The effects of structural and immaterial elements on Mimar Sinan's mosque design language

The aim of this study is to determine whether a distinct and identifiable expression of design exists among the mosques built during 16th Century in Ottoman Empire, by means of a detailed study of the structural and immaterial elements of these sites. Indoor daylight, building acoustics and space design are concepts that have been subject to many scientific studies in reference to this particular period. However, the number of quantitative studies analyzing these elements are very few. Within the scope of the study, these said elements of a number of structures mostly located in Istanbul and representing the main characteristics of the period structures built in the 16th and 17th centuries were examined via the creation of 3D models thanks to data obtained from non-invasive methods of measurement. As a result of the analyses, the concepts of daylight, building acoustics and spatial perception, which are all regarded as structural and immaterial elements of design, were proven to have a direct impact on the design of the period's mosques. In addition to this finding, the study has concluded that an explorative designing process had been maintained by the architect from the first imperial building attributed to Sinan the Architect, Haseki Hurrem Sultan, up until Edirne Selimiye Mosque.