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Olağandışı Yapılı Çevrelerde Çocuk Deneyimi ve İç Mekân Tasarımı

Year 2026, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 23 - 40, 04.03.2026
https://izlik.org/JA23JE45JX

Abstract

Olağandışı yapılı çevrelerin çocuk kullanıcı açısından taşıdığı potansiyel, mekânsal deneyimin yalnızca fiziksel bileşenlerle sınırlı olmadığını, duyusal ve bilişsel süreçlerin iç içe geçtiği çok katmanlı bir bütünlük oluşturduğunu göstermektedir. Yeraltı tuz madenleri bu bağlamda özgün bir inceleme alanı sunmakta, doğal mikroiklim ve hacimsel nitelikler rekreatif kullanımlar ile iyileştirici süreçlerin aynı mekânda eşzamanlı olarak şekillenmesine imkân tanımaktadır. Çalışmada Salina Turda örneği üzerinden doğal iyileştirici özellikler ile oyun temelli mekânsal düzenlemeler arasındaki etkileşim analiz edilmekte ve çocuk kullanıcı deneyiminin mekânsal bileşenlerle nasıl bütünleştiği ortaya konulmaktadır. Araştırma, literatür taraması, yerinde gözlem ve mekânsal çözümleme adımlarından oluşan nitel bir yöntemle yürütülmektedir. İnceleme sonucunda yeraltı mekânının duyusal yoğunluğu, hacimsel etkisi ve tarihsel katmanları sayesinde çocuklarda keşif davranışını destekleyen güçlü bir çevresel zemin oluşturduğu görülmekte, ancak oyun alanlarının kapalı uçlu yapısı nedeniyle yaratıcı katılımın sınırlı kaldığı anlaşılmaktadır. Çalışmanın özgün katkısı, NoBE yaklaşımını iyileştirici mekân kavramıyla bütünleştirerek çocuk kullanıcıya yönelik iç mekân tasarımına yeni bir kuramsal çerçeve önermekte olmasıdır. Salina Turda örneği üzerinden elde edilen bulgular, yeraltı yapılarında oyun temelli iyileştirici mekânsal stratejilerin geliştirilmesine yönelik tasarım olanaklarını somut biçimde ortaya koymaktadır. Alanın disiplinlerarası niteliğini güçlendirmekte, dolayısıyla iyileştirici mekânsal stratejilerin geliştirilmesine katkı sunmaktadır.

