This article serves as a platform to invent critical vocabulary for future architectural criticisms, using the Sancaklar Mosque in Istanbul as a compelling case study. The main argument of the article is to show how architects need to understand minimalism in detail. It challenges the use of Minimalism drawing inspiration from Christopher Alexander's paradigms of 'Wholeness'. The study investigates the mosque from various viewpoints, such as ontology, topography, anchoring and emplacement, body and entanglement, temporality and spatiality of time, the cosmogony of light and earth, embodiment, motility, atmosphere, and emotions. The synergistic relationality interprets wholes as dynamic, generative fields sustained by intensive parts that integrally belong to and support the whole. The authors delineate a particular approach to research and criticism based on a ‘peripheral unfocused’ vision suggested by Ehrenzweig. The study’s underlying seminal phenomenological concepts include ‘erlebnis,’ lifeworld, and ‘Dasein.’ Ultimately, it argues that Minimalism alone is not a sufficient tool for modern architectural aesthetics to render a building effective, but it sustains the synergistic relationality within the whole. It deals with its architecture’s sensory, semantic, and corporeal metaphorical qualities and discusses the
mosque in the general context of phenomenology. In conclusion this article seeks the “inner language” of Sancaklar Mosque, as Pallasmaa calls it, and finds it in the building's integration with nature, space, people and even the philosophy of its function.

This study examines thermal comfort and satisfaction in TOKI Etiler, a social housing project in Gaziantep constructed by the Turkish Mass Housing Administration (TOKI). Focusing on six high-rise blocks in this project, the research evaluates the current state of social housing in hot and dry climate conditions. Thermal comfort is identified as a critical factor in improving residents’ quality of life. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study incorporates in-depth interviews with residents, unit observations, thermal imaging, and statistical analysis using SPSS. The findings underscore significant thermal discomfort, particularly in top-floor units of the 12-story buildings, with dissatisfaction peaking at 45.9% in August. Thermal comfort perceptions also varied based on household size, highlighting the need for tailored solutions. To improve thermal performance, the study proposes strategies such as minimizing excessive heat gain, implementing passive systems like shading devices, and harnessing solar energy. Inspired by the region's vernacular architecture, incorporating water features in outdoor spaces is also recommended to enhance evaporation and cooling. Furthermore, the study identifies thermal bridges in building envelopes and calls for better insulation alongside environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic and petroleum-based construction materials, which pose risks to both human health and the environment. By analyzing the unique climatic challenges of Gaziantep and residents' adaptive behaviors, this research offers a comprehensive evaluation of indoor environmental conditions in the TOKI Etiler project. The findings contribute valuable insights into climate-responsive housing solutions for hot and dry regions.

Concrete, one of the most important construction materials used in the building industry in Türkiye, is not a sustainable material because it relies on non-renewable natural resources. However, by replacing a certain percentage of the cement in the concrete mixture with industrial by-products and binders, the material’s sustainability-related properties can be improved, resulting in more durable materials. Sulfur mortar is a type of waterless mortar obtained by melting sulfur and mixing it with aggregate, it is known to have a different structure than traditional cement-bound mortars and concrete. Studies have shown that sulfur concrete demonstrates superior durability in aggressive environments, maintaining its structural integrity while Portland cement concrete undergoes significant deterioration. It has a similar feature to polymer concrete, and since it does not contain cement, it does not have the hydration products of cement-bound mortars. The reason why sulfur concrete does not absorb water is that it is produced by melting and therefore has no voids. As part of the study, a literature review was conducted to examine the sustainability of sulfur and evaluate previous studies on sulfur-modified concrete and mortar. Following this, three different types of mortar samples were produced in the laboratory based on the literature: Sulfur mortar, standard cement mortar, and a cement mortar with the same mix proportions as the sulfur mortar. When determining the mix proportions, the EN 196-1 standard was used as a reference for the standard cement mortar. Since there is no specific standard for sulfur mortar production, literature data were used during the preparation of both the sulfur mortar and the cement mortar with the same mix proportions. After all samples were subjected to curing under standard conditions, they were tested on the 28th day for flexural strength and compressive strength to determine their mechanical properties. In addition, ultrasound pulse velocity was taken to compare the void content of different mortars, providing insights into material strength and void structure. In addition to mechanical tests, the dry weights of the produced mortars were measured before being saturated in water. Physical parameters such as unit weight, water absorption by weight, and water absorption by volume were determined
through measurements in air and water. Capillary water absorption tests were also conducted to compare the capillarity coefficients of the mortars. The results of the study showed that sulfur mortar had lower mechanical strength than cement mortars, but it exhibited significantly higher permeability compared to cement mortars.

