Unutulan kentsel hafıza yapıları ve miras değerlerinin dijital etkileşimler ve oyunlaştırma ile aktarımı: Mardin yetimhanesi
Transfer of forgotten urban memory structures and urban heritage values with digital interactions and gamification: Mardin orphanage
Yazar: DOĞAN KALAK
Danışman: DOÇ. DR. DERYA GÜLEÇ ÖZER ; DR. ÖĞR. ÜYESİ SERDAR AYDIN
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü / Bilişim Ana Bilim Dalı / Mimari Tasarımda Bilişim Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2024
Konu: Mimarlık = Architecture

Özet:
Dijitalleşme, kültürel mirasın korunmasını, belgelenmesini, erişilmesini ve 
paylaşılmasını sağlar. Günümüzde dijital arşivler sayesinde kültürel mirasa internet 
üzerinden kolayca erişilebilmektedir. Dijital kültürel miras uygulamaları, antik 
kültürleri dijital olarak yeniden inşa ederek kullanıcıların bu kültürleri özümsemesini 
ve anlamasını sağlamaktadır. Dijital kültürel miras, geçmişi koruma ve halkın 
farkındalığını artırma çabalarını içerir. Günümüzde geliştirilen dijital kültürel miras 
uygulamalarında, antik şehirlerin sayısal olarak belgelenmesi ile kullanıcıların bu 
şehirlerde sanal gezilere çıkması ve antik kültürleri deneyimlemesi sağlanmaktadır. 
Sanal gerçeklik uygulamarı kültürel miras alanlarında sıkça kullanılmasına rağmen 
kültürel miras bilgisini aktarmada tam verim gösteremeyebiliyor. 
Sanal kentsel hafıza, dijital ortamlarda kültürel mirasın sunulması ve erişilebilir 
kılınması sürecini ifade eder. Oyunlaştırma, kültürel mirasın hikayeleştirilmesi, 
ziyaretçilerin etkileşimli deneyimler yaşaması ve tarihi bilginin eğlenceli bir şekilde 
aktarılması için oyun tasarımı ve mekaniklerinin kullanımını içerir. Bu tez, mimari ve 
tarihi bilgilerin oyun unsurlarıyla birleştirilerek iletilmesi üzerine odaklanmaktadır. Bu 
çalışmada sanal gerçeklik teknolojileri lidar taramaya dayalı lidar tarama yöntemi ile 
üretilmiş modelin oyunlaştırma ögeleri ile zenginleştirilmesiyle kullanıcıya 
sunulmaktadır. Araştırmanın odak noktası, Mardin'deki tarihi yetimhanenin dijital 
dönüşümü ve bu sürecin oyunlaştırma teknolojileri kullanılarak
gerçekleştirilebileceğidir.
Kentsel belleğin korunması, kültürel mirasın sürdürülebilirliği açısından kritik bir 
öneme sahiptir. Bu çalışma, Mardin'in tarihî dokusunun önemli bir parçası olan eski 
yetimhanenin dijital modelleme ve oyunlaştırma yöntemleri kullanılarak nasıl korunup 
aktarılabileceğini araştırmaktadır. Çalışmanın amacı, Mardin Yetimhanesi'nin 
dijitalleşme sürecini ve bu sürecin oyunlaştırma yöntemiyle geliştirilebileceğini 
incelemektir. Çalışma kapsamında detaylı bir literatür incelemesi gerçekleştirilmiştir. 
Yetimhanenin tarihî ve kültürel bağlamı incelenmiş, yapı yerinde analiz edilmiştir. 
Hâlihazırda otel olarak kullanılan yapının çalışanları, mahalle sakinleri ve çevredeki 
esnaf ile görüşmeler yapılmış; yapının mevcut durumu fotoğraflanmıştır. Mardin 
Müzesi ile iş birliği yapılarak elde edilen veriler değerlendirilmiştir. Restorasyon ve 
rölöve çizimlerine dayanılarak lidar taramaları yapılmış ve yapının 3B modeli 
oluşturulmuştur.
Dijital modelleme sürecinde lidar tarama ve sanal gerçeklik (SG) teknolojileri 
kullanılmıştır. Lidar tarama, yapının geometrik ve dokusal özelliklerinin yüksek 
doğrulukla elde edilmesini sağlamış, SG ise kullanıcıların yapıyı sanal ortamda 
deneyimlemelerine olanak tanımıştır. SG turunda, katılımcıların yapıyı 
keşfedebileceği ve kültürel miras bilgisini alabileceği interaktif bir rota tasarlanmıştır. 
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Unreal Engine 5 oyun motoru kullanılarak, model üzerinde rota alanları tanımlanmış, 
arayüz tasarımları ve butonlar eklenmiş, oyunlaştırma öğeleri ve anket soruları 
entegrasyon sürecinde kullanılmıştır.
