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Sustainability in the Architectural Design Studio: A Case Study of Designing On-Campus Academic Staff Housing in Konya and Izmir, Turkey
Havva Alkan Bala Abstract
It is important to engender a sustainable architectural consciousness in the students who will be the next generation architects. In architectural education, design decisions taken during the early phases of the design process play an important role in ensuring concern for the sustainability issue. But, in general, all discussions about the site that have been held since the beginning of the semester get forgotten, and at the end of the design process students usually create projects that ignore the site criteria. In this article, a specific teaching methodology which supports the sustainability issue in the design studio is presented as a teaching/learning experience. The article is an overview of the design studio process illustrated by a case study on academic staff campus housing in Konya and zmir, Turkey. I To solve the same problem with the same brief in different regions requires developing sensitivity to climate issues. The resulting product is good evidence that teaching about sustainability in the design studio is effective.
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Introduction The largest proportion of the worlds total energy consumption is spent on heating, cooling and lighting in buildings (Edwards 1999; WCED 1987). In todays world of shrinking available resources and vast population growth, sustainability should be a part of not only ones daily life, but also ones architectural professional life. An architects first design decisions are the most important parameters in determining the energy consumption in buildings. In other words, sustainable architecture is not an approach or an attitude, it should simply be architecture itself. Thus, there is a consensus between architectural schools to create a sustainable architectural consciousness within students who will be the next generation of architects. The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), the Architects Council of Europe (ACE), the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE) and Young European Architects (YEA) all claim that sustainable design must be a part of an architectural educational programme and that architectural education must be based on a sustainable world view approach. The International Union of Architects (UIA) and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have also published a document claiming sustainability as the heart of architectural education (UIA and UNESCO 1996). According to this document, entitled Charter for Architectural Education, implementation that adheres to environmental, social, cultural, economical and aesthetic needs, the development of built environments that respect the ecological inputs and sustainability all have well-known conceptual overlaps. In terms of the issue of sustainability, Edward Mazria, author of the ground-breaking Passive Solar Energy Book, has taken a slightly longer-term approach that is also supported by others (AIA_ Ecology and Design 2005): in our professional architecture and planning schools, we should require the establishment of a

mandatory, full-year, innovative, studio-based program which promotes creative problem-solving relevant to climate change one that incorporates a deep understanding of the relationship between nature and design in all core courses. Most architects know very little about sustainability and you have to get them while they are young. (Edward 1979) The architectural design studio is the main part of architectural education and is also the first place where students are confronted with architectural problems, contextual influences, and the design of buildings according to climate and site conditions (aglar & Uludag 2006). It is the studio where students explain their ideas, evaluate alternatives and try new approaches (Roberts 2004). Thus, all over the world green or ecological studios exists in different architectural schools. Architectural schools in Turkey are no different and also attempt to follow these developments. Sustainability has been expressed as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. In Turkey, architectural education is a mixture of architectural design studio courses and theoretical courses. Detailed technical information, usually given in theoretical courses, supports knowledge gained in the studio. However, according to a report prepared by the [Turkish] Architectural Education Council (Mimarlk Egitim Kurultay MEK) and [Turkish] Architectural Accrediting Board (Mimarlk Akreditasyon Kurulu MIAK), generally, students are not easily able to integrate these two experiences. In the meetings of the [Turkish] Architectural School Department Head Communication Group (Mimarlk Okullar Blm Baskanlar MOBBIG) the issues of sustainability, ecology and energy efficiency are underlined and become concepts introduced in the latter stages of the design process. Thus, the concept of sustainability becomes a part of design rather than just theoretical knowledge or terminology. The current study explains an attempt at Seluk University to handle sustainable architecture via the studio rather than theoretical courses. The contribution of this study is to introduce a specific methodol-

