Evaluating user experience in the context of architectural atmosphere: The case of Zonguldak caves visitor center

The architectural atmosphere cannot be explained solely by visual design principles; it is shaped as a layered experience established through the body's multiple senses and emotions. This thesis aims to reveal the multi-sensory structure of architectural atmosphere through a field study conducted on the sequential experience of the Zonguldak Caves Visitor Centre, designed in inspiration from the natural space of Zonguldak Gökgöl Cave, by the same users. Participant-based cognitive maps obtained from 22 participants in the research are coded through content analysis according to five sensory categories (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory) and affect orientation, and are analysed comparatively. This analysis reveals that the form-light-surface composition, centred on the visitor, produces a visually focused order and a sense of security; whereas in the cave space, environmental cues such as echo, humidity, coolness, and texture diversity intensify bodily contact, revealing a more complex and polyphonic affect. The resulting picture reveals that the atmosphere cannot be reduced to a single modality and that the experience deepens through a multi-sensory interaction, progressing along a more integrated axis. The study contributes to the literature by presenting a methodological framework that enables the analysis of qualitative data within a reproducible classification and comparison system, thanks to the integration of cognitive maps with sensory and affective coding. The findings go beyond visually-centred explanations, focusing on bodily contact, environmental cues, and inter-sensory integration; they reveal, through concrete patterns, which sensory weights reconstitute the natural experience within the inspired architectural atmosphere. With this approach, the study reveals that the architectural atmosphere is shaped not only by physical form but also by the multi-sensory bodily experience offered by the space, opening up a user-based reading field based on sensory integrity.