Çalışmanın deneysel kısmında, farklı yaş, cinsiyet, meslek ve eğitim seviyelerine sahip 
30 katılımcıdan oluşturulmuştur. Katılımcılara sanal tur deneyimlerini değerlendiren 
anketler uygulanmıştır. Anketler, katılımcıların sanal tur sırasında ve sonrasında bilgi 
ve materyallerin yeterliliğini, kültürel mirasın aktarımını ve yetimhane yapısının 
anlaşılmasını değerlendirmiştir.
Sonuçlar, sanal gerçeklik ortamının kültürel mirasın anlaşılması ve aktarımı için etkili 
bir araç olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Katılımcılar, sanal tur sırasında elde ettikleri 
deneyimleri ve bilgileri değerlendirerek kültürel mirasla ilgili motivasyonlarının 
arttığını belirtmişlerdir. Ayrıca, genç katılımcılar ve mekansal bilgiye sahip meslek 
gruplarının SG teknolojilerine daha hızlı adapte olduğu gözlemlenmiştir.
Bu çalışma, dijital modelleme ve oyunlaştırma yöntemlerinin kültürel mirasın 
korunması ve tanıtılması için yenilikçi ve etkili araçlar olduğunu göstermektedir. Sanal 
gerçeklik, fiziksel olarak mevcut olmayan tarihî yapıları deneyimleme imkânı sunarak, 
kültürel mirasın daha geniş kitlelere ulaştırılmasını sağlamaktadır. Ancak, teknolojiye 
adaptasyon sürecinin iyileştirilmesi ve farklı yaş gruplarının kişisel bağ kurma 
süreçlerine yönelik çalışmaların artırılması gerekmektedir.

Abstract:
Digitalization enables cultural heritage preservation, documentation, access, and 
sharing. Thanks to digital archives, access to cultural heritage over the internet has 
become more accessible. Virtual heritage applications digitally reconstruct ancient 
cultures, allowing users to assimilate and understand these cultures. Digital cultural 
heritage includes efforts to preserve the past and raise public awareness. Virtual 
heritage applications can consist of digital reconstructions of ancient cities and take 
users on virtual tours of these cities, allowing them to experience ancient culture. In 
this study, virtual reality technologies present the model produced by the lidar 
scanning method to the user by enriching it with gamification elements.
This thesis focuses on transmitting cultural and historical information by combining 
game elements, and this study will likely lead to future research. The research focuses 
on the digital transformation of a historical orphanage in Mardin and how this process 
can be carried out using gamification technologies. The concepts of cultural heritage, 
virtual urban memory, and gamification are considered critical tools for preserving, 
sharing, and keeping heritage alive on digital platforms. Virtual urban memory refers 
to the process of presenting and making accessible cultural heritage in digital 
environments. Gamification involves using game design and mechanics to narrate 
cultural heritage, provide interactive experiences for visitors, and convey historical 
information entertainingly.
Preserving the historical texture of cities and carrying this texture to the present is of 
great importance to keep the cultural heritage alive. A historical city like Mardin is 
incredibly entire of traces from the past to the present. Cities reflect historical events, 
cultural experiences, and demographic changes. Therefore, the memory of cities is 
expressed through architectural structures, public spaces and streets. Cities preserve 
and keep alive a memory that human memory cannot convey. This memory is shaped 
by the physical elements of the city, especially historical buildings and spaces. The 
memory of cities builds a bridge between the past and the present and creates the city's 
identity. A historical city like Mardin has a complex spatial memory from past to 
present. Historical buildings, cultural diversity, demographic changes, and 
modernization efforts are the essential elements that make up the city's memory. One 
of the elements that form the memory of a city is monuments. Historical buildings in 
cities bear traces of a certain period and reflect the atmosphere of that period. These 
structures, in addition to preserving the historical texture and identity of the city, 
enable people to connect with the past.
The Mardin orphanage example examines the place of these structures in urban 
memory by discussing the position of orphanages within cultural heritage areas. 
Orphanages are among the structures that are often overlooked in cultural heritage. 
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This study investigates how orphanages can be included in preserving and transmitting 
cultural heritage through digital modeling and gamification. The thesis examines the 
digitalization process of former orphanages and how this process can be improved 
through gamification. In the scope, the digital transformation process of Mardin 
Orphanage and the cultural and sociological context of this structure are examined. 
The method section explains the processes of creating 3D models of buildings using 
virtual reality and lidar scanning methods and transferring cultural heritage through 
the gamification method.
The old orphanage in Mardin became idle over time and needed maintenance. 
