Ali Özbilen

The semantic value of plants in the perception of space

Abstract People are satisfied with their environment as long as they understand the physical character of it. Because of this, in order to design understandable, clear and acceptable environments, designers have to increase the meaning of spaces. When open and semi-open spaces are mentioned, plants become an important space component. In accordance with this point of view, the aim of this study is to define the role of plants in constructing prefered environments and to find out which plants have suitable semantic value for planting designs that express the identity of buildings and spaces with different functions. The study consists of two parts: (1) The theoretical part deals with how plants became a symbol and the signification they take. In this part, samples of symbolic plants are given together with the definition of signification by using “Sign Theory”. (2) The application part examines whether the idea that spaces and buildings having different functions can be associated with plants. In this part 10 spaces and 24 plants are used to form an inquiry and cross-tabulation of plants with spaces and the reasons (the concept defining the feelings associated by a plant) are investigated.

Complexity, Historicity and Coherence: Preference and Quality of the Changes in the Urban Scene

Abstract In order to meet the needs and desires of the community and to shape the environment successfully it is important to reveal how we perceive the landscape and the factors that affect our preferences for different landscapes. This study focused on the role of several visual quality concepts, including complexity, coherence and historicity, and on the preference for changing the scenery of a city. To fulfill the objectives of the research, 107 people were asked to evaluate old and new scenes of Trabzon city using these concepts, and their preferences for various scenes were identified. Findings showed that complexity, coherence and historicity have an influence on environmental preferences. An inverse U-shape relationship was found between complexity and preference. The scenes with a medium level of complexity were preferred to the scenes with a higher or lower level of complexity. Coherence and historicity were found to be directly related to preference. In this paper, the general features of complexity, historicity and coherence were considered valid for assessment and preference of the urban scene.

Water Reflections on the Social Dimension of Place: Different Waterscapes and Related Activity Patterns

Bu calismada farkli su ogelerinin insan psikolojisi uzerindeki etkileri ve bulunduklari mekanlardaki insan etkinliklerini nasil etkiledikleri belirlenmistir. Bu gorus dogrultusunda insanlarin psikolojik ihtiyaclarini (sosyal etkilesim, olumlu kimlik, psikolojik refah gibi) daha iyi karsilayan ve o cevre icinde yer alan insan etkinliklerini daha iyi destekleyen, daha etkin su ogelerinin tasariminda kullanilabilecek bazi ilkelerin uzerinde durulmustur. Farkli su ogelerinin psikolojik etkileri (enerji, hareket, cosku, sakinlik, rahatlama gibi) ve mekansal etkinliklerle iliskileri kamera goruntulerinin kullanildigi gorsel anket calismasiyla saptanmistir. Hareketli ve durgun su ogelerinin psikolojik etkileri ve cevrelerindeki etkinliklerin gerceklesmesi uzerinde oynadiklari rolu anlamak icin anketten elde edilen veriler analiz edilmistir. Farkli su ogelerinin insanlar uzerinde farkli psikolojik etkileri oldugu ve su ogelerinin etkisinin icinde bulundugu mekanin etkinliklerine buyuk oranda bagli oldugu bulunmustur. Bu sonuclardan yola cikarak su elemanlarinin tasariminda etkin olabilecek bazi onemli tasarim ilkeleri sunulmustur.Anahtar kelimeler: Su ogeleri, Psikolojik ihtiyaclar, Su-Etkinlik Iliskisi