References

  • Akar-Ghibril, N., Casale, T., Custovic, A., & Phipatanakul, W. (2020). Allergic endotypes and phenotypes of asthma [published correction appears in J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020; 8(5): 1779]. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract., 8(2), 429-40.
  • Allahverdiyeva, L., Efendiyeva, N., & Khalilova, A. (2023). Efficacy of Speleotherapy on Atopic Bronchial Asthma in Children. Experimed, 13(3), 174-179.
  • Bringslimark, T., Hartig, T., & Patil, G. G. (2011). Adaptation to windowlessness: do office workers compensate for a lack of visual access to the outdoors? Environment and Behavior, 43, 469–487. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916510368351
  • Day, C. (2017). Places of the soul: Architecture and environmental design as a healing art. Routledge.
  • Day, K., Carreon, D., & Stump, C. (2000). The therapeutic design of environments for people with dementia: A review of the empirical research. The Gerontologist, 40(4), 397–416. https://doi.org/ 10.1093/geront/40.4.397
  • Sungur Ergenoğlu, A. (2006). Sağlık kurumlarının iyileştiren hastane anlayışı ve akreditasyon bağlamında tasarımı ve değerlendirilmesi (Publication number. 201323). [Doctoral dissertation, Yıldız Technical University]. Council of Higher Education Thesis Center.
  • Fich, L. B., Jönsson, P., Kirkegaard, P. H., Wallergaard, M., Garde, A. H., & Hansen, A. (2014). Can architectural design alter the physiological reaction to psychosocial stress? A virtual TSST experiment. Physiology & Behavior, 135(2014), 91–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.05.034
  • Gaminiesfahani, H., Lozanovska, M., & Tucker, R. (2020). A scoping review of the impact on children of the built environment design characteristics of healing spaces. HERD: Health environments research & design journal, 13(4), 98-114. https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586720903845
  • Gençaydın, E. E., & Orhan Yılmaz, E. (2025). Adaptation of interior design course to distance education during covid 19 pandemic period. ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning, 13(2), 850-872. https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2025.348
  • Ghiurco-Porumb, C.-G. (2017). The role of tourist image factor in the capitalization of a hydromineral resource potential. Case study: Turda Salt Mine. Georeview, 27(2017), 78–87.
  • Goel, S., Mihandoust, S., Joseph, A., Markowitz, J., Gonzales, A., & Browning, M. (2024). Design of pediatric outpatient procedure environments: A pilot study to understand the perceptions of patients and their parents. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 17(2), 183-199. https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867231220398
  • Hasol, D. (2008). Ansiklopedik mimarlık sözlüğü. YEM.
  • Henriksson, A., Leden, L., Fridberg, M., & Thulin, S. (2025). Play-activities with scientific content in early childhood education. Early Childhood Education Journal, 53(1), 261-270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-023-01593-6
  • Hollon, S. D., Kendall, P. C., Norsted, S., & Watson, D. (1980). Psychological responses to earth-sheltered, multilevel and aboveground structures with and without windows. Underground Space, 5(3), 171–178.
  • Horowitz, S. (2010). Salt cave therapy: Rediscovering the benefits of an old preservative. Alt Comp Ther, 16(3), 158–62. https://doi.org/10.1089/act.2010.16302
  • Karayama, H. T., & Hekimoğlu, Y. (2022). Cohen, Papanek ve Banham üzerinden mimarlıkta ekoloji kavramının analizi. Kırklareli Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi, 1(2), 37-42.
  • Kimic, K., Smaniotto Costa, C., & Negulescu, M. (2021). Creating tourism destinations of underground built heritage—the cases of salt mines in Poland, Portugal, and Romania. Sustainability, 13(17), 9676. https:// doi.org/10.3390/su13179676
  • Koukourikos, K., Tzeha, L., Pantelidou, P., & Tsaloglidou, A. (2015). The importance of play during hospitalization of children. Materia Socio-Medica, 27(6), 438–441. https://doi. org/10.5455/msm.2015.27.438-441.
  • Laevers, F. (2000). Forward to basics! deep‐level‐learning and the experiential approach. Early Years, 20(2), 20–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/0957514000200203
  • Lee, E. H., Christopoulos, G. I., Kwok, K. W., Roberts, A. C., & Soh, C.-K. (2017). A psychosocial approach to understanding underground spaces. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 452. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00452
  • Lesser, W. (1987). The life below the ground: A study of the subterranean in literature and history. Faber & Faber.
  • McLaughlan, R., Sadek, A., & Willis, J. (2019). Attractions to fuel the imagination: Reframing understandings of the role of distraction relative to well-being in the pediatric hospital. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 12(2), 130–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586718810878
  • Marquardt, G., Bueter, K., Motzek, T. (2014). Impact of the design of the built environment on people with dementia: An evidence-based review. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 8(1), 127–157. https://doi.org/10.1177/193758671400800111
  • Mårtensson, F., Wiström, B., Hedblom, M., Litsmark, A., Gabriel, A., Herngren, L., Ågren, J., & Sang, Å. O. (2025). Creating nature-based play settings for children through looking, listening, learning and modifying in a Swedish landscape laboratory. Socio-Ecological Practice Research, 7(1), 93-117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-024-00208-7
  • Morea, A., Vidican, V., Rotar, I., Păcurar, F., Stoian, V., & Hirişcău, A. (2016). Dynamics and fluctuations of tourists in turda salt mine - a case study. Agric. Sci. Procedia, 10, 155–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aaspro.2016.09.046
  • NHS. (2014). Health building note 00-01: General design guidance for healthcare buildings. Department of Health and Social Care, UK Government.
  • Norberg-Schulz, C. (1980). Genius loci. towards a phenomenology of architecture. Rizzoli, New York.
  • Norouzi, N., & Garza, C. M. (2021). Architecture for children with autism spectrum disorder and their therapists. HERD: Health environments research & design journal, 14(4), 147-156. https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867211012489
  • Pellegrini, A.D., & Smith, P.K. (1998). Physical activity play: The nature and function of a neglected aspect of play. Child Dev., 69, 577–598.
  • Pramling Samuelsson, I., & Johansson, E. (2006). Play and learning—inseparable dimensions in preschool practice. Early child development and care, 176(1), 47-65. https://doi.org/10.1080/0300443042000302654
  • Ringstad, A. J. (1994). Perceived danger and the design of underground facilities for public use. Tunn. Undergr. Space Technol., 9, 5–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/0886-7798(94)90003-5
  • Salina Turda Eu. (n.d.). Accessed on December 2, 2025 from https://www.salinaturda.eu/locatie_tag/sala-crivacului/.
  • Sando, O. J., Kleppe, R., & Sandseter, E. B. H. (2021). Risky play and children’s well being, involvement and physical activity. Child Indicators Research, 14(4), 1435–1451. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-021-09804-5
  • Sando O. J., Sandseter E. B. H., & Brussoni, M. (2023). The role of play and objects in children’s deep-level learning in early childhood education. Education Sciences, 13(7), 701. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070701
  • Sommer, R. (1974). Tight spaces: Hard architecture and how to humanize it. Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall. Stănciulescu, G., & Molnar, E. (2016). Examinations of health tourism in Romanian salt mines. Knowl. Horiz. Econ, 8, 72-80.
  • Şengül, M., & Erkut, Z. (2025). The effect of instructional therapeutic play on emotional responses in children undergoing nasopharyngeal swabbing: A randomised controlled trial. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 85, 433-440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2025.09.004
  • Tarçın Turgay, Z, & Tunçok Sarıberberoğlu, M. (2022). The Role of the Senses in Children’s Perception of Space. ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning, 10(1), 70-96. https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2022.194
  • Toma, C. B., & Irimuş, I. (2013). Therapeutic and tourism recovery of microclimate from praid and turda salt mines. Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Geographia, 58(1), 75-84.
  • Ulrich, R. S. (1991). Effects of interior design on wellness: theory and recent scientific research. Journal of Health Care Interior Design, 3, 97-109.
  • Verderber, S. (2010). Innovations in hospital architecture. Routledge.
  • Yang, M., & Cho, T. Y. (2023). A study on the preference of children for climber. The Korean Society Of Design Culture, 29(2), 249-260. https://doi.org/10.18208/ksdc.2023.29.2.249
  • Yokoi, K., Yabuki, N., Fukuda, T., Michikawa, T., & Motamedi, A. (2015). Way-finding assistance system for underground facilities using augmented reality. Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spat. Inform. Sci., 40, 37–41. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XL-4-W5-37-2015
  • Yu, C., Wong, E., Gignac, J., Walker, M., & Ross, T. (2024). A scoping review of pediatric healthcare built environment experiences and preferences among children with disabilities and their families. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 17(2), 309-325. . https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867231218035
  • Zhang, X., Tang, C., Geng, M., Li, K., Liu, C., & Cai, Y. (2025). The effects of active play interventions on children’s fundamental movement skills: a systematic review. BMC pediatrics, 25(1), 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-024-05385-8