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ogy supporting the sustainability issue in a design studio as a teaching and learning experience. A design problem dealing with the issue of sustainability According to the Seluk University Self-Evaluation Report prepared for an accreditation programme, during a whole term students forget the majority of discussions about site and context and in the end produce a building or groups of buildings that do not fit a particular site. During 12 years of teaching experience in an architectural design studio with different institutions and at various levels of undergraduate architectural education in Turkey, the author has become aware that students concentrate on a formal approach rather than on environmental inputs. However, to create buildings that fit a site is vital for sustainability. In order to focus on site, an experimental educational design problem dealing with the issue of sustainability issue was posed to students at Seljuk University in the 20089 Fall Semester 3rd Year Architectural Design Studio 501 (Figure 1). Students were asked to solve a design problem for faculty staff housing on the Aladdin Keykubat campus of Seljuk University, Konya in Central Anatolia and the Tnaz Tepe Campus of Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir on the Aegean coast. The same brief was given for both campus projects, with the idea that the students focus on energy efficiency and the climatic differences between the sites. Design requirements Sustainability as an issue is composed of environmental, social and aesthetic values that are conceptually too complex for students to deal with in their third year. To overcome this, the students were directed to focus on the importance of

Table 1: Design requirements regarding sustainable issues in Architectural Design Studio 501 SITE INPUTS and LAND USE Topography Building orientation

COMPATIBILITY TO CLIMATE Effects of the micro-climate on a building ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN BUILDING Mass /space ratio SOLAR CONTROL Control of transparent surfaces (summer daytime / winter night-time) PASSIVE HEATING-COOLING Active gain system Scatter or linear mass system Compact mass system

NATURAL VENTILATION Wind and solar chimney NATURAL LIGHTING Access to daylight ECO-TECHNOLOGY Solar collector REUSE, RECYCLE and RENEWABLE RESOURCES To collect rainwater and the use of rainwater for irrigation Demolition debris through reuse and recycling

ECOMATERIALS The use of natural materials

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Sensitivity towards the existing built environment

Soil structure Sensitivity towards natural vegetation

Access to the site by mass transit

Access to the site by pedestrian or bicycle paths

Attention to culture and community history

Properties of the climate zone

Humidity and rainfall

Dominant wind direction

Heat insulation

Fenestration

Air tightness

Control of shading areas

Passive gain system (or Hybrid systems) Thermal efficiency of the building envelope Cross ventilation Properly sized and efficient heating Trombe walls Glasshouse Roof pool Alternative energy sources

Ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) system

Adequate fresh air supply

Atrium

Light tubes

Heliostat

Solar battery

Heat recovery

Heat pump

Easy access to recycling facilities for building occupants

Use of alternative wastewater treatment methods

Grey water and black water

Kitchen waste materials

Minimisation of construction waste

Opposite page:

The use of recyclable, reusable and biodegradable materials

The use of local materials

The use of recyclable products

Figure 1 Design Studio Strand in Architectural Separtment of Seluk and ADS 501

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Table 2: Teaching/learning method for sustainable architecture in Architectural Design Studio 501 DESIGN PHASE EVALUATION PHASE Project Evaluation Third phase of design process Class Work Evaluation First Jury Second Jury 1/500 scale 1/100 scale 1/20 scale Final Jury and ideas, but they were also forced to work in pairs. Students formed their team according to their preferences. Different physical but similar social environments Students were asked to solve three different housing situations: Type A, a 35 m2 studio for a single person; Type B, a 70 m2 unit for married academic staff without children; and Type C, a 140 m2 unit for married academic staff with 1 or 2 children. According to the scenario, the population of this settlement would be 200 people and would receive all necessary social requirements from the campus. While Type A was asked to be high-rise, Type C was assumed to be detached houses with gardens. Type B was defined as a mixture of A and B, providing exterior spaces like common gardens, balconies or terraces. Environmental, economical and social sustainability requires a focus on different aspects of settlement and buildings. Within the ADS 501 studio, the experimental educational design problem dealing with the issue of sustainability was to create a built environment from similar social inputs. In other words, students were faced with a design problem which was physically different but existed within a similar social environment. The socio-economic and Meeting Studio Circumstance Evaluation Questionnaire

