2009 Kemal Yldrm Aysu Akalin PROBLEMSRELATEDTOTHEDIMENSIONSOFCURVEDAREASINTHEMAINLIVINGROOMSOF

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PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE DIMENSIONS OF CURVED AREAS IN THE MAIN

LIVING ROOMS OF
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PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE DIMENSIONS OF CURVED AREAS IN THE MAIN LIVING

ROOMS OF APARTMENT HOUSING
Author(s): Kemal Yildirim and Aysu Akalin
Source: Journal of Architectural and Planning Research, Vol. 26, No. 1 (Spring, 2009), pp.
70-87
Published by: Locke Science Publishing Company, Inc.
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43030853
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Journal of Architectural and Planning Research
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 70
PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE DIMENSIONS OF

CURVED AREAS IN THE MAIN LIVING ROOMS OF
APARTMENT HOUSING
Kemal Yildirim
Aysu Akalin
This study aims to discover the user satisfaction concerning curved areas in the main living rooms of
apartment housing. For this purpose, a total of three apartment buildings that have differently scaled and
differently located curvilinear forms in the main living room and that are occupied by upper-middle
socioeconomic status dwellers from three suburban sites in Ankara, Turkey, which were previously
threatened with squatter housing, have been studied. The use of the space, the users' perception of the
curved form, and the way it has been decorated and used have been examined with the help of a detailed
questionnaire. The aim of the study is to question the functionality of such curved areas, which differed in
scale and location. It is assumed that problems would occur related to the size of the curved areas.
According to the results, most of the users believed that the curved area was aesthetically pleasing. On the
other hand, complaints also varied depending on the size and usage patterns of the curved area. Compared
to female respondents, male respondents found the three different types of curved areas more favorable.
Additionally, older respondents gave less favorable ratings than younger respondents.
Copyright © 2009, Locke Science Publishing Company, Inc.

Chicago, IL, USA All Rights Reserved
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 71
INTRODUCTION
Buildings can have meaning both as a result of their perceptual character (their overall
of symbolic associations made with particular structures (Widmar, 1984). As perceptual
can offer interesting and engaging forms that draw people in and offer some sense of mys
Kaplan, 1982), or they can be overwhelmingly simple, stark, and uninteresting. The p
example, balconies and recessed alcoves, or surface treatments with heavy ornamentatio
projecting members, can serve to give a structure a more detailed, complex, and intere
exterior appearance of buildings can also have symbolic value that is derived from the a
have with the style of the building (Widmar, 1984). According to Chan (2000), if a set o
occurs repetitively in a number of products, a "style" emerges. Duncan (1973) has dem
importance of "environmental cues" in home exteriors with regard to people's preferen
styles of single-family homes. Venturi, et al. (1972) identify two basic types of building
relationship between perceptual and symbolic functions. Their distinction, proposed be
decorated shed architecture can be interpreted in terms of fixed and semi-fixed element
fixed elements to communicate its meaning; a decorated shed relies on semi-fixed an
ments. It is a well-known fact that the associated meanings of ducks arise from the deve
for the popular market.
Research has consistently shown that architects differ from the public in their archite
(Canter, 1969; Groat, 1982; Hersberger and Cass, 1974; Leff and Deutsch, 1973; N
(1978) and Devlin and Nasar (1987) have argued that architects prefer "high" styles (d
tects for peer values) and reject "popular" styles planned by developers for the popul
1978). It is the realization that designers and users are very different in their reactions to
for environments, partly because their schemata vary. According to Rapoport (1982), d
react to environments in perceptual terms (which are their identities), whereas the lay pub
react to environments in associational terms. This article deals with the associational
precisely, the meaning the environment has for people. It will look at how these meanings
However, it should be noted that perceptual and associational aspects are linked, i.e.,
necessary condition for the latter. Before any meaning can be derived in associational te
has to be presented by the designer.
Symbolic Associations with Apartment Housing in Turkey
Space as a basic outcome of the discipline of architecture is a fact produced and consum
practices, requiring a framework for changing consumption activities. Accordingly, the
architecture and consumption has two related dimensions. In the first, space is part of a ge
system where objects that are produced and consumed within social practices are mostl
unstable ground of fashion systems (Öden, 2004). Besides being an object of consump
potential to organize and direct consumption patterns more actively. The exercise of con
free act of individuals. Rather, it is under the constraints of productive forces, which p
necessity patterns. As explained by Baudrillard (Featherstone, 1991:15), consumption
manipulation of signs. This becomes central to late capitalist society where sign and
together to produce the commodity sign. Within the context of contemporary culture, per
an object of consumption rather than an architectural product has become a dominant te
of the housing market, "image and symbolic values" seems to be more important than t
archetypal sheltering image of house is now replaced by the postmodern images of disp
Thus, since the 1980s, through creating image-dependent products, the housing advertis
metropolitan towns of Turkey has been in the service of creating new kinds of tastes
collective identities promise "a different look." Either images in the forms of the past
traditionalist or neo- vernacular attitude) or images of different cultures (mostly Western
been constructed and offered to claim a better future in the social network of consump
housing typologies, and even some architectural terminologies have been consumed. T
house production, however, is formed by the builders, especially the merchant builders,
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 72
involvement of architects. Güzer (1994), estab-