Non-Ordinary Built Environments and Child Experience in Interior Architecture

Year 2026, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 23 - 40, 04.03.2026
https://izlik.org/JA23JE45JX

Abstract

The potential of non-ordinary built environments for child users shows that the spatial experience is not limited to physical components but forms a multi-layered whole in which sensory and cognitive processes are intertwined. Underground salt mines offer a unique field of study in this context, and the natural microclimate and volumetric qualities allow recreational uses and remedial processes to be shaped simultaneously in the same space. In the study, the interaction between natural healing properties and play-based spatial arrangements is analyzed through the example of Salina Turda, and the integration of the child user experience with spatial components is revealed. The research is carried out using a qualitative method comprising a literature review, on-site observation, and spatial analysis. As a result of the examination, it is observed that underground spaces create a strong environmental context that supports exploration behavior in children thanks to their sensory density, volumetric effects, and historical layers, but it is understood that creative participation is limited due to the closed-ended structure of the playgrounds. The study's original contribution is to integrate the NoBE approach with the concept of healing space and to propose a new theoretical framework for interior design for child users. The findings from the example of Salina Turda clearly reveal the design possibilities for developing play-based remedial spatial strategies in underground structures. It strengthens the field's interdisciplinary nature and therefore contributes to the development of remedial spatial strategies.

