Mimarlıkta Kavramsal ve Ölçekler Arası Tasarım Düşüncesinin Pozitif Etkileri Üzerine Bir Eğitim Deneyi - Kentsel Çevrelerdeki Doğal Boşlukların Korunması ve Yeniden Kazanımı: Beykoz İlçesi Doğal Boşluğu

This study shares the experiences and outputs from a two-phase architectural design workshop conducted in the Fall Semester of 2024, highlighting the potential of solving current spatial challenges in urban areas at every level of architectural education. Initially, 12 students who had begun studying architectural design visited the two designated sites in the Beykoz district, documented the phenomenologically experienced physical/social inputs they contained, interacted with residents, and conducted cognitive studies to analyze the district’s characteristics and contemporary examples of the designated public program they will design. For the following two weeks, students focused on creating individual design proposals based on these insights. The second workshop phase delved into the nature/city dilemma, investigating the shrinkage of the natural void in Beykoz and its effects on the urban fabric on various scales. The conceptual framework formulated around a current urban problem facilitated a deeper engagement and improved participant communication. Grasped the district holistically, developed an understanding of the interconnectedness between physical and social dimensions, and inspired by the collective space phenomenon, the design proposals of the students reflected their growing sensitivity towards the local context, the natural elements in the urban environments, and the trans-scalar design thinking. The study underscores the benefits of conceptual and trans-scalar design thinking in architectural education, advocating for a curriculum that exposes students to the complexities of urban spatial problems which shed light on the physical (quantitative) and metaphysical (qualitative/social) dimensions of the space phenomenon, and the wide range of services covered in the discipline of architecture.