluation opportunities for planning authorities. In this way, we believe that the success level of plans and planning system will increase. Evaluation of plan is an important research area in the international literature in terms of both qualitative and quantitative elements to be analyzed together. However, it is not yet included in Turkish planning literature. Therefore, this study is valuable as it highlights a new research area by pointing to an important gap in the national planning literature. It is thought that this study has original contributions to both theory and practice and will establish a functional bridge between them
Evaluation of Antalya Bus Station Information Element Designs in terms of Visual Aesthetic Quality
Get PDFA The concept of information, known as information expansion, has been at the forefront in terms of the needs of societies from the past to the present. Recently, especially with the development of technological facilities, the importance of information design systems has increased considerably. Information and guidance elements exist in every field of social use, enabling the transfer of information; It is an important element in providing interaction for information and orientation within the spaces and gaining the functional and visual aesthetic appreciation of people with effective visual communication tools. As a social use, bus station structures also stand out as an important public space in the design of information and guidance elements. Within the scope of the study, focusing on the informatics language of bus station structures; It is aimed to determine the signage systems in the building through the example of Antalya Bus Station and to evaluate these designs in the context of graphic design space. In the evaluation of the identified signage systems, semi-structured interview techniques and descriptive analysis methods were used. In the first stage of the study, passenger, and employee opinions about the information-guidance qualities of the existing signage systems were taken. Within the scope of the interview data obtained, signage systems were evaluated by making descriptive analyses in the context of design elements and design principles as information-guidance design components determined in the existing literature. As a result of the evaluations, it was seen that most of the signage systems in the bus station structure were insufficient in terms of functional and visual aesthetic quality and that identity was not given to the bus station space and the city. As a method criterion, the study is expected to be a source for researchers from many disciplines that are active in the information and guidance design of bus station structures with approaches and elements appropriate to the identity of the city
Effects of Visual Environment on Students’ Adjustment to Stress
Get PDFThe impact of stress on visual landscape perception was assessed in a photo-based survey. The survey was first performed when the student participants were expected to be stressed just prior to an important examination. The same students were asked to respond to the same questionnaire a month after the examination when they were expected to have a lower level of stress. Then respondents answered some daily activities, personal study habits, and feelings before an exam. They also provided ratings of how much a selection of environmental factors generally influence their ability to study and their academic success. In the main perceptual survey reactions to a selection of 22 landscape scenes photos were reported by ratings (1–5) of the extent to which each of six emotions was associated with each scene. Differences in emotions ratings for the represented landscapes during high-stress and low-stress periods were analyzed by multiple comparison and Pearson correlational methods using the SPSS 17.00 package. Stress tests confirmed higher stress in the first versus second survey and perceptual ratings showed significant statistical differences in emotion ratings between landscape scenes, as well as both main effects and interactions between high stress and low stress conditions. Scene ratings for each emotion were strongly positively correlated between high stress and lower stress conditions. At the same time, respondents generally gave slightly higher ratings for positive emotions -excited, relaxing, happiness-when in the high stress condition and moderately higher ratings for negative emotions -stressed, irritating, scary-, compared to their ratings when tested later under lower stress conditions. This study indicated that stress conditions affect perception, and stressed conditions gave higher emotionality overall than the unstressed condition. In general, in both stressed and unstressed conditions, the students gave the highest scores (>3.4) to convenience and the lowest score (<2) to scary. The main limitations of this study are the large number of environmental factors that influence people\u27s perception. The strongest determiner of emotion ratings was the landscape scenes themselves. Inspection of outliers in the scatter plots and multiple comparisons articulating higher order interactions with stress conditions revealed clear differences in the patterns of emotions ratings, especially for scenes representing water surfaces, open green spaces, and seasonal plant scenes
Energy Saving Opportunities through Glazing and Shading Alternatives
Get PDFWindows are the weakest elements due to their high heat transfer coefficient and are responsible for 60% energy heat/gain loss. Healthcare buildings are one of the biggest consumers of energy due to continuous occupation hours and medical requirements, providing comfortable conditions for people in need of care and staff; yet recently less attention was given to healthcare buildings due to their unique operational requirements and advanced medical equipment. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to evaluate energy saving potentials of windows through glazing and shading alternatives over a case study. Within this study, a single patient room in Izmir Turkey has been chosen as a case study, and the room was simulated for sixteen scenarios generated by using four different glazing and shading systems. Each design scenario was simulated using DALEC for their lighting, heating, cooling, and total energy consumption. Results showed that lighting energy consumption constitutes the highest energy demand (up to 52%) and high transmitting glazing usage can reduce lighting loads. Finally, up to 16.3%, energy saving is possible only by changing shading and glazing types. Though there is a great diversity of glazing and shading types, this study’s outputs only reflect the selected four glazing and four shading system types that are offered by DALEC.
