İzole olmanın mekansal karşılıkları ve kişisel deneyim üzerinden incelenmesi
Spatial reflections of isolation and examination through personal experience
Yazar: GİZEM NUR ŞAN
Danışman: DOÇ. DR. MELTEM AKSOY
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü / Mimarlık Ana Bilim Dalı / Mimari Tasarım Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2020
Konu: Mimarlık = Architecture

Özet:
Mekan, deneyimleniyor olmanın ötesinde eylemleri ve düşünceleri de şekillendirmektedir. Bu nedenle yaşam alanları, fiziksel özellikleri ile insanların yaşama biçimleri üzerinde rol oynamaktadır. Aynı zamanda da insanların yaşama biçimleri ve istekleri mekanı şekillendirmektedir. İzole olma kavramı hem doğal çevrenin hem de insan eylemleri ve fikirleri doğrultusunda üretilen çevrenin bir sonucu olarak, insan yaşamını etkileyen ve insan yaşamından etkilenen bir kavramdır.
İzole olmak esasen kişi, mekan ve olaylarla iletişimin ve etkileşimin kesilmesi anlamına gelmektedir. "İzole" kelimesi de iletişim ve etkileşim olanakları kısıtlı olan "ada"dan köken almaktadır. İzole olma durumu adalarda olduğu gibi rastlantısal ve doğal sebeplerle gelişebilir. Öte yandan insanlar tarafından bilinçli bir şekilde yaratılan çevrede de gelişebilir. Temel olarak etkileşimin kesilmesini sağlayabilecek tüm fiziksel koşullar, izole olma durumunun gelişmesine sebep olabilir. Tam da bu sebeple mekan, izole etme potansiyelini taşımaktadır. Çünkü mekanın üretimiyle birlikte iki taraf birbirinden ayrılır, farklılaşır ve iki taraf arasında bir şeylerin geçişi kısıtlanır. 
İzole olma durumu anlık, gündelik veya geçici olarak mekanda gelişebilir. Ancak bir mekanı izole olma durumu üzerinden tanımlayabilmek için, izole olma meselesinin odak haline gelmesi gerekmektedir. Tez kapsamında da mekan-izole olma ilişkisi sorgulanırken izole olmanın odak haline geldiği durumlar mekansal karşılıkları ile birlikte ele alınmıştır. Burada incelenen izole olma durumlarında, etkileşimin iki taraf arasında bulunan bariyer, boşluk gibi mekanın organizasyonu ile ilgili düzenlemelerle engellendiği görülmüştür. Bunun yanısıra, etkileşimi kesmenin bir diğer yolu da kullanıcının mekanda geliştirdiği kümelenme ve içeri çekilme davranışlarıdır.
İzole olmanın arka planında fiziksel olduğu kadar sosyolojik ve psikolojik faktörler de bulunduğundan, izole olma durumu ortaya çıkış sebebi, geliştiği bağlam ve kapsam açısından bir çok olasılığa sahiptir. Çalışmada ele alınan tüm olasılıklar, mekansal olarak anlamlı bulunan farklılıkları dikkate alınarak sınıflandırılmıştır. Bununla, izole olma ve mekan arasındaki ilişki ile ilgili öznel bir bakış açısının yakalanması hedeflenmiştir. Yapılan bu sınıflandırmada hem ölçeğin hem de izole olmanın ortaya çıkış sebeplerinin belirleyici olduğu düşünüldüğünden, bu faktörler sınıflandırma kriterlerini oluşturmuştur. Bunun sonucunda izole olma olasılıkları, coğrafi oluşumlar ve insan eylemlerinin kesişiminde gelişen, yapılı çevrede bölgesel ölçekte gelişen ve yapılı çevrede yapı ölçeğinde gelişen durumlar olmak üzere üç başlıkta incelenmiştir. Coğrafi oluşum ve insan eylemlerinin kesişiminde incelenen örnekler adalar, çöller, dağların sınırladığı alanlar gibi esasen doğal veya rastlantısal oluşumların izole edici özellik gösterdiği durumları kapsamaktadır. Yapılı çevrede bölgesel ölçekte gelişen durumlar ise gettolar, kapalı siteler, kolektif yaşam alanları, marjinal grupların yaşadığı alanlar gibi belirli alanlarda toplanan bir grup insanın diğerleri ile etkileşiminin kesildiği durumları kapsamaktadır. Yapı ölçeğinde gelişen izole olma durumları ise, en baştan bu amaca yönelik olarak yaratılan hapishane, akıl hastanesi, sanatoryum gibi yapılarla birlikte ev gibi, gerektiğinde bu amaca yönelik olarak kullanılabilecek örnekleri kapsamaktadır. Tez kapsamında birbirinden farklı bağlam ve ölçeklerde gelişen izole olma durumları incelenmiş, izole olmanın anlamı üzerinde durulmuştur. Beraberinde ise izole olma durumu kişisel deneyim üzerinden yapılan çıkarımlar ve gözlemlerle aktarılmıştır.
