Mekan dizim yönteminin bir mimari tasarım aracı olarak kullanılması üzerine bir deneme
Searching for possibility of using space syntax as a tool for architectural design
Yazar: MERVE ŞİŞMAN
Danışman: DOÇ. DR. PELİN DURSUN
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü / Mimarlık Ana Bilim Dalı / Mimari Tasarım Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2015
Konu: Mimarlık = Architecture

Özet:
Mimari tasarım süreci soyut düşünceden, somut tasarım ürününe dönüşen karmaşık bir yolculuktur. Mimarlık, sanat-bilim-teknik üçlüsünün bir arada yer aldığı bir disiplindir. Mimar, farklı disiplinlerden, alanlardan beslenen bir mimarlık bilgisinden, çeşitli tasarım araçlarından yararlanarak tasarlar.
Tasarım sürecinde tasarlarken mimara yardımcı olan, düşüncesinin bir zihinsel durumdan bir diğerine aktarılmasına katkıda bulunan çeşitli tasarım araçlarından söz edilebilir. Fiziksel ve zihinsel özellikler sergileyen bu tasarım araçları ile birlikte sezgi ve bilimin kurguladığı tasarım bilgisi, mimara tasarım sürecinde yol göstermektedir. Bir yanda tasarımcının deneyimleri, gözlemleri, algı ve kişisel özellikleri tasarım sürecine etki ederek tasarım ürününü şekillendirir. Tasarım ürününün onu tasarlayandan bağımsız düşünülememesi, tasarımın öznelliğinin bir göstergesidir. Diğer yanda ise tasarım sürecinde devreye giren bilimsel bilgi tasarımcının sezgilerini yönlendirerek tasarımcıya ışık tutmaktadır. "Kanıt temelli tasarım" yaklaşımı ise bilimsel bilginin tasarıma aktarılmasını sağlayan yöntemlerdendir.
Bu çalışmada bilimsel bilgiyi tasarım sürecine taşımayı, bilim ile sezgiyi yönlendirmeyi hedefleyen yöntemlerden biri olarak mekan diziminin tasarım sürecinde bir araç olarak kullanılma potansiyeli üzerinde durulacaktır. Mekan dizim, mekanın ilişkisel, konfigürasyonel özelliklerine odaklanarak mekanı ve içinde gerçekleşen yaşamı deşifre etmeyi hedeflemektedir. Mekandaki sosyal ilişki ağları ve hareket üzerine geliştirilen mekan dizim teorisi, yapılan analizler ve üretilen sayısal veriler ile kanıt temelli bir tasarım için değerli bir temel oluşturur. Mekan dizim yöntemini mimari tasarım sürecinde kullanan çalışmalar incelendiğinde bunların çoğunluğunun inşa edilmiş çevrenin analizi üzerine odaklandığı görülür. Var olan çevrenin karakteristik özellikleri deşifre edilerek gözler önüne serilir. Tasarım kararları öneri mekansal biçimlenmelerin analizleri ile test edilir. Mimarlık eğitimindeki çalışmalarda ise mekana ilişkin bir farkındalık oluşturmak üzere benzer şekilde kullanılmaktadır.
Çalışmanın strüktürü teorik, düşünsel çerçevenin kurgulanması ve mimarlıkta ilişkisel ağ tabanlı bir atölye çalışmasının ortaya konması bağlamında iki ana bölümden oluşmaktadır. Bu atölye çalışması mimarlarla yapılan birebir görüşmeler ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Üretilen tasarımlar, tasarımcılar ile gerçekleştirilen adımlar sonrasında yapılan tasarımların sentaktik analizleri ile birlikte yorumlanmıştır. Burada planlanan tasarım sürecinin gözlemlenerek analiz edilmesi ve bu süreçte mekan diziminin bir tasarım aracı kullanılabilme potansiyelinin sorgulanmasıdır.

Abstract:
Architectural design is an adventure from abstract thought to concrete design. Architecture is a discipline positioned in the middle of the trilogy of art, science and technique. While architecture generates designed environment, architect designs the space that a person lives in, walks through, travels around and does physical activities. On the other hand, space has a role that affects a person thoughts, emotions and perceptions. The formation of the living environment is completed after design and building process. When the design process that the fundamentals of architectural product are formed in is examined, some elements including this design process can be seen. Meanwhile an architect designs, undergoes a complex process with considering these factors. Architecture designs benefiting from various design tools and an architecture knowledge that is feeding from different disciplines and fields.