lishing a connection between the process of pro-
duction and the formation of kitsch, claims that
because of the limited participation of architects
in the production process, houses become the re-
sult of user's and builder's interference more
than a product of architectural design.
The curved main living room of apartment hous-

ing discussed in this work is not purely generated
by a designer through a creative process but is
adapted from traditional Turkish culture with a
certain functionality achieved that is not very dif-
ferent from past examples. Adopting codes from
vernacular structures to multifamily housing of
five to 10 floors might even sometimes make it
difficult to associate with the original. In fact,
symbolic associations with apartment housing FIGURE 1 A.
are strong but often confusing.
In terms of resembling traditional Turkish housing, the curved main living room of apartment housing
might actually be considered a popular style planned by developers for the popular market. The feature
might be evaluated as novelty, and as Wohlwill (1976) has suggested, novelty may play a role in prefer-
ence. However, this is a real interpretation of vernacular housing, and the Turkish public seems to be
genuinely fond of the feature simply because it feels familiar. In fact, according to Lewicki, et al. (1988),
through repeated encounters over time with different (or similar) examples, a predominantly non-con-
scious learning process may start to take place. On the basis of this process, the individual constructs a
mental representation of these regularities together with the ranges of values typically associated with
such attributes and relationships (Purcell and Nasar, 1992). These structures have been variously referred
to as "schémas," "frames," "scripts," or, more generally, "knowledge structures" (Purcell, 1987). As
Purcell and Nasar (1992) have suggested, fitting existing knowledge structures is associated with the
"warm glow" of familiarity. Imamoglu (2000) has explored the role of complexity in preference for and
familiarity with two-story vernacular and modern house facades. Results from this study indicated that
respondents' differential familiarity might influence their perceptions of both complexity and preference,
suggesting a relationship where preference appeared to be positively associated with familiarity.
Evaluation of the Main Living Room in Turkish Culture
Vernacular architecture, designed by small contractors and prospective owners, affords the opportunity to
develop and use a set of symbols that have shared meanings within the community. In the analyses of three
modern British house types, Brown and Steadman (1987) have shown how a feature like a bay window in
the living room was popular. Especially for the private semi-detached English house of the early 20th
century, the two-story bay became a regular and indispensable attachment to the front of the suburban
U.K. house. Similarly, in a traditional Turkish house, the reception room is more valuable than others with
respect to its location and usage (Cagdas, 1996). Bay windows are sometimes added to these rooms to
provide more daylight and aeration, or to improve the shape of these rooms where guests are entertained
and the head of the house spends his time. The reception room is different from the other rooms in terms
of its upholstery, size, and usage. It has a position that expresses the respect demonstrated and the comfort
offered to the guest. Traditional low sofas called sedir usually surround three sides of this room, which is
generally reserved as a sitting area. Another feature of such traditional Turkish reception rooms is that
they are not furnished with moveable furniture. That is, heavy furniture such as tables, chairs, wardrobes,
cupboards, or coffee tables are not used. Instead, fixed and non-movable structures such as closets and
traditional sedir sofas are used. With such properties, the reception room of the traditional house has a
simple appearance with no sign of ostentation, but at the same time is also a privileged and cared-for place
(see Figures 1 A-C).
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 73
The traditional Turkish home has changed and improved

with the contribution of both users and the family struc-
ture. While in the traditional home, one single room is
generally used for a variety of functions, in contemporary
times, rooms meeting specifically defined functions have
emerged (bedroom, dining room, TV room, etc.). Be-
cause the main living room of a contemporary apartment
is usually located in a corner dominating the surrounding
area or looking out on a busy place such as a boulevard,
road, or street, it has usually taken on the function of the
"reception room" from the traditional Turkish house.
The contemporary main living room, therefore, is not
preferred for daily use and is usually reserved for guests
only. Ayata and Ayata (1996) have defined the Turkish
main living room (reception room) as the place where
guests who are not very close to the family are welcomed,
where extremely expensive material goods are located,
FIGURE IB. and where people do not live on a day-to-day basis. The
contemporary main living room is a place that is kept
nice and clean by the woman of the house, and it is ac-
cepted as an area representing how tidy she is. It may be
kept away from daily usage because of the worry or possi-
bility that the furniture may get worn and older and that
mess may appear that may be noticed by guests. As
Özbay (1996) has observed, however, in middle-class
Turkish families there is a trend to open up the main liv-
ing room for daily use. A study by Inan, et al. (2004) has
demonstrated that the active sharing of the main living
room by family members emerges in the cases where
room numbers are limited. In this case, the main living
room can simultaneously be the sitting room or TV room
of the house. To conclude, the traditional reception room,
which used to exist as the resemblance of the family life
and traditional values about entertaining guests, has lost
most of its meaning. However, even with different types
of furniture and decoration today, the living room is still
the most important and cared-for space of a house, and
frequently represents the socioeconomic status of the
family.
Curved-Form Apartment Housing in Ankara
Within the perspective given above, this study examines

