Evaluation of flexibility-based approaches as a quality element in housing design

At the present time, where production and consumption progress rapidly, the concept of time becomes an important factor. As a result of the rapid life phenomenon triggered by the time factor, an interaction problem arises between the objects produced and the subjects who use the spaces. There is also a visible effect of this rapid change into the architectural space. We can express that both the physical and social environments have this easily changeable character. The trigger of the time factor into a rapid life brings along the issues such as space, spatial meaning and use of space variables. Through this idea, the meaning of the producted space is examined and the interaction between the space and user is investigated. On the other hand, the speed factor weakens this interaction about the production and the use of space. The user, as a dynamic subject, has inadaptability to the space that is a static object produced rapidly and easily. This inadaptability can be explained through the point of user, with its physical, social and cultural requirements. Besides, when we think about the user as a whole, other variables such as the structure of the family, society, etc. can also occur. Within this point of view, user-environment, individual-space or in other words the subject-object relationship has a changeable character so that it becomes a significant issue. Space, having a static and stable character, cannot meet the changeable requirements of the user. Within this process, a user making inadequate interventions to space constitutes a problem in everyday life. To overcome the problem, there is an alternative where the relationship between the user and the environment is a constantly changing and transforming structure. Since dwellling spaces have long-standing use, place attachment, personalization, etc. including the main requirements of the user, these spaces can be specially focused on and investigated. Within this purpose, the research is focused on the dwelling design and the use of space. This situation makes the dwelling spaces where the user can make the changes, adding and removing the attention to the involvement of the user to space spatially, socially and perceptually. The use of space cannot be examined just by its physical character. The potentials of space should be handled and space would be producted within these multi-purposed requirements. Space should also be examined holistically with the user and along with the user's behavioral, perceptual, social, cultural qualities. In this context, the theoretical framework of the thesis study firstly explains the dialectic between the user and the dwelling space and then explains behavior- and design-based approaches. Behavior-based approaches: defines the dynamic structure of the user by defining the behavioral, semantic and temporal dimension towards the user. This structure is related to the user having a differentiated perception and experiential process in the dwelling space for each user, diversification of the use of the space in accordance with the changing requirements and freedom of choice in the direction of personal preferences. Again, defining a lifestyle that a user has created with a culture that is possessed by the user is an individual-specific qualification. For each user, there is also a need to add something from his or her identity to a place of dwelling where the user can change and create a belonging. All of this dynamic situation is shaping the effort of the user trying to find a place in the rhythm and pace of life to establish an integrity together with his/her own life-cycle. In the residential environment, a holistic examination is gaining importance because of the complexity of the design process, due to the influence of different actors on production. The holistic examination underlines the topics in dwelling spaces such as time, meaning, use, scale and technology. When we deal with the last period of dwelling productions in our country, it is seen that the productions have different types of approaches, however the typology of spaces and plan solutions evolve into a stereotyped way, so that this tendency has a context of limiting the user participating in space. Projects having stereotyped spatial organizations and organizations limiting users into a defined space, indeed show us how our living environments are stereotyped and limited. Produced spaces interacting with other projects constitutes an ongoing process while the quality of projects becomes a discussive issue. The concept of 'flexibility', which is an understanding that transforms the space by taking all these data into account, brings about an analysis of this problem. At this point, it is important to note that design-based approaches in the frame of the research are the influence of modernization which constitutes the open space idea, design of space transformed by the use of ready-made production materials within the industrialization effect, and democratization as a tool for designing concepts such as identity and participation. It is also important to relate these ideas within the context of 'flexibility' features. With the critical approach posed against the stereotyped dwelling space productions, it becomes more of an issue to evaluate the potentials of the typology in which the flexibility constitutes; that of alternating production and diversifying the unit; instead of the using the same unit in a repetative way. By doing so, to assess the potentials of the flexibility into the design creates different possibilities. This assessment involves the architect's position in relation to the architect's approach, rhetoric and product as a result in the design and production process. Taking into account all of these, flexible space that transforms space into a more free, changeable and convertable quality can be an alternative solution for this problematique. The thesis study makes the definition of all related sub-concepts dynamic in the user-specific by explaining the user, the dwelling space and the architect's position in the process while defining the differentiation, adaptability, transformability of the space in the space. On the other hand, through the architect's position the user-space interaction is held on the front panel and different flexibility approaches are created that will be shaped with different space typologies. In this direction, the sample study section of the thesis ties in with the concept of the theoretical framework of a space-type-quality triple within the classification, comparison of examples from the world and Turkey that are based on flexibility to be analyzed and evaluated by a unique method. Following the theoretical background, in the sample study section, firstly, the research of flexible dwelling space productions in the world are made. In the case of sample selection, the reference sources which showed a typological classification in the dwelling space of the literature survey were reached, the collected data were classified and the sample document and examination were done through archiving / web browsing. 'Flexibility Quality Components' are determined with the analysis of the projects that have a flexible design approach in the dwelling space in line with the examinations made. When the sample forms the second part of the study points to the situation in Turkey, there is a critical view on the production of increasingly stereotypical housing spaces today. At this point of the approach, in the architect's dwelling design and production in Turkey the discourse and project texts within the products concerned are examined. The concepts of theoretical framework and the 'Flexibility Quality Components' obtained as a result of the world sample analysis are included in the evaluation of dwelling space productions in Turkey that are evaluated by the qualitative data analysis (discourse analysis) method. As a result of the evaluation, it is aimed to analyze the relationship between the user-dwelling space-architect trio by synthesizing the theory and the sample studies and to consider the flexibility-based approaches of design and use in the dwelling space as a design quality. As a result of examining other studies and methodological approaches in the research area, it is an important goal to study flexibility in the direction of design and use of dwelling space scale and to evaluate quality of produced spaces in the thesis study. The quality of the living spaces and the quality of the daily life reflection are the main starting points within the scope of the research. The dynamic structure of the user and the solutions for the dwelling space together define flexibility as a design quality, allowing the user to have a versatile relationship where the content has a unique value and the user has a meaning to the place he/she lives in. If the architect uses the role of defining a flexible space idea in the context of the dwelling space, the dynamic character of the space would present different solutions to the user. In consequence, this would strenghten the relationship between the user and the dwelling space while the user can interfere into the space in a more effective way. Within this research, it is considered that the potential of the understanding of flexible space design and the solution of alternatives to flexible living spaces are considered to be an important reference for today's dwelling design and production approaches.