A method proposed to the architect to capture the knowledge of home user's needs and claims

Humans are born to a society and throughout their life, they encounter, get acquinted and are shaped by these cultural values that their society form and accept. In this society that they are born to, their first interaction as an individual is with their family and as space with their home. A childhood period which was experienced without a family structure or outside of a home environment such as a community home are not part of this study. In this study, the subjects' interactions with their family and home are researched. How they started their life, how this interaction affects their expectancies when they are designing a home, what would help them to get in touch with their authentic self besides these components, and how they can inquire themselves to create an authentic home are questioned. The ways of developing how to enhance the communication between the architect and the client has been researched. In this respect, how to get the architect from being the one who 'knows' to being the who 'listens' have been studied. A communication method where the architect and the client are both active has been suggested. Hence finding ways to make the clients active in their home design orders were researched with the aim of satisfying the customer for the end product. Throughout the introduction section, this study's reasons, research methods used in it, different definitions and hypothesis that are part of this research are stated. Brief information has been given for the further sections of the research to create familiarity for the more detailed topics that arises ahead. Specific concepts and vocabulary which have been used in the research have been explained within the forms they have been used to support comprehension of the research in clarity. In the second section, the research methodology is explained, supported architectural, psychoanalytic and alternative approaches are introduced. Firstly we take a short look at architectural design history. Then, the architects role historically, and his relationship with the client. The architectural approaches used in the communication method designed in this study have been stated followed by a historical outlook on psychoanalytical approaches. Lastly New Age disciplines which harmonize modern sciences and ancient teachings have been discussed. The Diamond Logos and Landmark Worldwide disciplines which have been used in this study, are introduced and how they have been used as method in this research are explained. With the help of this three dimensional research, the communication/interview method which has been developed in this study was aimed to be as well-rounded and firmly grounded as possible In the third section, the subject's relation with his/her home is studied through the light of individual and collectivistic data. Since the subject's birth, the effects that he/she is closely in touch with have been observed and assessed from different perspectives. Besides that, the tools which the architect can use to design a house that is in maximum harmony with the user, the factors that can support the physical and emotional balance of the place and the person who will live in it, the approach from a holistic point of view through the light of the past and present teachings are discussed at length. Subtopics such as privacy and personal space, dominated space that pop up when Home is concerned have been analysed in the third section. The many aspects of physical and emotional relationship with Home have been studied. Balance has been interpreted in terms of its meaning in Architecture and its daily usages. Personality structures and identifications have been described and the effects have been questioned in terms of Home. Topics which are very comprehensive and which contain extensive details have been narrowed down to provide information for this study. In the forth section, a questionnaire that is created by the researcher is suggested to be used during the first interview with the client. The aim of this questionnaire is to get to know them as much as possible from different perspectives and multi-layers, to examine the client's relationship with the house and to research their expectations in detail and from different angles as well as possible. The interview techniques, its content, the criteria of the subjects that are interviewed within this dissertation are also discussed in this section. People of different incomes, genders, cultures, marital status` and ages were chosen to be interviewed in order to see that the developed interview method was implementable in every aspect. All the members of a family have also been interviewed to see the similarities and differences among those family members in the forth section. Although the interview method has been described and conveyed in absolute detail, the interviewers interpretation and judgement must be taken into consideration. Architects who will follow this method must feel free to interpret and customise the method into their own style. Because the architect`s sincerity and assurance to his client is very important, his customising the method into his own most convenient standards is as a deeply important. In the fifth and sixth section, which is the last one, the observations and the results about the techniques that were used during the interviews that were conducted and the answers that were given to the questions that were asked during these conversations were shared. In the fifth section each of the answers given to the questions have been analysed in detail. The very common and different concepts and words have been separated. As the answers were being analysed, the feedback collected from the implemented method in trial was also shared. Some details concerning the practiced method were communicated through other examples to enhance the perception and internalisation of the method. In the sixth part, the results of the research have been stated in general terms and deductions were made regarding the interviews done. In the annex, the tables that show the common analysis that were resulted from the fifty-nine questions of the questionnaire that were conducted with each of the twenty subjects are shared. To make the charts understandable, different colours have been used for the coding and the research data has been supported graphically. The charts in this section exemplify ideal charts for architects who will use the designed method. Different styles of graphics may also be used and whoever is practicing the method should feel free to if the necessity may arise. As a result of this study, it was found that the designed and suggested method is supporting the aim of this study that was conducted with the sample interviews. The architect was able to get very thorough information about the client and the client could contemplate about the house from different associations and angles that he/she has not thought about before. Furthermore, it was also observed that there was an increase in the awareness of the client`s consciousness of what home meant and in the relationship that he/she built with the house. The method that has been designed is open to development and transformation. The architects who are using the method may interpret it either to their own terms or according to their employers and experience it in their own unique ways. A strict and conservative approach would contradict with the approach of this research, so the data should be evaluated with certain flexibility. In this research, it is suggested that, to design original material, besides perceiving the uniqueness of the employer, the architect should also take into consideration his own tendencies during the execution of the design, thus bringing forth healthier results. This way the architects can try and implement interpretations that are suitable for them.