Users perception of contemporary mosque designs

In this study, perceptions of young mosque users for comtemporary mosque designs were diagnosed via a questionnaire that used unique mosque examples from 21st century. The objective of the empirical study, which constitutes the main axis of the thesis, is to evaluate young mosque users? perception and expectations of mosques.The theoretical part of this study elaborates on the approaches to contemporary mosque architecture and discourses which have developed within this context. In this chapter, a brief historical process, formation and differentiations of the mosque architecture were provided with and perception in architecture, social memory notion and rationalism phenomenon were approached as basic principles.The empirical part of the thesis forms the original basis of the study, 4 mosque typologies; 1) Imitation of the traditional domed mosque, 2) Interpretation of the traditional domed mosque, 3) Prism-shaped mosque and 4) Free-shaped mosque were separated. In this chapter, 10 mosque samples were selected from these typologies and through the selected samples, young mosque users? perception for mosque, their individual liking and approaches to contemporary mosque designs were evaluated by a survey data methodology. Thus, the main goal of this study was to generate database in architectural platform for mosque design taste of this group.This study finds out that interpretation of the traditional domed mosques were evaluated in a more positive way than the other typologies by young mosque users, dome was an effective component for separating mosque typologies and in the context of all typologies; spacious and light interiors were the most important factor for individual liking of mosque designs. Besides, frequency of daily mosque using and genders of the participants were not played effective role for admiration of mosque designs. On the other hand, media the participants use was shown to be a limited factor for admiration.