the underlying power of lifestyle images proposed by a
developer/designer and consumed by individuals. Con-
sumer society is signified with "the explosion of culture
widely to the economic sphere" (Güzer, 1994:35) where
everything is attributed with a consumption value. It is a
social system that departs from production and enters
into the orbit of consumption (Altinisik, 1998). This is
actually a supply and demand mechanism, i.e., the de-
mand inevitably influences the supply. Consequently,
FIGURE 1C.
within the past 20 years in Ankara, diverse styles of ar-
chitecture have rapidly occupied the architectural agenda
FIGURES 1A-C. Views and plan of a traditional
Turkish house. as priorities were rearranged according to the values of a
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 74
consumer society. In the 1990s, "orgy" (Baudrillard, 1993)

was no more a mere fantasy, but the ultimate lifestyle.
Regarding this fact, some new apartment housing with
new forms, materials, and technologies was built in the
newly developing suburban areas of Ankara, especially
to rehabilitate and to regenerate those sites covered with
squatter housing, some of which were quite close to the
wealthiest part of the town. With the implementation of
many small-scale construction projects, i.e., apartment
housing, within 10 years or so these suburban sites be-
came upper-middle-density housing settlements with in-
sufficient environmental conditions. All these areas soon
became a milieu of social mixtures, containing both
newly arrived upper-middle-class residents and an exist-
ing lower-class squatter population. The transformation
of these suburban areas and the resultant social mixture
were some of the primary generators of the upper-middle
classes' mobility towards Ankara's peripheries.
It is possible to discuss some basic forms widely used in

this apartment-housing production. These can be classi-
fied as: (1) apartment buildings with straight lines and FIGURE2A. Corner blocks.
no curves or angles reflected inside, (2) apartment build-
ings with a curved external form but no curves reflected
inside (generally, the balconies are curved), and (3)
apartment buildings where the curved exterior form is
reflected in the interior spaces, especially in the main re-
ception room as a resemblance of traditional Turkish
housing (Figures 2A-C). These last two alternatives as a
lifestyle image have been very popular recently and are
the ones commonly used in the newly developing subur-
ban sites of Ankara previously covered with squatter
housing. With regard to commonalities, Venturi and
Rauch (1977) have speculated that the Colonial style
meets public housing aspirations (in the East Coast of the
United States). Similarly, it can be speculated that such
house styles with curved forms meet certain groups'
housing aspirations, too.
The curved form is a kind of fashion, very popular nowa-

days, giving the impression of "a distinct lifestyle," but
more than that it gives a different look, different from
ordinary buildings with straight rectilinear "cubic"
forms. Interestingly, commodity signs are produced and
constructed by some small construction companies be-
lieving that each apartment building must be different
from the previous ones they have offered and must also FIGURE 2B. Curved blocks where the curve is not
be different from those in the neighborhood. As a result, reflected inside.
some features have remained with some small revisions
such as the projection of a reception room.
Among the two curved form types, only the last alternative, where the curved form is reflected in the
interior space, has been considered in this research, where the perception and usage of the curved form in
the main living room has been questioned. Similar to the traditional Turkish house, the reception room in
apartment housing is more valuable than the other rooms in the house, i.e., the most important and cared-
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 75
for space of the house. In either case, it is the only

space projected outside - in the traditional ones as
part of the typology and in contemporary examples
as an indication of display and status (Figures 3A-
C).
RESEARCH CONSIDERATIONS
In this research on curved spaces, it was extremel

important to know the way that users perceived
curved areas and their effects on user satisfaction.
For this reason, three apartment buildings with dif-
ferently scaled and differently located curvilinear
forms in the main living room were examined from
their users' point of view. The aim of this post-occu-
pancy evaluation was not to treat the curvilinear
form as a deviation from pure functionality, but to
evaluate the three alternatives of the curvilinear
form and capture the variations in size of the area of
the main living room bounded by a curve wall. Resi-
FIGURE 2C. Curved blocks where the curve is
dents answered questions about their use of the main
reflected inside.
living room, the area within the curve, the percep-
tual qualities of the curved area, and any problems
faced in that area.
It is believed that interior space and its decoration

