A Study at the Intersection of Inclusivity and Spatial Accessibility: The YTÜ Faculty of Architecture Building
Summer Research Internship (August 31–September 14, 2026)
Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selin YILDIZ & Dr. Hande DÜZGÜN BEKDAŞ & Research Assistant Elif Cemre Feyzullah (Istanbul Nişantaşı University)
Objective
The objective of this summer research internship is to examine the YTÜ Faculty of Architecture building within the context of inclusive design and accessibility, using a multi-layered methodology that begins with user experience and extends to preservation, reuse, and technical constraints.
Rather than evaluating the space solely based on physical accessibility criteria, the study aims to address the building’s historical layers, architectural heritage value, and features requiring preservation by centering on the perceptual and physical experiences of different user groups.
Accordingly, the building is first interpreted as a space for experience, then evaluated as a heritage object, and finally, transformation scenarios are developed based on its potential for reuse. In the final stage of the process, the proposed interventions are tested against technical parameters such as the building’s structural system, spatial organization, wet areas, and fire safety.
Through this holistic approach, the internship aims to highlight the tensions that arise between accessibility and preservation, aesthetics and intervention, and user needs and structural limitations, and to develop inclusive, feasible, and architecturally sound design proposals based on these tensions.
Students wishing to apply for the internship program can click the link below to submit their information.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10oeLTb140NLl8VHbldfCHI9OGc-xXmsm3aJNVrofB0U/edit?gid=0#gid=0
