One of the major changes in the program’s administrative structure since 2016 has been the consolidation of the four sub-departments under the Department of Architecture (Building Science, Construction Science, History of Architecture, and Restoration) were abolished and consolidated under a single department (Department of Architecture). Pursuant to the decision of our University Senate dated April 5, 2022, No. 2022/02-02, titled “Restructuring of our University’s Departments and Divisions,” in accordance with the letter No. 32951 received from the Presidency of the Council of Higher Education on April 29, 2022, the departments within our program have been closed.
Following the closure of the sub-disciplines, the University Senate decided to establish more flexible interdisciplinary Research Groups. The Architecture Department Research Groups are teams that come together to generate new knowledge, products, services, etc., in focused areas, with the aim of facilitating inter-unit, inter-departmental, inter-faculty, national, and international collaborations within our faculty.
At the Faculty of Architecture Council meeting held on January 5, 2023, it was agreed that these groups should be established in a way that enhances interdisciplinary collaboration. The criteria considered for the research groups are as follows:
To enhance our status as a research and development university, we should support the formation of research groups and the initiation of interdisciplinary studies.
These collaborations should be [across former departments], interdepartmental, national, and international.
These research groups should be flexible; they should expand, contract, or be dissolved as necessary, depending on the content and process of the research.
A faculty member may participate in more than one research group.
The primary objective of this approach is to position Yıldız Technical University as a successful research university in line with its strategic plan goals. The aim is for the interaction among interdisciplinary research groups to facilitate high-impact, creative, and innovative projects.
In line with this approach, which lays the groundwork for interdisciplinary research and will enhance the department’s research activities, the research groups established to date are as follows:
Structural Technologies Research Group
Prof. Dr. Z. Canan GİRGİN (Chair)
Members: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Osman KURUŞCU, Dr. Aygül CEYLAN, Research Assistant Tuğçe SOYTAŞ, Research Assistant Mehmet KARA
Sustainable Futures: Nature, Culture, and Space Studies
Prof. Dr. Ayşen CİRAVOĞLU (Chair)
Members: Dr. Neslinur HIZLI ERKILIÇ, Dr. Serhat ULUBAY, Dr. Nazlı ARSLAN KORKUT, Research Assistant Dr. Zeynep İrem Baş
MimVeri Lab / ArchiMind
Prof. Dr. Emel BİRER (Chair)
Members: Dr. Serhat ULUBAY, Lecturer Dr. Leyla Deniz KİRAZ, Research Assistant Dr. Esin YILMAZ, Research Assistant Ezgi AKKURT
Architectural Design Issues
Prof. Dr. Aslı SUNGUR (Chair)
Members: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selin YILDIZ, Dr. Hande DÜZGÜN BEKDAŞ, Dr. Elif ÇELİK KAYA
Quantitative Research in Architectural Design
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Feride Pınar Arabacıoğlu (Chair)
Members: Dr. Hasan Taştan, Research Assistant İhsan Erdem Er
Research on Tourism Spaces in the Context of Climate Change
Associate Professor Funda KERESTECİOĞLU (Chair), Assistant Professor Nazlı ARSLAN KORKUT