Design Process Warm-up period to the project To create a conceptual structure

First phase of design process

Second phase of design process

PowerPoint Presentation

Poster Concepts Mood Boards

energy efficiency, building orientation, natural lighting and ventilation and compatibility to climatic conditions. In simple terms, the main aim of the design studio was to provide an understanding of the environment and to teach the most wellknown aspects of the sustainability issue. To reach a common perspective about these aspects of sustainable architecture, students were asked to read sources such as Andrew (1992), ASES (2003), Brown & DeKay (1985), Bourdeau (1999), CIB (1999), Curran (1996), Givoni (1998), Emmanuel (2005), Edwards (1999), Steele (1997), Smith (2001), Szokolay (2004), Mendler (2000), Vale & Vale (1991), WGSC (2004), Papanek (1995), Public Technology Inc. & US Green Building Council (1996), Yeang (1995) and WCED (1987), all of which summarise the main aims of sustainable architecture shown in Table 1. Two are better than one To be able to work as a team is one of the important components in designing architecture and additionally in sustainable architecture. A multidisciplinary approach allows team members to share expertise and coordinate individual design efforts to achieve a well-functioning and integrated building (Public Technology Inc. & US Green Building Council 1996). Students were not only encouraged to enquire with other disciplines to get information

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cultural similarities of both sites allowed the students to concentrate on the physical aspects of sustainability. Teaching/ learning methodology This article proposes a design studio teaching/ learning method based on sustainability in architecture experience, exploring the design process itself as a methodology. This teaching and, at the same time, learning method is shown in Table 2. Warm-up period to the project Due to the complex nature of sustainability, students were asked to focus on the factors listed in Table 1. Therefore, sustainability in architecture was learned in the studio through reading, discussing and analysing authoritative examples. At this early phase, the studio instructors guided the students on issues related to sustainability. In addition, seminars were given by guest professionals who were experts on ecological architecture. Lectures were introduced in the form of well-organised presentations and projects relating to past built sustainable architecture. Students tried to define the properties of sustainable architecture and attempted to understand how a climate-sensitive approach might be undertaken. Students also prepared PowerPoint presentations to share all data collected during this phase. The studio instructors organised site visits to both Konya and Izmir, where the students became familiar with the Aladdin Keykubat Campus of Seljuk University and Konya, where they already lived and studied, and also the Tnaztepe Campus of Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir. Before the site

trip to Izmir, students were asked to select one of their friends as a partner and were required to work with this person for the study. To create a conceptual structure After this warm-up period, the students were asked to create their conceptual structure for the project. Not only the sustainability criteria in architecture but also design criteria of climate-sensitive and energy-efficient building in Konya and in Izmir were discussed. According to the inputs in Table 1, students focused on the similarities and the differences of both sites. From the academic staff of Dokuz Eyll University, Tnaztepe Kampus, Izmir, students obtained all the necessary information not only about campus life and the background of the campus, but also the lifestyle, culture and properties of Izmir [1]. The properties of both sites were analysed for their general and sustainability aspects (Figure 2). Each site had similar properties: namely, belonging to part of a university campus, having many existing trees, being close to a noisy main highway and having a slight slope. However, the climatic properties of Konya in the middle of Anatolia and Izmir in the western part of Anatolia are completely different (Table 3). At this stage, the studio instructors and students discussed the needs and expectations of the project users the academic staff. All of these discussions were based on the general programme list given during the warm-up period. This led the students to discover various elements of the programme and the students then contributed their own additions to the brief. This process provided to the students a way of looking at social,

This page: Figure 2 Aladdin Keykubat Campus of Seljuk University, Konya and Tnaztepe Campus of Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir

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Table 3: General information about the regional properties of Konya and Izmir KONYA Location Climate Properties Northern latitude longitude Eastern latitude longitude Annual average temperature Average temperature in July Average temperature in January Direction of effective wind Rainfall Flora Central Anatolia Terrestrial climate (Continental climate) Dry summer Cold and snowy winter 36 41 39 16 31 14 34 26 11 C 23 C 0 C Northwest 72% in winter and spring Oak IZMIR Western Anatolia, peninsula on the Aegean Sea Mediterranean climate Hot summer Mild winter 37 45 39 15 26 15 28 20 16 C 28 C 10 C Southwest and west Cool wind from the sea 50% in winter and spring 45% in autumn Palm, oak, juniper and olive trees Kahns famous statement concerning bricks). His touchstone exercises are varied; depending on the project, they could be installations, collages, montages, diptychs or any other form of artistic representation of what the design could be, followed by a written or verbal narrative expressing what the artwork of the student tries to convey. The aim is to get the students to think for themselves without recourse to the fashionable images with which the media seems to bombard us. The mood board activity, a representation of the students feelings and perception of Konya and Izmir, was tremendously helpful for students as a starting point for the design process. In the mood boards, the author simply extended Prof. Ramans notion of touchstone exercise into an elicitation of an emotional or feltresponse. Instead of asking for a comparison between Konya and Izmir with scientific information, numeric values or concrete functional threedimensional inputs, the instructors asked the students to grasp the soul of the cities and

cultural and functional relations within a multidisciplinary perspective of sustainable architecture. Students were expected to develop their own ideas about the problems and designed a poster explaining their approach, symbolising their concepts and displaying their logo (Figure 3). Kick-start: mood boards It is very difficult for students to start a design in different cities with different climatic conditions. Students were worried about how to recognise the values of design deeply rooted within the site. The instructors asked the students for a mood board a kind of abstract collage symbolising the students impressions, experiences and ideas about Konya and Izmir. Prof. Dr Pattabi Ganapathi Raman has called this educational tool a kick-start to the design process [2]. Raman often kick-starts design exercises with what he calls touchstone exercises. He sees these as a way of answering the question What does the project want to be? (in reference to Louis

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answer how they felt and what their mood was, focusing on the issue of sustainability in an abstract way by using colour and texture. The difference between building type used by bureaucratic planners and architects and the theoretical notion of building typology is that the latter enshrines the idea of ethos or environment in itself, which defines the character of the particular building type under consideration. In other words, while the spatial configuration of the

university staff housing projects may be similar, when the context is changed, the ethos to be created surely also had to be different. The mood board tried to visually define the specific environment needed for staff housing in Konya and Izmir. It may be necessary to analyse the mood board activity step by step to explain the links between the start point and end product. Although mood boards were used in the earlier stages of a project to indicate the emotional and contextual aspects

This page: Figure 3 Design approach example (Team zge-Deniz)

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of design concept, there is a strong relationship with the final decisions when reviewed from a deeper perspective. (a) We asked them to bring old, colourful magazines of any subject matter. We also asked students to prepare a poster before coming to the studio. They collated images from the internet, photos they had taken in Izmir and Konya during the site visit and also they experienced their feelings which focused on their personal experience, asking themselves how they actually felt about Izmir and Konya (Figure 4.a). (b) Students shared their posters in the studio and brain-stormed how physically, spatially and culturally different or similar these two cities are. After this accumulation of thought patterns, students were encouraged to take a leap of faith expression: in essence dealing with the same approach as the mood board. They matched the words and images they had emphasised in their poster to the mood board medium. They created an abstract picture by gathering colour, transparency, pattern and other basic design effects from their magazine cuttings. The mood board activity was conducted in a onehour session with cuttings collated from colourful

magazines (Figure 4.b). Considering colour, pattern and transparency, and using a 35 x 50 cm white background, students presented personal feelings and perceptions of the two cities. The end products gave a vivid sense of the differences between Konya and Izmir. Students generally selected cold, earthy and pastel colours and blurred, absorbed materials for Konya, whereas bright, warm colours, transparent materials and strong patterns were selected for Izmir (Figure 4.c). (c) Using these products the students created some simple diagrams and sketches in accordance with the context of the mood board (Figure 4.d). Comparing the mood board and the final project, we may have idea as to how students have developed their design by helping them to start thinking outside of the box (Figures 4.eg). Designers generally fall into the trap of attempting to produce everything perfectly. Perfection and attention to every detail wastes valuable time when the objective is to generate as many ideas as possible. Mood board study is free from students anxieties of execution, allowing them to produce something concrete quickly and with ease. The mood board process helps students to