There are various design tools, which contribute transition of the architects' thought from one mental state to another, and help her during design process. With these design tools having physical and mental features, design knowledge leeds the architect during the design process. Experiences, observations, perceptions and characteristics of designer shape the designed product by having an impact on design process. The fact that design products are always associated with their designers is an indication of the subjectivity of design. On the other hand, scientific knowledge, which is becoming a part of design process, helps the designer by directing his/her intuitions.  ''Evidence based design'' approach is an attempt to bring science based knowledge into design. This study emphasizes on contribution the scientific knowledge to architectural design process and explores possibility of using space syntax as a tool in the design process. The first chapter mentions about aim, scope and methodology of the study.
In the second chapter of the study, the nature of architectural design and design process is mentioned. In addition to this, the world of design tools, which are helping the architect to create the design idea, is described.  This world of design tools contains physical and mental characteristics, which are creating physical and mental activities.  In this chapter, intuitions and reasoning which are the main components of architectural design knowledge is also mentioned. Scientific knowledge enlightens the designer by trigging intuitions and becomes a part of the design process. 
Chapter three focuses on the theory and techniques of space syntax. A space has also non-physical social characteristics as much as concrete physical characteristics. Space syntax aims to make invisible properties of space visible decoding configurational characteristics of that space. The space syntax theory basically argues that space manifests a network- relational structure and this structure forms a movement pattern that creates a lifestyle. Space syntax developed tools such as justified graphs, axial maps, convex maps and isovists for representation of space that is defined by the help of the configuration concept. After abstraction of space, some quantitative measurements are calculated. This concepts and measurements within the scope of the study are: Depth, rings, isovists, integration.
In this chapter, the relation between space syntax and architectural design is also mentioned.   When we examine studies in which space syntax is used in the design process, we can see that most of them are focused on the analysis of built environment. In the scope of these studies, characteristic features of existing environment are decoded and unfold. Design decisions are tested by analysis of proposed spatial configurations. During architectural education, the approach is used in a similar way in order to create awareness about the space.  After a literature review, it is suggested that this approach can be used as a tool not only at the end of the design process but also in earlier phases of this process. 
This study is focused on the potential of using space syntax as a design tool during the design process. It is intended to decode invisible characteristics of space by focusing on the configurational characteristics of space. By its technics and tools for analysing space, the space syntax theory is focused on movement pattern and the networks of social relations and forms a base for some kind of evidence based design method.    
In the fourth chapter, workshop which is performed within the study is introduced. A design problem specified during the workshop is examined by one-to-one meetings with designers. Design process experienced on this specific design problem is recorded and the potential of using space syntax as a design tool is tested. This workshop aims to integrate space syntax into the design process and to study the possibility to transfer science based knowledge into the design process and to allow architects to test their own design proposals through the analytic, numeric and comparable data it generates. 
Workshop consists of three stages. In first stage the designer were asked to think about following questions: ''How can you describe the main concepts / components of the life in a residence?'' "Which concepts should be considered during the design of living spaces?" In the second stage, the designer is asked to specify a set of relations among a concept / action set. A designer can decide to add new propositions to the given action set / concept. In the third stage, the workshop focused on space making process. The designers were expected to create a living space by focucing on his / her design concepts. The third step of the study involved syntactic analyses on the designed spatial constructs. The spatiality of the designer's preferences was explored and the potentials of designed spaces were discussed.
After the workshop activities the designers were also asked to clarify their testing methods that they applied during the design process. According to answers, they usually test their design proposals with their experiences by imagening, modelling and utilizing someone else criticism. Mostly, these are focused on personal characterictics of the architect making the design subjective and unique. The resources of all these testing methods is intuitional knowledge and the design is tested by intuitions. As it is mentioned before, in architecture scientific and intuitional knowledge come together. In this sense, space syntax works as an evidence based approach by providing graphical, mathematical, scientific data regarding on space. Thus on one side, it helps to test the design proposal by bringing the science based knowledge into design, on the other side it makes scientific and intuitional knowledge work together by triggering intuitions.
As a result, the potentials of space syntax were examined. Moreover, a workshop about using space syntax during the design process was carried out. Space syntax creates a link between science and design by transferring science based knowledge into design process and produce graphical and mathematical data which helps an architect to test his/her design proposals. Space syntax has the potential to be used as a tool at an earlier stage in architectural design process.