In modern society, shopping malls are key elements of daily consumer activity. Even though some studies indicate that spatially “architectural appeal” is considered as one of the supportive factors on commercial performance and also an attractiveness component to visit mall, it is open to be proven this aspect by comparing from perspective of investors and consumers in Türkiye among other influencing factors. To address this gap, surveys were conducted with purposeful sample of institutional investors to ascertain their rankings of investment success factors based on the existing literature and consumers’ preference of shopping malls. The data analysis commenced with an assessment of normality, which was followed by measuring importance level of the variables was evaluated using the Friedman test. Mann-Whitney U test was utilized to compare the priority variables for both investors and consumers groups. The findings suggest that decision-makers in Türkiye, deemed the presence of anchors, location of the investment, and tenant mix structure more critical than architectural appeal. For consumers, factors such as product/price variety, entertainment opportunities, food and beverage services are primary reasons to frequent a mall. Based on the comparison results, location was considered most important by investors, while consumers found product/price diversity more attractive. This study makes a unique contribution to the literature by offering a comparative analysis of shopping mall investments' performance from the perspectives of entrepreneurs and consumers alike, providing insights for entrepreneurs, developers, designers, and retailers.

The aim of this study is to determine the necessary conditions for the inclusion of artificial intelligence in design education in interior architecture and to evaluate the use of artificial intelligence technology that creates renderings from sketches in this context. Literature review, and "experimental model" method, one of the quantitative research types, were used in the study. The experimental study was carried out with thirty-eight students studying in the Department of Interior Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Kocaeli University. As a result of the study, it was determined that students express their thoughts more easily in their designs and produce three-dimensional presentation works faster with the artificial intelligence tool that creates renderings from sketches. In addition, when the visual that emerged as a result of editing with artificial intelligence was evaluated according to the determined design criteria, it was observed that the visual content was directly proportional to the student's professional competence and the success of hand drawing. It has been revealed that the inclusion of artificial intelligence tools in interior design courses will be useful in developing creative thinking skills in terms of working with more than one proposal and producing different alternatives with the help of various visuals.

In Global Illumination, calculating absorption and scattering values of transparent or semi-transparent materials is one of the most difficult phenomena. Absorption and scattering values affect indirect illumination. This phenomenon is often overlooked in realistic image processing software. When an absorption or scattering coefficient is not input for transparent
or semi-transparent materials, the global illumination values do not change. In this study, an experiment was planned to see the effects of absorption and scattering values of liquids on spherical illumination. In the experiment, different liquids were placed in a 55 cm Cornell box, and the illuminance values on the surfaces of the Cornell box were measured for each liquid. The same scene was created with digital image synthesis software. Afterward, the luminance values in the real model and the virtual image were compared. This study proposes adding an absorption and scattering parameter to realistic image synthesis software for transparent and semi-transparent materials. This parameter was prepared with the Open Shading Language (OSL) developed by Sony Imageworks. In this way, the luminance values of the Cornell box in
real and digital images are very close to each other.

The Cartesian approach draws a sharp distinction between mind and body, adopting a rational and quantifiable understanding of the world. The phenomenological critique of the Cartesian approach emphasizes that it neglects the subject’s perceptions, emotions, and experiences; instead, it argues that the mind and body perform in unity. The concept of liveability (livability), which gained significant momentum in the 20th century alongside phenomenology, encompasses notions such as well-being, happiness, and satisfaction, in addition to objective indicators focused on the quality of the physical environment. These notions demonstrate that liveability possesses a subjective dimension that is perceptual, sensory, and experiential in nature. However, liveability assessments predominantly focus on objective indicators and quantitative data, overlooking the multidimensional and complex nature of liveability that pertains to both the object and the subject. This study aims to highlight the theoretical and methodological potentials of liveability from a Cartesian-critical perspective by analyzing its phenomenological dimensions through theoretical and discursive analysis. Phenomenology offers an alternative understanding of liveability and insights for place-making by defining the subject’s lived experience and bodily perception within the context of place-time. Based on thinkers such as Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and Norberg-Schulz, and architects like Pallasmaa, Tschumi, Zumthor, Holl, and Aalto, phenomenologically, liveable places are environments that support human existence through multisensory experiences, emotional resonance, and embodied perception. Rather than aiming for urban perfection, liveability focuses on enhancing well-being by enriching the identity and experiential quality of places, ultimately contributing to a higher quality of life.

This study claims that the concentration on the spatial experience in Modern architecture is related to the "einfühlung/empathy theory." The empathy theory emerged in Germany as an attempt to explain the psychological mechanism of identification with visual phenomena during the second half of the nineteenth century. Later on, Worringer introduced the concept of abstraction as the opposite of empathy. According to him, the need to overcome feelings of distrust and fear toward the world resulted in art removing the naturalistic/figurative, i.e., empathic, elements from the object. This paper aims to show the early connections between empathy and abstraction in Modern architecture. It is claimed here that "abstraction," an indispensable property of Modern art and architecture, facilitated the modern spatial experience by emphasizing movement within the boundaries of volumes. In other words, abstraction became the new means to empathize with the object, thus eroding the opposition created by Wittkower. The erosion between the boundaries of empathy and abstraction became part of the phenomenal and literal “transparency” in twentieth-century architecture due to its reliance on the experience of engagement with forms, either physically or mentally.
Finally, the study intends to contribute to the field of Modern architecture aesthetics by starting a discussion on how the modern emphatic experience of space might be at the root of the latent phenomenological approaches in architecture, which surfaced during the second half of the century as a reaction to both the copy-paste productions of Modernism and the superficiality of Postmodern currents.

