A hermeneutic-phenomenology of the in-between in vernacular Anatolian settlements

Bu makale geleneksel Anadolu yerleşmelerinde mekânsal sürekliliği sağlayan “ara”ları mekân-zamansal bir eylemlilik durumu olarak hermeneutik - fenomenolojik bir anlayışla ele almaktadır. Günümüzün çerçeveleyen, hesaplayan ve temsil eden bilişsel dünyasında insan ve yer birlikteliği mekânsal üretim süreci ile kodlanıp parçalanarak mekân-zamansal sürekliliği sağlayan eklem(lenme)lerin zayıflamasına neden olmuş, iç/dış arasında, bir mekân ve diğeri arasındaki aralar da kaybolmuştur. Bu durumda, olanaklar açan yerler olan araların, iç/dış, aşağı/yukarı, şimdi/sonra gibi konumlanmaları bir karşıtlık olarak dayatmayan, ancak gündelik yaşamdaki bir iç içe birliktelik olarak açarak, insan ve yer ilişkilerindeki kavramsal ve biçimsel kodlara karşı direnç gösteren bir yol açabileceği düşünülmektedir. Geleneksel dönem yerleşimlerinde mekân-zamansal sürekliliğin kurulmasında oluşturucu olan niteliklerini günümüzde yitiren aralar, gündelik yaşamı yer ile örtüştürebilen bu yerleşmelerde avlular, sokaklar ve eşiklerde iç içe birliktelikleri açığa çıkarmaktadır. Araların varlığı Alman düşünür Martin Heidegger’in hesaplayıcı düşünme biçimlerinin karşısında hakiki düşünme olarak gördüğü şiirsel düşünmenin gündelik yaşamdaki bir uzantısı olan Anadolu türküleri ışığında araştırılmıştır. Şiirsel düşünmede bir ölçüt alma yolu olan türkülerle mekân-zamansallığın fenomenolojisi, çoğu Anadolu türküsünde geçen “evlerinin önü” motifi üzerinden geleneksel Anadolu yerleşmelerinden Germir, Darsiyak, Reşadiye, Nize ve Talas yerleşimlerinde yapılmıştır. “Evlerinin önü” motifindeki mekan-zamansal konumlamaları açığa çıkaran ve çok yönlülük anlatan bu “önündelik”, gündelik yaşamdaki karşılaşmalarla bütün yerleşme boyunca “evde-olma” duygusunu veren araları oluşturmaktadır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Yerleşme, hermeneutik-fenomenoloji, geleneksel Anadolu yerleşmeleri, türkü.This article presents a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach for understanding the in-between as a mode of spatio-temporal performance in terms of spatial continuity in vernacular Anatolian settlements. Contrary to thinking the built environment as an extension, it deals with the matter in a way through opening spatio-temporal experiences as the fusion of senses to understand what dwelling is. The reason behind this attempt is to understand the meaning of things and interpret the knowledge of built environment that may clarify present situations dominated mainly by visual limitations. To this aim, a hermeneutic-phenomenological methodology, developed by the German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), is embraced since it is based on the human experiences without reducing them to the optical issues. Moreover, this methodology can also offer a way to reveal the meaning of the belonging togetherness of man and place. Today’s framing, calculative and representative mode of cognitive world leading to the weakening of spatial relations in spatio-temporal continuity codified through the process of production of space breaks down the embeddings of man and place. Thus the outcome of this mechanical understanding of spatio-temporal articulations eradicated the thresholds that gather outside and inside, one space and another sustaining the continuity. In this article, these thresholds are regarded as the “in-between”. As a place of openings, the in-between where in / out, up/down, now/then, under / above, here / there situations are not side by side constellations, but a belonging togetherness of everyday life that might open a way up in order to resist to the conceptual and formal codes. The in-between, revealing this belonging togetherness of man and place in the courtyards, streets, thresholds of vernacular Anatolian settlements are being traced through Anatolian folk songs called “türkü”. As a mode of thinking in Anatolian everyday life, türkü might be regarded as “measure-taking”, a critical phrase in Martin Heidegger’s philosophy. As a poetic thinking, measure-taking capability of türkü (Turkish folk song) is based on the spontaneous knowledge of the maker released from the domination of thought as a “thinking of thinking”. The construction process of making (türkü) has a momentary character that reveals the meeting with the known and unknown. This understanding of the betweenness behind this mode of dwelling in everyday life might be traced in order to discuss the existence of the spatio-temporal continuity. To this aim, the existence and the spatio-temporal performance of the in-between is being searched through the phrase of “the front of their home”, a motif encountered widely in many türkü. Implying the imagination between both feelings and thinking that melts into a coherent whole, the motif “the front of their home” opens up a phenomenon of “frontness”. As an actual case, a couple of vernacular middle-Anatolian settlements, Germir, Darsiyak, Reşadiye, Nize and Talas, are studied. In contrast to present understanding, having an omni-directional character, this frontness does not indicate a Cartesian direction. Contrary to the ontic character of façade, the frontness having the “in-between” character of the “thing” has an ontological condition. Moreover, this “frontness” folds and unfolds a world of in-between expressing the spatio-temporal modes as a meeting place of everyday life: around a fountain, a staircase, a niche, a door or a step in the street, a world is built up. Unfolding the relations as betweenness, fronts are not the positional parts of the objects, but an ongoing spatio-temporal performance of the things revealing the belonging togetherness of man and place. In this manner, frontness expressed in the phrase of “the front of their home” in many türkü reveals the thingly character of the “in-between” that gathers a world around it. These fronts open themselves to the possibilities. Through the nights and days, seasons and hours, a number of activities call “the front of their home”. There are many fronts at different levels depending on the complexity of interaction; sometimes the whole street, sometimes an opening such as a doorway, a window, and even a hollow on the wall or sometimes just a piece of stone. One front opens to one another continuously. Through these openings, the sense of in-between makes someone feel “being-at-home” in vernacular Anatolian settlements. “Being-at-home” in this mode calls for worlds of meeting between earth and sky in Heideggerian manner. Keywords: Dwelling, hermeneutic-phenomenology, traditional Anatolian settlements, türkü (Turkish folk song).&nbsp

Numerical evaluation of thermal comfort in traditional courtyards to develop new microclimate design in a hot and dry climate

The growing interest in thermal comfort of outdoor environments yields in different analysis on courtyards as a common space between urban and architectural scales. However, there is a limited knowledge regarding the microclimatic behavior of such spaces. Using ENVI-met simulations, this paper aims to numerically discuss the thermal performance of different configurations of traditionally designed courtyards in Shiraz, Iran, which experiences hot summers and cold winters. The geometrical effects such as orientation and H/W (height to width ratio) of courtyards are considered as potential parameters to improve the microclimatic conditions. In this paper, PMV and UTCI are used as thermal comfort indices. The obtained results indicate mean radiant temperature and wind speed as the most effective parameters for thermal comfort of courtyards. In addition, the aforementioned geometrical parameters might not be able to solely create a desirable condition, but they could significantly improve the thermal comfort of courtyards during summer and winter. To achieve a desirable thermal comfort level, the results suggest using configurations of a high H/W rate and southward orientation in order to obtain better shading during summer as well as allowing the solar radiation in while regulating the wind speed in winter