References

  • Akar-Ghibril, N., Casale, T., Custovic, A., & Phipatanakul, W. (2020). Allergic endotypes and phenotypes of asthma [published correction appears in J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020; 8(5): 1779]. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract., 8(2), 429-40.
  • Allahverdiyeva, L., Efendiyeva, N., & Khalilova, A. (2023). Efficacy of Speleotherapy on Atopic Bronchial Asthma in Children. Experimed, 13(3), 174-179.
  • Bringslimark, T., Hartig, T., & Patil, G. G. (2011). Adaptation to windowlessness: do office workers compensate for a lack of visual access to the outdoors? Environment and Behavior, 43, 469–487. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916510368351
  • Day, C. (2017). Places of the soul: Architecture and environmental design as a healing art. Routledge.
  • Day, K., Carreon, D., & Stump, C. (2000). The therapeutic design of environments for people with dementia: A review of the empirical research. The Gerontologist, 40(4), 397–416. https://doi.org/ 10.1093/geront/40.4.397
  • Sungur Ergenoğlu, A. (2006). Sağlık kurumlarının iyileştiren hastane anlayışı ve akreditasyon bağlamında tasarımı ve değerlendirilmesi (Publication number. 201323). [Doctoral dissertation, Yıldız Technical University]. Council of Higher Education Thesis Center.
  • Fich, L. B., Jönsson, P., Kirkegaard, P. H., Wallergaard, M., Garde, A. H., & Hansen, A. (2014). Can architectural design alter the physiological reaction to psychosocial stress? A virtual TSST experiment. Physiology & Behavior, 135(2014), 91–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.05.034
  • Gaminiesfahani, H., Lozanovska, M., & Tucker, R. (2020). A scoping review of the impact on children of the built environment design characteristics of healing spaces. HERD: Health environments research & design journal, 13(4), 98-114. https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586720903845
  • Gençaydın, E. E., & Orhan Yılmaz, E. (2025). Adaptation of interior design course to distance education during covid 19 pandemic period. ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning, 13(2), 850-872. https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2025.348
  • Ghiurco-Porumb, C.-G. (2017). The role of tourist image factor in the capitalization of a hydromineral resource potential. Case study: Turda Salt Mine. Georeview, 27(2017), 78–87.
  • Goel, S., Mihandoust, S., Joseph, A., Markowitz, J., Gonzales, A., & Browning, M. (2024). Design of pediatric outpatient procedure environments: A pilot study to understand the perceptions of patients and their parents. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 17(2), 183-199. https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867231220398
  • Hasol, D. (2008). Ansiklopedik mimarlık sözlüğü. YEM.
  • Henriksson, A., Leden, L., Fridberg, M., & Thulin, S. (2025). Play-activities with scientific content in early childhood education. Early Childhood Education Journal, 53(1), 261-270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-023-01593-6
  • Hollon, S. D., Kendall, P. C., Norsted, S., & Watson, D. (1980). Psychological responses to earth-sheltered, multilevel and aboveground structures with and without windows. Underground Space, 5(3), 171–178.
  • Horowitz, S. (2010). Salt cave therapy: Rediscovering the benefits of an old preservative. Alt Comp Ther, 16(3), 158–62. https://doi.org/10.1089/act.2010.16302
  • Karayama, H. T., & Hekimoğlu, Y. (2022). Cohen, Papanek ve Banham üzerinden mimarlıkta ekoloji kavramının analizi. Kırklareli Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi, 1(2), 37-42.
  • Kimic, K., Smaniotto Costa, C., & Negulescu, M. (2021). Creating tourism destinations of underground built heritage—the cases of salt mines in Poland, Portugal, and Romania. Sustainability, 13(17), 9676. https:// doi.org/10.3390/su13179676
  • Koukourikos, K., Tzeha, L., Pantelidou, P., & Tsaloglidou, A. (2015). The importance of play during hospitalization of children. Materia Socio-Medica, 27(6), 438–441. https://doi. org/10.5455/msm.2015.27.438-441.
  • Laevers, F. (2000). Forward to basics! deep‐level‐learning and the experiential approach. Early Years, 20(2), 20–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/0957514000200203
  • Lee, E. H., Christopoulos, G. I., Kwok, K. W., Roberts, A. C., & Soh, C.-K. (2017). A psychosocial approach to understanding underground spaces. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 452. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00452
  • Lesser, W. (1987). The life below the ground: A study of the subterranean in literature and history. Faber & Faber.
  • McLaughlan, R., Sadek, A., & Willis, J. (2019). Attractions to fuel the imagination: Reframing understandings of the role of distraction relative to well-being in the pediatric hospital. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 12(2), 130–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586718810878
  • Marquardt, G., Bueter, K., Motzek, T. (2014). Impact of the design of the built environment on people with dementia: An evidence-based review. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 8(1), 127–157. https://doi.org/10.1177/193758671400800111
