Interior Design Education in the Context of Climate Change: A Systematic Assessment of Existing Capacity in Türkiye

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 89 - 106, 10.07.2025

Özge Ilık Saltık , Meltem Çetinel Ak

https://doi.org/10.46474/jds.1603165

Abstract

The increase in the global mean temperature leads to the climate change events we experience today. To limit global warming at +1.5-2°C, actors of the built environment -who are responsible for 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere- along with their institutions and authorities, should act. However, recent studies indicate that the awareness level of actors from the interior design field on their role in climate action is lower than that of other built environment-related disciplines. Nevertheless, higher education institutions that are dealing with complex, abstract concepts such as climate change itself, more often than other educational institutions, are thought to have a significant role in this awareness issue since awareness can be boosted by knowledge and learning. Yet, the nexus of design education and climate change in Türkiye has not been well-studied. However, assessing the existing capacity of individuals, institutions, and entities can provide guidance to cope with the impacts of climate change.

Therefore, this study aims to assess the existing capacity of interior design education in Türkiye in the context of climate change via a systematic assessment to determine the awareness levels of higher education institutes, including the actors of interior design scholars and interior design students, in Türkiye. To achieve that, it employs a 3-phased assessment in the curriculums of (1) undergraduate programs, (2) graduate programs of interior design departments, and (3) theses which are conducted on the topic in Türkiye. Statistical results were interpreted under two main subjects: climate change-focused and climate change-related. While the significantly low results of focused ones addressed an educational gap in the curriculums, promising numbers of climate change-related courses and theses indicate an ongoing process that can be boosted by increasing the awareness levels of the educational actors.

Keywords

Interior design , Education , Climate change , Assessment , Capacity

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