Browsing by Author "Ünlü, Alper"

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Open Access
The analysis of a paediatric treatment environment in the context of nurses' and companions’ behaviours through space syntax and behaviour maps
(2021-12-02) Çanakçıoğlu, Nevşet Gül; Ünlü, Alper; Architecture; ÇANAKÇIOĞLU, Nevşet Gül; ÜNLÜ, Alper
Pediatric treatment environments are settings that should be designed in a child-centered spatial manner that treats the child as a holistic entity with his/her physical, cognitive, social, and psychological needs. According to David and Weinstein (1987), children are not the only users of these settings, the needs of adults as well as children should be considered, as these environments are also used by their parents. Platt Report (1959) which demonstrates family-centered design procedures in children’s hospitals, also informs that if a mother is staying with her child, she should also be considered as a member of the team involved in the treatment process. So, in addition to medical doctors and nurses, companions are among the main actors of children's treatment settings whose social and psychological needs should be taken into consideration. However, the fact that companions are vital members of the treatment process is usually ignored in the architectural design of many children's treatment services in Turkey. The case study which is carried out in a Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Service with the participation of 30 companions and 13 nurses, through which the significance of the data obtained by behavioral maps and spatial syntax methods are statistically investigated, shows that companions are at least as active as nurses and they take a vigorous role in the treatment of their children and also need social interaction and privacy. As a result of the correlations established between the behavioral data of nurses and companions, and the syntactic data of each space, it is analyzed whether the syntactic data regarding the physical structure of the space are related to the behavioral frequencies of each participant group. Considering the significant data that emerged in the analyzes, it is revealed that the behavior frequencies of the companions are as high as the nurses.
Open Access
Analysis of behavioural processes in cultural centres through concepts of configuration and time: A three building comparison in Istanbul
(Istanbul Teknik Universitesi, 2023) Bayram, Ç.; Ünlü, Alper; Architecture; ÜNLÜ, Alper
Cultural centres have changed throughout history in terms of their configuration and usage. Changing design approaches, socio-cultural patterns, technical improvements, and user demands have also changed the usage, content, and function added resulting in changing the spatial configuration and architectural program. In Istanbul, some cultural centres still have some hard-programmed characteristics or strict rules in terms of architectural programming relating to the defined functions in everyday life and social interactions. Other cultural centres maintain flexibility in their architectural program to include various social activities. This study aims to syntactically demonstrate how the social interaction spaces of cultural centres tended to change from the period of 1938 to 2005 by the correlation between syntactic values of configuration and the frequencies of usage. As a result, it can be seen that the spatial configurations have determinants on spatial behaviour. In one centre that is examined, circulation space is more integrated and connective. Therefore, it is used as a social interaction area that supports random encounters. Hence, weak programming rarely has coherence between usage frequency and syntactical values. On the contrary, in the other centres that are examined, the users strictly follow the rules of spatial configurations. Strong programming also has more significant correlations between syntactic values and usage frequency. The crucial role of spatial morphology and user behaviour are highlighted to support social interaction in strong-weak programming. How the architectural program in cultural centres tends to change is argued.
Open Access
Examining the effects of sequential polyhedron visibility on wayfinding and evacuation an online experiment in virtual reality environment
(Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), 2022) Topal, Uzay; Ünlü, Alper; Architecture; ÜNLÜ, Alper; Topal, Uzay
The paper presents the understanding the basics of the human wayfinding process that can be substantially illuminated by the correlations between space-syntactic variables and kinesthetic data of individuals roaming in a spatio-temporal environment. However, two-dimensional syntactic concepts offer a perception of place to some extent, they may neglect to capture the volumetric effects of space on human perception, especially during movement. Therefore, besides 2D syntactic variables, this paper essentially focuses on polyhedrons as 3D isovists to explore the impacts of the sequential volumetric visibility data on human behavior in terms of the spatial decision-making process in the wayfinding and evacuation issues. In this framework, the article discusses the results of a series of wayfinding and evacuation experiments implemented in a virtual building environment consisting of randomly arranged and dimensioned circulation areas. While evacuation experiments contained legal egress signages at properly designated doors and spots, wayfinding experiments had no signboards. On the other hand, the 3D building model is designed with a couple of architectural modeling software and transferred into a simulation environment. The experiments are conducted with forty four (44) respondents over an online meeting platform. Then, the respondents' trajectories and kinesthetic data are retrieved from the experiments, and the correlations between behavioral and syntactic data are investigated. The primary findings demonstrated that participants in the regular exit group tended to be around the zones with higher integration values. In contrast, the signages and volumetric visibility data are highly influential on the emergency exit group when evacuating the building.