  • Mårtensson, F., Wiström, B., Hedblom, M., Litsmark, A., Gabriel, A., Herngren, L., Ågren, J., & Sang, Å. O. (2025). Creating nature-based play settings for children through looking, listening, learning and modifying in a Swedish landscape laboratory. Socio-Ecological Practice Research, 7(1), 93-117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-024-00208-7
  • Morea, A., Vidican, V., Rotar, I., Păcurar, F., Stoian, V., & Hirişcău, A. (2016). Dynamics and fluctuations of tourists in turda salt mine - a case study. Agric. Sci. Procedia, 10, 155–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aaspro.2016.09.046
  • NHS. (2014). Health building note 00-01: General design guidance for healthcare buildings. Department of Health and Social Care, UK Government.
  • Norberg-Schulz, C. (1980). Genius loci. towards a phenomenology of architecture. Rizzoli, New York.
  • Norouzi, N., & Garza, C. M. (2021). Architecture for children with autism spectrum disorder and their therapists. HERD: Health environments research & design journal, 14(4), 147-156. https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867211012489
  • Pellegrini, A.D., & Smith, P.K. (1998). Physical activity play: The nature and function of a neglected aspect of play. Child Dev., 69, 577–598.
  • Pramling Samuelsson, I., & Johansson, E. (2006). Play and learning—inseparable dimensions in preschool practice. Early child development and care, 176(1), 47-65. https://doi.org/10.1080/0300443042000302654
  • Ringstad, A. J. (1994). Perceived danger and the design of underground facilities for public use. Tunn. Undergr. Space Technol., 9, 5–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/0886-7798(94)90003-5
  • Salina Turda Eu. (n.d.). Accessed on December 2, 2025 from https://www.salinaturda.eu/locatie_tag/sala-crivacului/.
  • Sando, O. J., Kleppe, R., & Sandseter, E. B. H. (2021). Risky play and children’s well being, involvement and physical activity. Child Indicators Research, 14(4), 1435–1451. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-021-09804-5
  • Sando O. J., Sandseter E. B. H., & Brussoni, M. (2023). The role of play and objects in children’s deep-level learning in early childhood education. Education Sciences, 13(7), 701. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070701
  • Sommer, R. (1974). Tight spaces: Hard architecture and how to humanize it. Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall. Stănciulescu, G., & Molnar, E. (2016). Examinations of health tourism in Romanian salt mines. Knowl. Horiz. Econ, 8, 72-80.
  • Şengül, M., & Erkut, Z. (2025). The effect of instructional therapeutic play on emotional responses in children undergoing nasopharyngeal swabbing: A randomised controlled trial. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 85, 433-440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2025.09.004
  • Tarçın Turgay, Z, & Tunçok Sarıberberoğlu, M. (2022). The Role of the Senses in Children’s Perception of Space. ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning, 10(1), 70-96. https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2022.194
  • Toma, C. B., & Irimuş, I. (2013). Therapeutic and tourism recovery of microclimate from praid and turda salt mines. Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Geographia, 58(1), 75-84.
  • Ulrich, R. S. (1991). Effects of interior design on wellness: theory and recent scientific research. Journal of Health Care Interior Design, 3, 97-109.
  • Verderber, S. (2010). Innovations in hospital architecture. Routledge.
  • Yang, M., & Cho, T. Y. (2023). A study on the preference of children for climber. The Korean Society Of Design Culture, 29(2), 249-260. https://doi.org/10.18208/ksdc.2023.29.2.249
  • Yokoi, K., Yabuki, N., Fukuda, T., Michikawa, T., & Motamedi, A. (2015). Way-finding assistance system for underground facilities using augmented reality. Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spat. Inform. Sci., 40, 37–41. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XL-4-W5-37-2015
  • Yu, C., Wong, E., Gignac, J., Walker, M., & Ross, T. (2024). A scoping review of pediatric healthcare built environment experiences and preferences among children with disabilities and their families. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 17(2), 309-325. . https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867231218035
  • Zhang, X., Tang, C., Geng, M., Li, K., Liu, C., & Cai, Y. (2025). The effects of active play interventions on children’s fundamental movement skills: a systematic review. BMC pediatrics, 25(1), 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-024-05385-8
There are 44 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Interior Architecture , Architectural Design
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Elif Özgen 0000-0002-8081-2097

Submission Date December 8, 2025
Acceptance Date March 1, 2026
Publication Date March 4, 2026
IZ https://izlik.org/JA23JE45JX
Published in Issue Year 2026 Volume: 2 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Özgen, E. (2026). Non-Ordinary Built Environments and Child Experience in Interior Architecture. Kentsel Ve Yapılı Çevrede Çocuk Araştırmaları Dergisi - J-CUBE, 2(1), 23-40. https://izlik.org/JA23JE45JX