Tezin yazıldığı dönemde ortaya çıkan ve sürmekte olan Covid- 19 küresel salgını, izole olma önlemlerini beraberinde getirmiştir. Bunun bir sonucu olarak deneyimlenen izole olma süreci tez kapsamında ele alınmıştır. Buradaki izole olma süreci, bireysel olarak deneyimlenmenin ötesinde küresel ölçekte gelişim gösteren bir süreç haline gelmiştir. Bu nedenle de izole olma deneyimi aktarılırken, farklı ölçeklerde geliştiği göz önünde bulundurulmuş ve bir önceki bölümde olduğu gibi mekansal açıdan anlamlı bulunan farklılıklar üzerinden sınıflandırılmıştır. 
Covid-19 izole olma süreci özelinde ev, izole olma deneyiminin ve mekansal olarak anlamının değiştiği kritik bir eşik olarak ele alınmıştır. Bu nedenle de izole olma deneyimi evin içinde ve dışında nasıl sürdüğü üzerinden sorgulanmıştır. Bunun yanında, etkileşimin yalnızca fiziksel bağlantılar ile sağlanmadığı bugünün dünyasında, izole olma sürecine dijital olanakların etkisinin ne olduğu ve mekansal açıdan bunun nasıl yansımalarının olduğu üzerinde durulmuştur. 
Tez kapsamında izole olma kavramının farklı bağlamlarda gelişen mekansal karşılıklarını incelemek hedeflenmiştir. Bu hedef doğrultusunda, izole olma durumunun hem arka planında hem sürecin tamamında fiziksel ve fiziksel olmayan birçok faktörün beraberliğinde geliştiği göz önünde bulundurularak, izole olma durumu hem örnekler üzerinden hem de kişisel deneyim üzerinden sorgulanmıştır.

Abstract:
Space, beyond being experienced, also shapes acts and thoughts. For this reason, living spaces play a role with their physical characteristics in lifestyle. At the same time people's lifestyles and desires shape the space. The concept of isolation is a concept that affects human life and is affected by human life as a result of both the natural environment and the environment produced in line with human actions and ideas. 
Being isolated essentially means being cut off communication and interaction from people, places and events. The word "isolated" originates from the "island", which has limited communication and interaction possibilities. Isolation may be seen with random and natural occurrences, as in the islands. On the other hand, it can also develop in the environment that is consciously created by humans. Basically, all physical situations that cause interruption of interaction can lead to the development of isolation. For this very reason, space has the potential to isolate. Therefore, with the production of space two sides are separated, differentiated and the transitions between them are restricted. Isolation can occur for purely physical reasons. In addition, it may develop due to social, political and psychological factors. For this reason, the process of isolation that develops with a human focus cannot be explained with clear rules. Variables such as the priorities of the individual, internal and social norms, and time are determinant in the examination of the process separately for each case. In fact, even its spatial reflecitons create many possibilities that isolation may develop in different ways. However, considering the fact that it prevents interaction, it is seen that being isolated allows to draw definable spatial frames.
Isolation can develop instantly, daily or temporarily in the space. However, in order to define a space in terms of isolation, the issue of isolation should become the focus with that space. While the relationship between space and isolation is being questioned within the scope of the thesis, the situations in which isolation becomes the focus are discussed together with their spatial reflections. In cases of isolation examined here, it has been observed that interaction is prevented by the arrangements related to the organization of the space between the two sides, such as barrier, gap. The walls that separate a space, a neighborhood or a city from the other side or the gap between a campus located outside the city and the city are factors that reduce the interaction. Besides, another way to cut the interaction is the clustering and seclusion behaviors developed by the user in the space. For example, ghettos are isolated living spaces as a result of clustering and seclusion behaviors. The arrangement of spatial elements and spatial behavior together can create a state of isolation. In addition, isolation can develop only with spatial arrangements or only spatial behaviors. 