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Exploring perceived openness and spaciousness: the effects of semantic and physical aspects
(Taylor & Francis Online, 2022) Ünlü, Alper; Edgu, E.; Salgamcioglu, M. E.; Çanakçıoğlu, Nevşet Gül; Architecture; ÜNLÜ, Alper; ÇANAKÇIOĞLU, Nevşet Gül
This study focuses on the effects of the independent spatial variables of volumetric visibility, natural light, and the infinity index value on both perceived openness and spaciousness, and on the concept of familiarity, using computer-generated images of sixteen nodes of a university building. Ninety participants in three groups from two universities were selected to examine the effects of familiarity on the dependent variables of openness and spaciousness. These dependent variables of perception were explored through a semantic evaluation test, where the participants experienced the sixteen spatial nodes in a virtual environment derived from fixed vantage points on two floors of the case study campus building. The results revealed that the perceived spaciousness is significantly correlated to the independent physical aspects of space, such as the volumetric visibility, the natural light, and the infinity value, while familiarity with space indicated a higher ratio of perceived openness.
Open Access
Interpretations on movement and affordances in the built environment
(Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), 2022) Ünlü, Alper; Edgü, E.; Şalgamcioğlu, M. E.; Çanakçıoğlu, Nevşet Gül; Architecture; ÇANAKÇIOĞLU, Nevşet Gül; ÜNLÜ, Alper
Is it possible to discuss behaviour pertaining to movement and affordances depending on its potentials for social and physical reflections? To answer such a theoretical question, this study brings forward space syntax with its broader concepts and morphology studies in the building scale. Movement, whether it is guided or not, can be examined as a consequence of people’s interaction with the space, related to their activities of exploring, navigating, and also getting into a congruent relationship with it. This study aims to tackle three major discussions and their interrelationships. Firstly, affordance and syntactic relationship in relation to the nature of the movement through space; secondly the relationship between building programming and its behavioural occurrences, and finally presenting a dialectic discussion about human movement and building function through case studies of the authors’ previous works. Herein, the discussions on how movement occurs in spaces and how architecture and configurative conditions change the nature of the movement as well as how the behaviour patterns emerge in this framework are important. The main emphasis of this study is not only the configurational effects of the space on movement but also the various multi-layered movement that occur in space and change over time depending on behaviour settings. In the framework of the methodology, the presented case study sections on various building types reflect the outcomes of behavioural observations of various individuals’ movement which act as liberating outcomes where the discussions on copresence, encounter, and coawareness are crucial. Thus, it is aimed to gain insight into a comparative discussion between the behavioural and syntactic datasets related to typologies such as a hospital setting and an elderly institution where the movement is assumed to be more dictating as well as other typologies such as university buildings and exhibition halls where the movement is assumed to be more spontaneous. With this in-depth synthesis and discussion based on the previous case study findings of the researchers, it has been noticed that many variable situations can be observed in which behaviour settings are highly influential on movement regardless of the building program depending on people's age, professional roles, gender, and life cycles.