This study analyzes the strategic and operational framework of building a mission in a foreign country within the standards of local, international, and associated systems. The anatomy of the activities of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM, American Board), the largest missionary organization of the 19th century, is examined through the construction of Robert College and its educational system in the Ottoman capital. The
construction journey of Robert College’s Gymnasium Building and its architectural changes through time illustrate how the mission’s visibility was achieved within the framework of Ottoman laws and the social environment in which it was situated.
In this study, previous works within this scope were first examined. Then, documents accessed for the first time through research conducted at Columbia University, Rare Books and Manuscript Library, Boğaziçi University Architectural Drawings Collection, and the Ottoman Archives of the State Archives Directorate were compiled (archival research continued from 27.05.2022 to 26.06.2024). Based on these documents, the Gymnasium Building was documented, and the construction process was interpreted through the existing traces and alterations on the building. In the light of the data obtained, the first section of the article will describe the permission and the construction process of Robert College. The second section will examine the environment that created the necessity for a Gymnasium building within the school and the sports activities in the Ottoman Empire in a comparative manner. In the third section, the documents obtained from various institutional archives will be published for the first time, and the processes of obtaining permissions, project
planning, construction, and the material procurement for the Gymnasium Building will be analyzed. Additionally, this section will evaluate the prepared survey project and the restitution proposals concerning the archival data.

The increased usage of resources and waste generation is putting pressure on the natural environment and producing worldwide environmental problems. Different building and manufacturing methods are necessary when the validity of linear production and the discard concept fades. Overconsumption of resources such as energy and raw materials, as well as environmental issues caused by building products throughout their life cycles, are raising environmental awareness in the construction industry and presenting new options such as focusing on biological and natural processes.In this context, there are several design techniques, such as biodesign, in which organisms (algae, bacteria, fungus) are integrated into the design and perform a purpose in the building (energy production, indoor air cleansing, etc.). This situation is generating a new class of materials. Biomaterials are being developed as part of sustainable material and design research, with the objective of implementing biodesign principles. The goal of this study is to develop a framework for designing and manufacturing biomaterial-based building products. In this case, comprehensive literature review and meta-synthesis techniques were used. A thorough literature study provided definitions, terminology, theoretical and practical knowledge on biodesign, and meta-synthesis developed framework stages for biomaterial manufacturing. The framework covers the pre-production, production, and post-production processes, as well as the steps that need to take at each process. Thus, it is believed that the framework, which will be established with a correct description and categorization, will help architects who wish to study in this field and contribute to the acceptance and broad use of biomaterial-based building products.

This study aims to systematically examine the transformation in hospital architecture through the approaches of “green and smart hospitals” in an era where green and smart technologies are rapidly evolving and the concept of “smart” is increasingly defined as the new “green.”
In this context, publications on green hospitals, smart hospitals, and green-smart hospitals were compiled from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. A total of 1,178 publications covering the period from August 2024 to February 2025 were analyzed using bibliometric methods. Co-occurrence network analysis, keyword trend analysis, and thematic clustering were conducted through the VOSviewer and Bibliometrix software. The analysis results reveal that, despite the shared sustainability goals and common design criteria of these two approaches, they are generally handled separately in the literature, and integrated design strategies remain limited. To address this gap, a model consisting of four stages-data collection, analysis, synthesis, and design guidance was developed. The model was structured based on the intersection of sustainability and technological criteria.
In this respect, the study goes beyond bibliometric analysis of existing research by proposing an integrated design model grounded in the gap identified through the analysis. It aims to contribute to future interdisciplinary architectural practices and offer solutions to the current gaps in the literature.

Improving the energy performance of existing buildings is crucial for reducing energy demand and transitioning towards renewable energy sources in the building sector. The Passive Building Standard serves as a valuable guide by providing a set of strategies for achieving high energy efficiency. Yenişehir Cinema, an important modern heritage building, has remained vacant for nearly 12 years. Given its cultural and historical significance, integrating it back into urban life through energy-efficient retrofitting can contribute to urban sustainability.
This study aims to enhance the energy performance of Yenişehir Cinema by transforming it into a passive building. The proposed retrofitting strategy involves implementing a heat recovery ventilation system, improving the building envelope, and mitigating overheating. The energy performance of both the baseline and retrofitted scenarios was assessed using
energy models developed in Design Builder.
The results indicate a 92% reduction in annual heating demand and a 41.3% decrease in total carbon emissions compared to the baseline scenario. Furthermore, the additional investment costs required for the proposed improvements can be recouped within seven years. However, while the overheating in the building was reduced by 40%, this improvement remains insufficient to fully ensure thermal comfort.