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Opposite page: Figure 4a Posters to bring something to mind about Izmir and Konya This page: Figure 4b Examples of mood board designed by different pair for Konya and Izmir Figure 4c Posters to bring something to mind about Izmir-Konya and mood board designed by Ferhat and Mevlt Figure 4d Mood board and basic design approach designed by Ferhat and Mevlt Figure 4e Sketches and project for Konya case designed by Ferhat and Mevlt

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experience a way to think an abstract approach to a concrete problem rather than focusing on final product. The design process There were three stages of the design process during the studio. In the first phase, students were asked to understand the sites of Konya and Izmir using a detailed survey, modelling the sites as a team and making environmental as well as site analyses. During this stage, the students gained a better understanding of the site conditions of Konya and Izmir in terms of size, density, solar orientation, daylight considerations, wind, slope and the existing built and natural environments. To aid in any initial decisions for building orientation,

the accessibility of the site for pedestrians, bicycles and public transport was then analysed. In order to decide active and passive green areas, focus was given to building mass and open space in between buildings. In order to stimulate creative and artistic skills, the students were asked to demonstrate their analyses as sketches, models, scenario discussions, posters, two-dimensional drawings and three-dimensional site models. Initial site plan drawings and physical models were also to be completed at 1/500 scale (Figure 5). The second phase of the design process was building proposals. At each design level, climatic issues were involved and had to be considered for successful completion of the studio. Generally, functional, technical and architectural solutions were taken into consideration at this stage. The climate-sensitive building criteria for Konya and Izmir were underlined and discovered in the studio (Table 4). Some student examples suitable to a climatesensitive approach for Konya and Izmir, as mentioned in Table 4, are illustrated in Figure 6. After learning the properties of the climate in both cities, students focused on the types of building: scatter or linear system for Izmir and the compact mass system for Konya. An initial building type considering the issue of sustainability in Konya and Izmir was designed in 1/100 scale. Students then gave feedback about these site planning decisions according to changes and precise decisions about the type of building (Figure 7). The last phase of the design process was detailing the proposed building. Construction details, local materials and faade decisions according to mass/space ratio for the best energy efficiency were considered. All of the student proposals were expected to develop technical knowledge. Considering the climate of Konya and Izmir helped the

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Table 4: The general design principles of a climate-sensitive approach for Konya and Izmir KONYA
Housing area selection regarding climate General principles of site arrangement Slopes facing south and southeast are selected in order to benefit the most from the sun. It is important to be protected from the effects of the wind. Minimise heat loss during the cold winters is the main concern. The surface-to-volume ratio is important. In any case, a compact building form is desirable. It is more important to heat the building in winter than to provide summer comfort. Alternative spaces should be created for the extreme differences in temperature between summer and winter. Stairs outside the building in the open and steep ramps should be avoided because of snow and frost. Evergreen trees should be planted in the northeast southwest direction and deciduous trees should be used near the residences.

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IZMIR
A type of settlement that benefits from the cool wind in the summer should be selected.

Precautions should be taken for protection from heat in summer and cold in the winter. While arrangements that are necessary to benefit from the sun and radiation are made in the winter, arrangements to benefit from natural air circulation should also be made in summer.

Flora

Deciduous trees should be preferred to benefit from shade in summer and the sun in winter. Green grassy areas and grouped shady trees are favourable. Shady areas located within minimum walking distance should be created for public areas. Orientation should be made in a manner that lets cool winds inside in the summer.

Orientation

An optimum solution should be sought for the orientation of scatter buildings in the northeast southwest direction in order to avoid the effect of cold winds. A dense and compact texture is favourable. Heat loss should be decreased through minimum floor area. In addition, it is also suggested that more than one unit be designed under the same roof. Attached and semi-detached residences are advantageous since they decrease heat loss. Residences in blocks should also be arranged in a compact form and maximum benefits from the sun should be utilised. Where heating is necessary, massive construction can be beneficial in continuously occupied buildings since it may allow keeping the building reasonably warm during non-heating periods. Plans should be developed considering that 78 months of the year will be spent inside the residence and solutions should be sought to prevent cold conditions inside. Plans should be compact and spaces that are suitable for the summer season should be included.