Open Access
Isometric measurands on perceived spaciousness: Exploring volumetric isovist
(Beijing JiaoTong University, 2019) Ünlü, Alper; Edgü, E.; Şalgamcıoğlu, M. E.; Çanakçioğlu, Nevşet Gül; Yılmaz, E. A.; Architecture; ÜNLÜ, Alper; ÇANAKÇIOĞLU, Nevşet Gül
The isovists are essential hypothetical structures for understanding the visibility in space. Regarding the perception of space, volumetric visibility presents a complicated geometrical volume that may be considered as a polyhedron obtained from the optical arrays of the vantage point. Despite the stated importance of volume, the preference for two-dimensional approach was later emphasized to be highly pragmatic by the prominent researchers of the field considering the non-applicable and complex data analysis of isovist radials and accordingly the polyhedron structure within a three dimensional medium. Through an experimental case study, the research explores the extension of syntactic and semantic parameters of visual perception and helps to understand the dynamic nature of the volumetric visibility. Research uses semantic and syntactic data analyses based on the fixed vantage points in a medium to expose the differences in the spatial experience of users. Syntactic data obtained from a modified real environment, and semantic data obtained from the vantage point scenes derived from this environment are correlated. The research is based on four founding subjects of study, which are considered as the main factors in understanding the perception of spaciousness and openness. These factors are defined as isovist parameters, graph parameters, radial data parameters, and volumetric parameters. The selected environment of the case study is a part of a university building. For this study, ground and first floors are abstracted and simplified in the experiment’s virtual environment. Selected 16 vantage points from two floors had diverse variations in width, length and height, which are likely to cause different perceived spaciousness levels. Semantic evaluation is examined through an experimental research with 90 students from two different universities. The participants are asked to evaluate the feeling of spaciousness and openness in the virtual medium of 16 vantage points on a 5-point Likert type scale questionnaire. The last step of the methodology is composed of multiple regression analyses showing the effects of syntactic and spatial determinants of the virtual scenes and one-way-ANOVA analyses showing the effects of spatial experiences related to familiarity and educational background of the sample groups. Results of the research indicated that isovist area is highly correlated with spaciousness, meaning that wider spaces are perceived as more spacious. Higher connectivity values, having more possibility of expansions, lead to an idea of perceptual spaciousness. Volumetric visibility indicates that perception of spaciousness is directly related to the z-dimension. The amount of natural light in space has a positive effect on the participants’ semantic evaluations. The infinity value increases the amount of natural light, giving a feeling of wideness and providing a visual access to beyond. Previous experiences of students, familiarity with the space and educational background are highly effective on the perception of openness. In this research the psychological outcomes of visual perception through concepts of spaciousness and openness with three dimensional geometry of visibility are combined. By the help of novel methods of calculating volume, natural light and infinity values, the research presents a quantifiable data of comparison of semantic assessments with syntactic ones.
Open Access
A longitudinal study on the transformation of farm areas in Çukurova, Turkey
(Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), 2022) Fırat, Fırat Ali; Ünlü, Alper; Çanakçıoğlu, Nevşet Gül; Architecture; ÜNLÜ, Alper; ÇANAKÇIOĞLU, Nevşet Gül
Recently, agricultural production methods have changed drastically in the Çukurova region. Due to the decrease in the need for workforce and the change in agricultural product types in Turkey, there has been a significant transformation in the definition of farming and the use of farm spaces. The main subject of this pilot study is the morphological formation and transformation of the spatial components of farms and the reflections on human behaviour through space syntax. Therefore, six farm areas built since the 1850s in Çukurova were selected. Study aims to find traces of technology and human behaviour in farm spaces, revealing the boundaries between the common and private areas. Two different datasets were obtained to test the validity of the hypothesis. First consists of behavioural data obtained through observations. The second consists of survey diagrams, photogrammetric drone mappings, and aerial photographs from the Civil Aviation Command since 1944 to reveal the changes throughout history. This research shows that use of farms has varied over time in terms of technological changes and living conditions. Recently, the distinction between private and production spaces in the farm layouts has begun to change. These recent morphological changes may be relevant when describing contemporary farm sites. Thus, study is aimed to reveal the spatial adaptation process of the farm areas in Çukurova in this article. Therefore, contemporary agriculture and syntactic studies show how the adaptation of farms has progressed over time. This study also aims to predict spatial planning in sustainability, especially in contemporary/modern agricultural environments.
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Perceptual processes of children regarding their nearby home environments living in two socially diverse subcommunities
(ASCE, 2022-09-01) Çanakçıoğlu, Nevşet Gül; Ünlü, Alper; Architecture; ÇANAKÇIOĞLU, Nevşet Gül; ÜNLÜ, Alper
Human life that is collective and diverse on the one hand, but complex and chaotic on the other, is largely experienced in metropolitan cities owing to a significant amount of migration. Istanbul can be defined as a city that constantly witnesses massive influxes of migration and ultimately becomes socially heterogeneous. It was hypothesized in this study that the multilayered urban character of the city affects the perceptions of city-dwellers, especially children. As such, the study focused on the perceptual differences of children living in socially diverse urban settings, and a comparative analysis was conducted to reveal the children's environmental perceptions regarding their nearby home environments. This case-study-oriented research was conducted with 11-year-old children from two subcommunities both located in the periphery of Istanbul: one from a gecekondu settlement on the fringes of Istanbul, and the other, a planned residential settlement (PRS). The methodology was based on the representations by the children since this methodology has the potential to present an understanding of spatial perception through both quantitative and qualitative dimensions. A representation of children's houses with their immediate surroundings was requested from the children so that two different cognitive map datasets were obtained regarding two diverse subcommunities. Significant results were obtained in the study, in which gender and settlement type were used as independent variables. As a result, it was revealed that the girls were more inclined to draw their own rooms, were more focused on indoor spaces and were further apt to draw the domestic appliances. When the results were evaluated depending on the settlement type variable, it was revealed that those living in PRS represented indoors more and were specifically focused on their own rooms, while those living in gecekondu settlement tended to draw domestic appliances and outdoor spaces more.