However, with the restoration work, this historical building was reorganized as a hotel 
and contributed to the city's tourism potential. Although the interventions made during 
the restoration process were aimed at preserving the historical and cultural values of 
the building, they also caused some criticism. In particular, interventions and additions 
that would take away from the originality of the building have led to the deterioration 
of the historical texture.
Lidar scanning covers the process from data collection to creating 3D virtual models. 
This technique produces 3D models by converting scanned point clouds into meshes 
or overlaid textured surfaces. Lidar scanning plays an essential role in many areas, 
such as archiving cultural heritage in a digital environment. This technique has 
essential requirements such as high geometric accuracy, closeness to the actual model 
with photographs, and detailed modeling. Lidar scanning is an efficient tool for 
collecting information in topographic and thematic mapping applications. Its main 
benefit is that it simultaneously provides the depicted objects' geometry and surface 
texture. Studies on the mutual application of lidar scanning, augmented reality, and 
web-based visualization techniques were examined. It is aimed at understanding 
digitally better reconstructed historical places and vanished artifacts through virtual 
access.
Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that transports users to digital environments and 
offers an interactive experience. VR covers many applications, such as gaming, 
simulation technologies, and education, and has become more accessible today. VR
refers to applications where individuals interact with virtual environments using 
various tools. VR involves experiences where users can navigate and observe threedimensional environments. Virtual reality is a simulation environment that makes 
something not physically exist feel real. Participation in virtual spaces is made using 
the stereoscopic vision method. In museums, virtual reality creates virtual exhibitions 
by creating dynamic content. Virtual reality technology allows lost cultures to live and 
present in museums without affecting the original cultural heritage. A successful VR
system will enable users to feel their environment. To achieve this effect, objects must 
be displayed realistically. Technical implementations can be divided into four steps: 
geometric modeling, image modeling, behavioral modeling, and the creation of the 
final system.
Architects often use photographs, videos, scale drawings, and physical models to 
represent the original situation. In this project, the documentation phase is the 
foundation and requires an extensive data collection process. Data collected includes 
sections of the project area, existing plans, photographs taken at different times, 
surface photographs, 3D laser scanning data, reports from researchers and historians, 
and archival documents. Photogrammetric measurement and reality capture methods 
combined with V.R. enable in-depth examination of project data. 3D laser scanning 
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and lidar scanning technologies determine the project's current status precisely, while 
V.R. allows this data to be explored interactively.
First, the orphanage was visited and structurally examined. The context of the building 
within the city of Mardin was evaluated. Hotel employees, neighborhood residents, 
and surrounding tradespeople were interviewed, but it was determined that the number 
of people who knew the building was a former orphanage was low. The photographs 
of the hotel and the orphanage were examined and documented. Mardin Museum was 
contacted, and some data about the building was obtained. Restoration and survey 
drawings were taken, and a restoration report was received. Lidar scans were made at 
various points of the building, and a 3D model was created.
The model was tested in a virtual environment using Oculus Rift VR glasses. Three 
participants (two architecture students and one philosophy graduate student) interacted 
with the model. Participants shared their different experiences and feedback. The pilot 
study's findings show that users have various preferences when experiencing cultural 
heritage in a virtual environment. This feedback was considered in the gamification of 
the virtual cultural heritage experience.
In the user experience section of the study, various surveys were used to measure 
participants' experiences during the virtual reality tour. While the first group of surveys 
consisted of questions presented at nine different points during the virtual tour, the 
second group was conducted in a physical environment after the virtual tour. The 
surveys aim to evaluate issues such as understanding cultural heritage and the 
effectiveness of virtual reality tools.
Experience groups consist of 30 participants of different ages, genders, professions, 
and education levels. Participants were selected from people who had never seen the 
Mardin orphanage before. This choice ensures that participants find the virtual reality 
tour more enjoyable. Participants were divided into two groups: those with and without 
virtual reality experience. The questions used in the surveys evaluate the participants' 
adequacy of the information and materials in the virtual tour, the transmission of 
cultural heritage, and the understanding of the orphanage structure. The Likert 
scale was used to measure participants' attitudes towards a particular topic or 
statement. This scale ensures that the data is objective and comparable.
Project results show that the virtual reality environment is an effective tool for 
understanding and transferring cultural heritage. Survey results provide participants 
with the opportunity to evaluate the experiences and information they gained during 
the virtual tour. Virtual tours are an innovative method for preserving and promoting 
cultural heritage. Overall, this study has shown that VR technology is an effective tool 
in the promotion and learning of cultural heritage. Interactive and task-based 
experiences offered in the virtual environment increased the participants' motivation 
regarding cultural heritage and made the transfer of knowledge more permanent. 
However, the deficiencies in establishing personal connections need to be eliminated, 
and the adaptation process of different age groups to technology needs to be improved.