Types of residences

Scatter settlements that are harmonious and integrate with nature are favourable. All opportunities of linear arrangements should be utilised. Because humidity in Izmir is high, evaporation from the skin is restricted and evaporative cooling will be neither effective, nor desirable, since it would actually increase humidity. Indirect evaporative cooling may be used, as it does not add moisture to the supply air and produces some sensible cooling. It may be efficient to design elevated buildings. The best the designer can do is to ensure that the interior does not become much warmer than the outside. The interplay between exterior and interior spaces should be kept strong. Plans should be organised in a manner that maintains airflow. There should not be a big difference between the faades and depths of the rooms. High ceiling temperatures can be prevented by using a reflective roof surface, having a separate ceiling and/or forming an attic space with adequate ventilation. Verandas, terraces and balconies that face south enable the advantageous use of climate characteristics for the summer. Any large windows used for winter solar heating may cause summer overheating. Overhanging eaves or other horizontal shading devices may ensure summer shading and also allow winter entry of solar radiation. If overheating occurs in the summer, ventilation could dissipate the unwanted heat. Light and medium colours are advantageous. Dark colours can be used on surfaces that do not receive sunlight. Terrace roof surfaces should have a light colour. North and south walls could have large openings. The rooms could be arranged in one row, allowing inlet and outlet openings for each room.

Climatesensitive floor plan properties

Climatesensitive faade properties

Door and window gaps should be kept small in order to prevent heat loss. The optimum effect is obtained when the faades are arranged on an eastwest axis and at dimensions with ratios of 1:1.1 or 1:1.3. Windows should be small and at least double glazed but triple glazing is preferable.

Opposite page: Figure 4f Sketches and project for Izmir case designed by Ferhat and Mevlt Figure 4g Mood boards and final model for Konya and Izmir case designed by Ferhat and Mevlt

Climatesensitive surfaces

Medium colours can be used on the faades that receive sunlight and dark colours can be used on faades that do not receive sunlight, even in summer.

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decision-making process about shading devices and designing the faade accordingly. The proposal of Trombe walls, glasshouses, roof pools, cross ventilation, systems for collecting rainwater and other architectural elements used for sustainability was solved with fully detailed drawings to 1/20, 1/10 and even 1/1 scale. Technical details, an assessment of the contextual parameters and an

improvement of design solutions were presented as plans, sections, elevations and models. For the final design presentation, students focused their attention on the functional, technical and architectural complexity of their proposals. Constructional detailing, materiality, texture, structure and technical solutions were all discussed during the studio hours (Figure 8).

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Evaluation process The preparation during the warm-up period, main idea and the first phase of design process was presented by the student pairs working together on each project. This was achieved by hanging sketches and drawings on the board and presenting their models. The gathering of data and the analysis of the context parameters was presented in teams. All students joined the tutors in an open and honest forum to critique the presentations. Tutors gave points for students efforts without announcing the results. After completing the common work, in the second phase of the design process each team received comments and individual critiques at their tables. The critique from their instructors stimulated the development of their ideas accordingly. Preliminary sketches during the table critiques were created and submitted, and again points were awarded without announcement, which provided the instructor with the opportunity to not only evaluate the last products but also the effort shown during the process. In addition,
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Opposite page: Figure 5 Initial site plan decisions according to climate (Team zge-Deniz) Figure 6 Site arrangements designed by Team zge-Deniz and by Team Ferhat-Mevlt This page: Figure 7 Building solutions designed by Team zge-Deniz and Team Ferhat-Mevlt Figure 8 Details of climate sensitive architecture solved by Team zge-Deniz