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Perceptual processes of children regarding their nearby home environments living in two socially diverse subcommunities
(ASCE, 2022-05-03) Çanakçıoğlu, Nevşet Gül; Ünlü, Alper; Architecture; ÇANAKÇIOĞLU, Nevşet Gül; ÜNLÜ, Alper
Human life that is collective and diverse on the one hand, but complex and chaotic on the other, is largely experienced in metropolitan cities owing to a significant amount of migration. Istanbul can be defined as a city that constantly witnesses massive influxes of migration and ultimately becomes socially heterogeneous. It was hypothesized in this study that the multilayered urban character of the city affects the perceptions of city-dwellers, especially children. As such, the study focused on the perceptual differences of children living in socially diverse urban settings, and a comparative analysis was conducted to reveal the children’s environmental perceptions regarding their nearby home environments. This case-study-oriented research was conducted with 11-year-old children from two subcommunities both located in the periphery of Istanbul: one from a gecekondu settlement on the fringes of Istanbul, and the other, a planned residential settlement (PRS). The methodology was based on the representations by the children since this methodology has the potential to present an understanding of spatial perception through both quantitative and qualitative dimensions. A representation of children’s houses with their immediate surroundings was requested from the children so that two different cognitive map datasets were obtained regarding two diverse subcommunities. Significant results were obtained in the study, in which gender and settlement type were used as independent variables. As a result, it was revealed that the girls were more inclined to draw their own rooms, were more focused on indoor spaces and were further apt to draw the domestic appliances. When the results were evaluated depending on the settlement type variable, it was revealed that those living in PRS represented indoors more and were specifically focused on their own rooms, while those living in gecekondu settlement tended to draw domestic appliances and outdoor spaces more.
Open Access
Spatial configuration and passenger behavior at complex buildings İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport
(Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), 2022) Bayraktar, İrem; Ünlü, Alper; Architecture; ÜNLÜ, Alper; Bayraktar, İrem
The behavior of the passengers in complex buildings may be affected by the spatial configuration of the building, also the functional demands of each individual. This research investigates complex buildings’spatial configuration and visibility characteristics’ impact on the choice of the service facilities that are related to the behavior of the passengers at an airport. The functional demands of an airport do not only rely on passenger activity and finding the gate. Passengers use the travel-related functions but also the retail facilities, and food/drink services at an airport according to their needs. The location of these facilities has the potential to attract people during their time until their flight. The optimized locations of these facilities may generate well-operated management by answering the functional demands and a time saver for the passengers. The general aim of the research is to point out the dependents of the choice of these facilities related to the syntax parameters such as some of the food services can locate in the highest visibility areas and some of them locate in very deep spaces and some of them lose customers because of the configuration of the airport. The method of the research involves the behavioral pattern of the passengers through the food/drink services and their relationship with the spatial structure of the airport. However, the whole wayfinding dynamics of the airport generally, is led by the arrows and signs through the destination, the random movement through the food/drink facilities will show the actual influence of the spatial structure on the behavioral patterns. The spatial characteristics will be discussed with visual connectivity, isovist measurements (e.g., circularity, occlusivity, isovist perimeter), and how they are related to the actual passenger populationat these facility zones at an airport. The common area of departures and domestic flights of the airport will be used for the research to investigate how people are using these spaces according to their locationand visibility potential. In the case study, the selected nodes will be counted in the gates, and the numeric data of the passengerswill be compared with the syntax measurements to achieve a correlation also detecting the ignored facilities because of the spatial structure that is meant to develop more optimized facility service to the passengers. The research includes a syntactic analysis at İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport’s Domestic flights facility area to investigate the usage of these areas. The human movement through the airport leads the users to create a path regarding their activities, therefore the spatial configuration of the airport has a significant impact on the routes of the passengers and the choice of the facility within their functional needs.