Revitalization and Adaptive Re-use in Cappadocia: A Taxonomy of Creative Design Solutions for Uchisar Boutique Hotels

The "architecture without an architect" in Cappadocia has always been fairy due to its volcanic stone formations and transforming silhouettes. In 1973, French architect Jack Avizou highlighted the essence of cave houses as vernacular building types and their potentials for local tourism beyond conventional notions of architectural heritage. Upon completing the restoration of cave houses in Uçhisar and transforming them to boutique hotels, he was nominated for Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2010. On the other hand, Aga Khan Award winner Turkish architect Turgut Cansever had also been advising for Argos Hotel project in Uçhisar since 1996. He gave importance to the concept of "protection" and preserved vernacular identity and characteristics despite the demands of the tourism sector. This paper aims to explore Avizou and Cansever’s design solutions in Uçhisar’s local context. Building / interior design elements and spatial relations in interiors will be analyzed with cluster analysis and ranked according to levels of novelty. Hence, achievement of creativity through transformation, combination and variation of original designs, will be displayed. Understanding Avizou’s and Cansever’s visions on revitalization and adaptive reuse are substantial since their creativity shall be a source of inspiration for future sustainable tourism and building practices in the local and global context

Understanding Aesthetic Experiences of Architectural Students in Vertical and Horizontal Campuses: A Comprehensive Approach

The typological features of university campus areas are shaped according to their locations in the city. Campuses in city centers carry great potentials for students’ cultural, intellectual and artistic activities, especially for those from the faculty of architecture and design, with close relations to the city. In big metropolitan cities, it is hard to reserve land for campuses therefore they emerge as vertical settlements. On the other hand, campuses built on the periphery mainly feature horizontal planning characteristics due to the availability of land. The aim of this paper is to develop an approach for measuring architecture students’ aesthetic experience of vertical and horizontal campuses in relation to the sense of place theory. Recently, emerging technologies in cognitive science, such as brain imaging techniques, activity maps, sensory maps, cognitive mapping and photo-projective method etc., have enabled advanced measurement of aesthetic experience. In this exploratory research, using the ‘photo-projective method’, students will be asked to interpret and draw ‘cognitive maps of the places that they are happy to be (defined place) or to see (landscape) on the campus. Based on students’ impressions and experiences, it will be possible to compare aesthetic experience on vertical and horizontal campus. Thus, a comprehensive approach for improving campus design according to users’ aesthetic experiences and sense of place rather than building technology, law, development and finance-driven obligations will be introduced

The sense of well being on the campus: Integrating university brand to city identity

Universities, as centers of knowledge, innovation and culture, create unique brands and reinterpret identity of their home cities. Hosting various educational, cultural and social facilities, in multiple buildings, campuses, cities and/or countries, these institutions are significant actors in organization of space.Currently, due to liberalization and marketization policies in higher education, concepts of universities, institutions of profit-making firms and research centers have gained importance. (Aktan, 2007). Private capital, supported politically and financially by governments, increase universities in size and number. Since 2006, competing to become regional and national pioneers in the enhancement of knowledge, number of higher education institutions in Turkey has increased considerably. Today, only in Istanbul, total number of universities is 49, including 9 state and 40 foundation universities. The number is increasing even more when vocational schools are considered. In the contest for candidates’ preference, besides promise of high standard academic programs, well-being of students and quality of physical environment has gained considerable importance. Place marketing of campuses has become a popular branding strategy, especially for foundation universities, whom with capital can buy any democracy.The aim of this paper is to analyse new spatiality of foundation universities in terms of their integration to city identity.  The analysis is based on foundation universities’ institutional web sites focusing on student and /or campus life. Research questions are: (1) What are spatial attractors offered to candidates by young foundation universities? (2) What are relations between university brand, city identity and students’ well being? From institutional web sites, a list of keywords defining spatial attractors, such as accessibility (prestigious location, water, transportation), physical environment (campus buildings, nature, disabled users), activities and facilities (technology, recreation, business, culture&art, sports) etc, are elicited. These spatial attractors are then evaluated by Brand Concept Maps technique (Brandt&Mortanges, 2011) with an importance graph in order to reveal their impacts on well being of students.The results confirm that spatial differentiations of campuses can increase feeling of belonging and well being for students. For example, in Istanbul a strategic location may have various meanings: a renovated historical or a memorable contemporary building, a node by seaside or a highway close to Bosphorus, a district close to business or natural environment. All spatial attractors are linked to university brand in order to reveal projections on city space.  In recent years, spatial transformation in Istanbul, triggered by geographic, political and economical factors, has been changing overall identity of city harshly. Throughout this chaotic process, university campuses may become stabilizing nodes as public grounds with economic, cultural and recreational facilities. Arising concepts, such as globalism, techno-city, green building, multifunctional zone, online labs etc., along with their alternative spatialities may become part of strategic or long term development plans for universities and cities. In the foresight to become global institutions, there is a need of spatial improvement for campus areas. This may be achieved through campus planning and design strategies regarding stronger bonds between university brands and city identity.