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Table 5. Evaluation of the studio experience Number of students 21 8 9 38 38 25 19 22 Percentage of total 56 21 24 100 100 66 50 58 Learned the issue of sustainability in architecture, able to use this accumulation in their professional life Learned the issue of sustainability despite missing implementation details Are not sure they will be able to use a sustainable approach in their next job Ecological approaches are so popular, universal and necessary that they started enthusiastically Believed that this project would widen their architectural vision Can draw and/or apply trombe wall, solar panel, cross ventilation details Became aware of the greenhouse effect, the importance of orientation, building insulation and the re-use of construction waste Supported the idea of studying as a group with one of their friends in the studio, studying as a group gave a chance to analyse better, to discuss and to have a brain storming opportunities Was not happy studying in pairs. My group faced the problem that it could not communicate well enough and therefore could not show the same enthusiasm to the project. They could not come together with motivation at the same time. Complained about the variety of the building types they had to solve Excited and happy to see an academic staff jury member who is an expert regarding sustainable architecture supported to enhance concern for architectural design. In the final jury, an outside academic guest whose main scientific field is sustainability in architecture [3] was invited as well as experts from the Seluk University staff. Students were happy to meet an expert sustainable architecture jury member, who proved to be particularly objective about the students and the project. Both the academic guest and instructors [4] have valuable experience in the field of sustainable architecture, so the students were evaluated on exactly the criteria that were defined at the beginning of the term, as described in Table 1. Studio performance evaluation The last step of the teaching/learning method was to evaluate what had been achieved or

12

32

30 24

79 63

students were actively encouraged to study in parallel to the studio and attend the class. In the first jury, students received comments and critique on their proposed site plan arrangement and evaluation of all efforts during preparation. The first and second phases of the design process were combined and announced as a first jury grade. In the second jury, the type of house was evaluated with respect to its sensitivity to sustainability and a second jury grade was awarded. Some of the proposals force students to come back to the site arrangement stage. In the final jury, all decisions regarding site, house units, construction details and the architectural draft were evaluated. The final outcomes were evaluated in the student pairs on jury day. The creative and innovative approaches of young designers were

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missed. In the studio, a different atmosphere was created and a different studying method was used. The new teaching experience has shown the need to learn more about what students think and how they feel throughout the course. At the end of the semester, the students questionnaires provided valuable new questions about teaching the issue of sustainability in a design studio. To achieve a more successful evaluation, the questionnaire was reviewed openly with the students and the head of the architectural department. Students sincerely shared their ideas and feelings because the projects had already been completed and graded. The results of the questionnaire are summarised in Table 5. During the evaluation meeting, some of the students highlighted a desire to go back and redesign their projects from previous semesters based on the approach learned in this studio. All of the students were in agreement that much had been learned. However, frequent tiredness during the semester was also highlighted a problem not unique, though, to this studio only. Some students would have liked to deal with the social aspects of the difference between these two cities with respect to sustainability. Conclusion This studio experience, which consisted of 38 students grouped in 19 teams, proposed 38 climate-sensitive projects with the same brief for two different regions, Konya and Izmir, regarding the issue of sustainability. It is early to decide whether this studio managed to achieve what it desired. When these young designers become professionals, it will be observed how successful this studio was by following their architectural products. This article has detailed the specific teaching/learning experience for sustainability in architecture design studio as a methodology. The extra values of this methodology for Seluk University Department of Architecture may give some clues to other architectural schools. The teaching/learning experience has provided the following general results summarised below: (a) The case-study On-Campus Academic Staff Housing in Konya and Izmir has created a sustain-

ability consciousness through its dimension of simultaneously considering regional and local differences. This consciousness and the awareness of international standards made students more professional and open to the idea of sustainability. (b) In the design studio, working in teams of two on two sites in different climatic regions but with the same brief, meant students were more sensitive to climate, site, sun path, predominant wind direction and other sustainability issues. (c) Students left this class with a clearer vision of the relationship between buildings and the environment, a broader perspective of what responsible, good architecture is, with an ability to perform basic energy modelling and a new studying method. The method seems to enhance work ethics and output. (d) Students have become conscious about sustainability and have started to be interested in the issue not only inside but also outside the studio. They have focused on every kind of event and activity with regard to sustainable architecture. At the end of this effort students entered a competition specifically focused on sustainability for architectural students. Two students won a prize which created a synergy for the others [5]. (e) The atmosphere of the studio created a learning synergy in the area of sustainable architecture not only for those who participated, but also for lower and upper semester students who observed the studio. (f) Students generally solve an initial project in the design studio at a stage where they do not consider the implementation phase. In the case of sustainable architecture, students became able to formulate their proposals in a manner that enabled them to decide on the materials, the details and the implementation of these details. (g) At the evaluation meeting held following the studio, the students stated that they discovered great deficiencies in terms of sustainable architecture when they examined their previously created

