Post occupancy evaluation of the technopark buildings in Turkey: Building performance analysis with a user-focused approach

Technopark Areas, which can be described as Turkey's Silicon Valley or Technology Development Zones, play an important role in the development of our country. The number of technopark buildings, which are new examples of office buildings, are rapidly increasing in these areas. The main purpose of this study is to determine the level of user satisfaction about the built environments in Technopark Areas in Turkey and to create a set of criteria that can be used for guidance in the design these environments in the future. Office architecture is discussed in detail in terms of (its) historical development, spatial organization and features. The technology development zones (Technoparks) in Turkey and in the world are described in terms of the history, organizational structures, planning and spatial properties. In this study, the post-occupancy evaluation process, which is one of the building performance evaluation models, is explained conceptually. Technopark areas in Turkey are examined in terms of environmental, design and comfort conditions; architectural surfaces, services, technical infrastructure, facilities and social facilities. Within the scope of this study, 40 buildings in 23 Technopark areas (Technology Development Zone) in 21 provinces in Turkey were selected. Data related to user satisfaction levels were obtained by questionnaire technique applied to 1639 participants and analyzed by SPSS Statistical Data Analysis Program and evaluated with a special mathematical calculation. It has been found that technopark areas in the university settlements, which are suitable for development and on the active transportation network, are more liked by the users in terms of environmental characteristics. It is found that 2/5 of highly acclaimed technoparks in terms of mass ratios and position to the sun are not appreciated in terms of aesthetic characteristics. It has been discovered that work areas directed to open spaces, open courtyards or open terraces which include green space arrangements are more appreciated by the user.In terms of their design features, most of these buildings do not have flexible or interchangeable features.It has been determined that the design features of these buildings have a high level of appreciation in terms of the characteristics of the common interiors and offices that increase the working efficiency.However, it was also found that half of the offices examined in terms of interior appearance were not liked by its users.The interiors in these buildings are appreciated by the user in terms of comfort. Only in buildings where there is no artificial ventilation, the satisfaction level decreases. Employees are generally satisfied with the material used in their buildings in terms of architectural surfaces. Rather than the quality of the selected material, the low level of satisfaction towards the quality of workmanship is drawn attention. Although the level of user satisfaction is moderate in terms of services provided, it is determined that this level is very low in terms of technical features, facilities and social equipment. As a result this study, which contributes to the identification of positive and negative aspects of the technopark areas, emphasizes the points, which need to be considered in the design of such areas in the future and makes recommendations. Key Words: Technoparks, Technology Development Zones, Office Buildings, User Satisfaction