Isolation isn't always perceived by humans. However, even if it is not perceived, it may be affecting people. Differences between societies, the evolution of living things are based on geographic isolation in anthropology and biology. However, there are many possibilities where isolation is clearly perceived. Here, the spatial reflections of being isolated are of great importance in the perception of isolation. This is because the threshold that separates the two sides, in other words the point where the two sides separate, gains a symbolic meaning of being isolated. The perception of isolation varies according to the position of the person relative to the boundary between the two sides or the quality of the element that separates the two sides. If the person is inside enough to forget the presence of the other side, that person is less likely to perceive their isolation. In addition, if the element that separates the two sides allows any interaction with the other side, it causes the other side to be more familiar. Whether the other's perceptibility strengthens or weakens the isolation varies depending on the context and is relative. However, perceiving the state of isolation causes the factors that provide this to come to the fore and to be discussed.
Since there are sociological and psychological factors as well as physical factors in the background of isolation, isolation has many possibilities in terms of the reason for its occurrence, the context and scope in which it develops. All the possibilities considered in the study were classified by considering the spatially significant differences. With this classification, it is aimed to capture a subjective perspective about the relationship between isolation and space. Since it is thought that both the scale and the reasons for the occurrence of isolation are determinants in this classification, these factors constitute the classification criteria. As a result, the possibilities of isolation are examined under three headings: situations that develop at the intersection of geographical formations and human actions, develop at the regional scale in the built environment, and develop on a building scale in the built environment. 
The examples studied at the intersection of geographical formation and human activities include situations where essentially natural or random formations show isolating properties, such as islands, deserts and areas bounded by mountains. Situations that develop on a regional scale in the built environment include situations in which a group of people gathered in certain areas such as ghettos, gated community, collective living spaces, areas where marginal groups live cease to interact with others. The probability of being isolated at the building scale includes structures such as prisons, mental hospitals, sanatoriums created for this purpose from the very beginning, as well as examples such as houses that can be used for this purpose when necessary. These three groups discussed here are groups that can be intertwined and cannot be separated by clear boundaries. However, considering the factors contributing to isolation, the isolation status in these three groups differs from each other by finding clear responses. 
Cases of isolation developing in different context and scales are examined focusing on meaning of being isolated in this thesis along with statements of isolation which has been reported with inferences and observations made from personal experiences.
The Covid- 19 is an ongoing pandemic which emerged at the time that thesis was written and it brought along new precautions on isolation. The process of isolation experienced due to the Covid- 19 pandemic discussed within the thesis and it is considered as process that develops on a global scale beyond individual experience. Therefore, while mentioning about experiences on being isolated, it is considered that they developed in different scales and they are categorized based on differences that are found to be spatially significant as in the previous sections. But before that, isolation precautions taken in past epidemics were examined. 
Being isolated in the face of an epidemic is a preventive measure that has been used since medical methods and the source of the disease were not very developed. Actions such as closing into certain areas, settling outside of the city, closing inside houses are also seen in past epidemics. On the other hand, it is still a highly effective precaution today. This is because isolation targets a physical interaction and is a quick measure that can be taken by anyone. For this very reason, isolation against epidemic disease is a basic and untimely precautions. In the Covid- 19 pandemic, isolation has been an important and effective measure from the first moment the outbreak occurred. Spatial precautions played a critical role, especially in the first stage, when medically insufficient development was not achieved and information on the spread of the disease was limited. 
In this particular process of Covid- 19 isolation, the house is considered as a critical threshold where the experience of isolation and its spatial meaning change. In this process, the inside of the house was defined as a safe and should be used place, while the outside of the house was defined as a threatening and avoided place. For this reason, the experience of isolation has been questioned on how it lasts inside and outside the house. In addition, in today's world where interaction is not only provided by physical connections, it is emphasized what the effect of digital possibilities on the process of isolation and how it reflects spatially. The quarantine of the digital age has created an outside that can be reached from inside the house. Together with the isolation, the action areas, which are physically shrinking into the house, have caused an expanding digital space to come to the fore. Outside is now a place that is reached from inside the house. As a result, the exterior of the house was meant by the immediate surroundings of the house before the process, while the outside of the house has also become a global scale with the process. In summary, the process of being isolated in the digital age has created its own dynamics.
Within the scope of the thesis, it is aimed to examine the spatial reflections of the concept of isolation developing in different contexts. In line with this goal, considering that many physical and non-physical factors develop together both in the background of isolation and throughout the process, isolation was questioned both through examples and personal experience. When all these examples and experiences are approached, it is seen that a process that constantly affects each other has developed between the physical environment, people's ideas and lifestyles.
Both the isolation situations that develop in different contexts and the individual experiences of isolation differ according to their own dynamics. However, considering their spatial reflections, it is seen that there is a mutual effect-response mechanism between isolation and space. The spatial reflections of isolation are capable of representing both practically and symbolically isolation. The space has an infinite number of possibilities, flexible enough to create isolation in different scales and forms when focusing on isolation.