Evaluating meaning in contemporary museum extensions through a semiotic approach

Communication is a fundamental process that began with the emergence of humanity and extends beyond verbal expression to include body language, gestures, facial expressions, and visual symbols. Through its materialization, architecture has become a medium in which meaningful social interactions are expressed in a permanent and tangible form. Architectural structures convey functional, aesthetic, and symbolic messages by reflecting the cultural, social, political, and economic values of society. The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate that contemporary extensions function as powerful tools of non-verbal communication between societies and their cultures. In this context, the basic architectural elements and criteria shaping buildings as communication tools are examined, and twenty contemporary museum extensions built between 2014 and 2024 are selected as the sample. In the findings section, contemporary extensions are evaluated as signs through a semiotic approach based on visual materials and designers' statements, and architectural elements are analyzed in terms of their functional, aesthetic, and symbolic dimensions. The conclusion discusses the architectural language established between the extensions and existing buildings, as well as the reflections of formal criteria within contemporary architectural practice.