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projects. It is probable to say that the students met the concept of sustainable architecture on the linear time plane. (h) The mood board study, which provides a basis for the foundation of an appreciation of feeling, perception and the subconscious in a studio dealing with technical topics such as sustainability, seemed to develop in students the awareness that technical and engineering information is not sufficient apart from art and aesthetics. With this scope, mood boards appear to be a method of expression and thinking open to development. (i) Another extra value provided by this study was that other colleagues outside the institution in the discipline of architecture education focused on the second stage of the study together with the students and the instructors who took part in the studio. The necessity of conducting an urban project, again in two different cities with two different climates but this time in a setup that enables the examination of social components, is emphasised. This context requires that different schools of architecture in Turkey and abroad should have the motivation to conduct a collaborative studio study. (j) The teaching of a process is a challenging matter, especially when students have already developed personal methodologies for design. The studio format should allow the instructors to break down the process into an approach using the essential tools to facilitate ecological design goals. Schools and teachers of architecture should continuously endeavour to discover and create new ways to incorporate sustainability into studios and other coursework. In conclusion, sustainability as a trend, or rather a philosophy, is becoming more and more apparent in many fields of human activity. Therefore, the creation of new and significantly different lifestyles must be continually assessed and subsequently implemented into the heart of architectural design. Sustainability necessitates the consideration of both the inputs relating to the site, which are the requirements of traditional attitudes, and also the

readiness to implement new technologies, materials and construction techniques within buildings and design details. One of the most suitable environments where information and experience regarding such necessities can be acquired is architectural design studios. This article was written to stimulate crucial questions about future architectural teaching methods, such as, How can the studio be redesigned so that it contains questions of sustainability? To answer this question, it is recommended that the process of creating a sustainable architectural consciousness within students be continued and, in future case studies, factors connected with various social or technical circumstances be incorporated.

Acknowledgement The author wishes to thank all of the students. Without their attention in the studio and devotion to the subject, this study would not have been successful. The author also thanks Prof. Dr Glser elebi (Gazi University, Ankara) for supporting this studio. I also would like to thank to Marc Bussiere (Sait Polytechnic, Canada) who has also supported the idea and Mick Webb who completed the proofreading.

Notes 1. It is a pleasure to thank the academic staff of Dokuz Eyll University, who cooperated with the academic staff of Seluk University. Special thanks to Dean of Faculty, Prof. Dr Hlya Ko. 2. I assisted Prof. Dr Pattabi Ganapathi Raman (University of the Free State in South Africa) with his atelier in the EWSAD 2009 (European Winter School in Architectural Design), from 26 January to 6 February 2009 at Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey. In this atelier, Prof. Raman did not apply a mood board activity but a similar approach. 3. Prof. Dr Glser elebi, having experience of sustainable architecture, was a guest from Gazi University, Ankara, Senior Lecturer Dr Fatih Canan, one of the studio instructors, completed his PhD on the topic of sustainable architecture. Senior Lecturer Hseyin Baar teaches construction courses at Seluk University.

JADE 29.3 (2010) 2010 The Author. Journal compilation 2010 NSEAD/Blackwell Publishing Ltd

4. See the results of the Ecologic House Student Project Competition, available at URL: www. arkitera.com/y998-ekolojik-ev-ogrenci-projeyarismasi.html 5. Instructor Marc Bussiere (Sait Polytechnic, Canada) at the Architectural Education Forum 4 Conference and Prof. Dr Orcan Gndz (Dokuz Eyll University, Izmir) at the Livenarch IV Conference both focused on the feasibility of the second stage in collaboration.

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JADE 29.3 (2010) 2010 The Author. Journal compilation 2010 NSEAD/Blackwell Publishing Ltd