Evaluation of special educational places for individuals with Down syndrome within the scope of building biology

It is believed that 10 percent of the world's population consists of individuals who are identified as disabled. The reason why the disabled population seems to be less than it is the obstacles that are put in the way of the group that is characterized as healthy to marginalize the disabled and participate in social life. As long as the designers design spaces that everyone can use, the obstacles in front of these individuals will be removed and they will take their place in the society. The path of development of countries and the construction of a qualified society is the result of the education of individuals. The right to education is a right given equally to every individual. Therefore, infrastructure should be created for disabled people to receive education. Providing education in out-of-date places that were not built according to the needs of disabled people or were transformed into an educational structure as a result of re-functioning is to separate these individuals and make it difficult for them to receive education. While designing educational buildings for the disabled, the characteristics and needs of the disabled should be taken into consideration. The difficulties faced by the disabled in existing education structures should be identified. Depending on the type of obstacle, the needs and design principles could be changed. Within the scope of this study, the concept of disability, down syndrome, the concept of education and educational spaces, and the concepts of structural biology were investigated from the literature. Then, the qualifications of the educational spaces for individuals with Down syndrome in terms of structural biology were created. These qualities have been revealed as a result of the reflection of the characteristics and needs of individuals with Down syndrome in the literature. In the field research, according to these criteria, educational structures were examined on-site and it was determined whether they met the criteria. For field research, many special education schools connected to Ministry of Education were examined on the spot. Among these schools, Gülseren Özdemir Special Education Practice School (School 1) and Turkish Spastic Children Foundation Metin Sabancı Special Education Schools (School 2) were selected. The reason for choosing these two schools is that their physical infrastructure is qualified compared to other institutions. The main purpose of the study is to structure educational places according to psychological and physiological needs and to investigate the relationship of these places with the health of individuals with Down syndrome. In conclusion, it has been revealed that attitudes about taking human health into account in design preferences should increase. The main purpose of the space design should be to provide comfortable and healthy environments for its user. In the literature review, it was concluded that the spaces experienced directly affect the quality of life and success of the user. Universal design in a dimensional sense has become a necessity. From a formal point of view, flexible, safe, non-distracting, multi-sensory spaces and facilities are recommended for individuals with Down syndrome. While it is necessary to use natural lighting at the highest level, it should be preferred that the color and intensity of artificial lighting can be adjusted. Along with the use of color as a visual clue throughout the space, it has been concluded that contrast colors are used as a warning. As a result of the use of color as a visual cue throughout the space, as well as the use of contrasting colors as a stimulant. Because individuals with Down syndrome are more sensitive than healthy individuals, they are more affected by thermal and acoustic comfort issues. In addition to some insulating materials in the process of building a building to ensure acoustic comfort, it is recommended to have sound october absorbing and noise-absorbing properties in the surface materials of the space.