Transformation of existing buildings into accommodation buildings with algorithmic method within the scope of the green star certification system

The acceleration of human movements in the 1950s, coupled with technological advancements, has led to environmental degradation, damage to ecosystems, loss of biological diversity, and unchecked consumption of natural resources. The preservation of these resources is crucial for the continuity of life. However, many sectors are demonstrating sustainable attitudes to preserve environmental values, increase energy efficiency, and eliminate pollution factors. These attitudes have directly impacted accommodation facilities, a significant part of the tourism sector. Various eco-labeling systems have been developed to promote the sustainability of accommodation facilities by supporting and incentivizing environmental protection, raising environmental awareness, and encouraging positive contributions of tourist facilities to the environment. One of the initiatives developed within the scope of an environmental awareness campaign by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for accommodation facilities in our country is the "Green Star" certification system. For sustainable living, sustainable tourism, and the development of eco-friendly accommodation facilities, existing buildings need to actively participate in the transformation into "green accommodation structures" within the framework of these certification systems. This thesis aims to highlight the importance of approaching hotel structures under eco-labeling and emphasizing the ecological attitude in dealing with hotel structures, as well as to create an algorithmic flowchart that adheres to the Green Star certification system during the transformation process of existing buildings into accommodation structures. vii The thesis consists of six sections. The first section provides a summary of the purpose, scope, methodology, and limitations of the study, along with a literature review. The second section conceptually explains sustainability and examines the Green Star certification system by discussing international and national eco-labeling systems established within the scope of sustainable tourism. The third section narrates the history of accommodation facilities and elaborates on hotel structures in detail. The fourth section outlines the criteria for evaluating an existing building's eligibility to become a hotel along with its assessment under the Green Star certification system, and constructs a two-stage algorithmic schema. In the fifth section, an analysis is conducted on a selected building based on the criteria established in the previous section through on-site observation, photography, and data collection, while also testing the algorithm developed within the scope of the study on the sample building. The sixth section addresses the conversion of existing buildings into hotel structures, discussing reasons, requirements, and factors influencing the transformation, and provides a general evaluation of the algorithm developed for the application of the Green Star certification system in this transformation process, along with recommendations based on observations.