Healthcare buildings spend a vast amount of energy to provide thermal and visual comfort for various user profiles. Considering the large number of patient rooms in healthcare facilities, only careful consideration of glazing or shadings can significantly contribute to energy savings. This study focuses on shading and glazing alternatives as an energy-saving strategy. For simulation, an underrecognized BES tool DALEC was hyped to show integrated thermal and visual energy consumption. The findings highlight that energy savings of up to 16.3% is possible
Utilizing Nighttime Photos to Locate Attraction Zones at the Metropolitan Scale: An Analysis of Istanbul
Get PDFUp-to-date information about different forms of land-use (residential areas, industrial areas, central business districts, recreational areas, etc.) is essential for city planning processes to obtain better urban and regional planning decisions. Traditional methods (e.g., field surveying or WEB/GPS based data collection) used to gather up-to-date information can often contain some errors and can also be time-consuming and expensive, especially for large metropolitan urban areas. With the integration of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) related technologies, the difficulty of providing up-to-date information about different types of land-use can be greatly reduced. On the other hand, in terms of urban and regional planning, the level of utilization of these technologies is still considered to be insufficient. In this respect, authors wanted to draw attention to another possible usage of night-time data in urban and regional planning discipline for the purpose of determination of the location, size, and hierarchy of the attraction zones in urban scale which are mostly composed of central business districts (CBD), commercial zones, touristic corridors and/or concentration areas etc., as these regions are more illuminated areas compared to other zones of a city. Thus, a methodology based on GIS and RS integration and spatial and statistical analysis capabilities of GIS is presented in this study to determine the boundary and size of the attraction zones and their hierarchical levels by using the night-time imageries. To show how effective the suggested model is, the proposed methodology has been used in the city of Istanbul. The assessment of the location, size, and hierarchy of the attraction zones could give an essential decision support for the decision makers, especially those working in the urban planning discipline, as the attraction zones of cities need to be developed in a more specific and detailed manner. Thus, the model\u27s outputs\u27 reliability and potential applications in the field of urban planning are also examined
The Role of Public Interior Spaces in the Socialization of Active Elderly Individuals
Get PDFIt is an indisputable fact that interaction and socialization between individuals are important for a healthy society. For this reason, it is essential to develop spaces that provide group and community interaction between all ages and all members of the society. This study is based on the assumption that the interactions of active elderly individuals aged 65 and over with individuals in public interior spaces are important in increasing their quality of life. In order to ensure this interaction, it is thought that the supportive role of public interiors should be investigated. The aim of the study is to evaluate the contribution of shopping center spaces to interaction and socialization from the eyes of active elderly individuals aged 65 and over and to determine the social interaction levels of these individuals in the shopping center. For this purpose, the study was built on social interaction, one of the spatial quality parameters. The research method consists of 2 steps: field observation on the selected shopping center and face-to-face survey. The findings obtained from the study conducted with a group of 200 people were evaluated by making descriptive analysis in the SPSS program. According to the research data, the majority of the participants are of the opinion that the areas and activities that will support social interaction are insufficient in the shopping centers where the study is conducted. In the study, it was determined that the majority of the participants used the shopping place especially for passive socialization and enduring socialization. The use of the space for fleeting sociability, however, took place in the background. It is thought that the reason for this is that the shopping center cannot offer sufficient physical conditions and activity opportunities in terms of space design
Completely Accessibility Solutions for Historical Building and Areas in the Multi-Layered City Center of Sivas
Get PDFThe study\u27s major objective is to demonstrate that historical structures and locations are completely accessible to all people. While the required architectural modifications are performed in historic buildings and locations, they are intended to provide suitable solutions for everyone, not just a particular impaired group. The goal is to identify architectural alternatives that can be quickly implemented while preserving the original values. Individual and in-depth interviews with people with disabilities were done using questionnaire, interview and observational procedures. Successful examples from across the globe were scanned using scanning and descriptive techniques and project data were then examined and compared. The connected, comfortable, convenient, convivial, and prominent (5C) characteristics from the LPAC London Strategy were taken into account in Sivas city\u27s monitoring and spatial analytic methodologies. Projects for architectural applications were created and technical data and solution suggestions were given using the original methodology while maintaining the integrity of the architectural language. It was shown that enhancing the accessibility of historical structures and locations has an impact on how many handicapped people participate in cultural events. Making historical structures and locations completely accessible would enhance the city\u27s identity. The historical structure and setting are more accessible thanks to thoughtful and appropriate design arrangements. The architectural modifications necessary to enable complete accessibility may also be done to old structures and locations. Without compromising the texture, it is feasible to make historical and protected buildings accessible. The discussion environment, physical interference sensitivities in registered monuments, consideration of the needs of numerous different disability groups in the design of architectural arrangements, difficulties in correctly and effectively communicating with disabled people, and ethical sensitivities all contribute to the study\u27s limitations. The research influenced designers to raise awareness of the need to make our surroundings more accessible. Additionally, field research was done in five particular Sivas buildings with people who are orthopedically, visually, or both. And as a result, the ability to build user-oriented solutions has been established. The unique significance of the research lies in its richness in addressing the concerns of appropriate intervention to registered structures while simultaneously taking into account the balance of preservation and usage in historical buildings and places with the topic of universal design. The research is also a thorough paper on the subject of duties resulting from legal requirements. It may be the first study in the literature to thoroughly examine architectural choices made to promote future research by increasing awareness of the accessibility of historic sites and structures
Career Barriers of Women Architects in the Construction Sector
Get PDFIt has been determined that the existing studies in the literature about women architects have remained in the background or ignored in the historical process, there are barriers they have encountered in the sector, their visibility in the sector is low and they have left the profession of architecture over time. However, it has been observed that it has not been investigated whether the career barriers that female architects encounter differ according to their career stages. The aim of this research is to fill the knowledge gap identified in this field in the literature and to reveal the career barriers faced by women architects.
Quantitative research method was used in this study and data were collected by questionnaire method.
It has been understood that the glass ceiling and sexist attitudes, which are among the career barriers of female architects, differ according to career stages.
The limitations of the research are that the participation of the participants in the research is based on voluntariness, contacting people through online platforms due to Covid 19, the research is carried out in a limited time frame and the opinions of the participants are limited to the questions in the measurement tools.
Within the construction industry, women architects face career barriers throughout their careers. Ensuring that more women architects take part in the construction sector will be an important step in reducing or eliminating such barriers. However, making individual efforts to prevent these barriers faced by female architects during their careers will not produce a real solution.
The research is considered important in that it has not been investigated whether the career barriers found to be faced by female architects differ according to career stages and in this context, this study is the first of its kind