are related and that they are inseparable parts of a
whole affecting each other. The size of circle-shaped
projections and their location show a wide variety in
the examples in this study. It is thought that these
differences may have various effects on the percep-
tual quality of the main living room and, accord-
ingly, on user satisfaction. This hypothesis was de-
rived from similar previous studies, including
Sadalla and Oxley (1984), who have declared that
geometric shape is important while perceiving room
size. As a result of their experiments, rooms with a
similar physical size but with different geometric
layouts were found to have different size percep-
tions. Such research shows that in the perception of
space, geometric shape can be a very important de-
sign input when applied consciously, but some prob-
lems stemming from shape can also emerge in
wrong usage afterwards. As Krier (1988:71-78)
FIGURE 3 A.
mentions, circular spaces, in order to develop their
spatiality and functional usefulness, need a certain
minimum dimension that should not be underestimated. Alp (1993) has focused on research into the
relation between the "physical" and the "qualitative" dimensions of architecture. In the context of a 2 x 3
multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), scale models of rectangular, triangular, and circular office
interiors were manipulated. The results of this experiment show that the geometric variation of architec-
tural space possesses pronounced aesthetic potential (respondents least preferred the rectangular space
organization). This finding indicates that unfamiliar geometric organizations, specifically circular and
triangular layouts, are preferred over more familiar right angles and corners. Similarly, Wools (1970) has
studied the influences of selected features of a room on its perceived "friendliness." In this experiment,
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 76
homemakers judged "windows" and "room shape"

to have a significant effect, while "seating arrange-
ment" had none. The room shape was manipulated
in terms of "roof angle," where a sloping ceiling was
judged as being friendlier than a flat ceiling.
Stamps (1999:44) states that while empirical work

on architectural detail is sparse, it tends to support
the hypothesis that "detail is an important part of
preferences for buildings." He investigated the rela-
tive effects on subjective impressions of detail for
three design components: trim, ornament, and tex-
ture. The findings regarding the design features sug-
gest that trim and ornament contribute more to an
impression of detail than does texture. Similarly,
Groat (1988) compared public impressions of how
well buildings fit their context with experts' judg-
ments of contrasts of the building and its context on
three factors. The factors were site features, features
of the overall form of the building such as height,
shape, and complexity of form, and facade detailing.
The original findings have shown that the correla- FIGURE 3B.
tions between the public responses and the three fac-
tors were between 0.0 and -0.35 for the site factor,
-0.26 and -0.66 for the building shape factor, and
-0.81 and -0.89 for the facade detailing factor. A
similar result was obtained by Stamps (Stamps and
Miller, 1993). In that study, expert judgments of
amount of detail were strongly related to public pref-
erences for 44 blocks of houses (r = 0.51).
Another objective of the present study was to exam-

ine the role of gender as an important independent
variable affecting perception. It is believed that
males and females perceive curved areas in main
living rooms differently, i.e., male users are more
favorable to curved areas than female users. The
concept of gender-role identification is generally
considered to be a major factor in the development
of behavioral differences (Putrevu, 2001). Rüstemli
(1992) has underlined that males reported the same
amount of discomfort when surrounded by males or
females, although females reported more discomfort
when surrounded by males than when surrounded
by other females. Another study by Sinha and
Mukherjee (1996) has shown that female room-
mates required more personal space and had a de-
FIGURE 3C.
creased tolerance for crowding. Kaya and Erkip
(1999) have found that for different sex pairings, a FIGURES 3 A-B. Curved form is reflected in the
female's approach to a male is more distant than a interior space.
male's approach to a female under density condi-
tions, indicating that females find the gender of the
person standing behind them more important than
males.
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 77
Akalin-Baskaya and Yildirim (2007) have

studied the relationship between circula-
tion axes and seating areas of a waiting
hall, suggesting that disturbance is much
higher even where there are less-defined
boundaries (where people pass through
from different directions) and the space is
more likely to be negatively perceived. Re-
sults from 240 patients showed that, com-
pared with female users, male users more
positively perceived the space. On the con-
trary, Stokols, et al. (1973) and Evans, et
al. (2001) have stated that males perceive
crowding more and are affected more
negatively than females. Therefore, the lit-
erature generally suggests that males and
females think and behave differently due to
the alternative roles they play in society.
The responses given about perceived

curved areas in main living rooms were
also expected to differentiate depending on
age. For this, the age-related behavior of
younger individuals (25-46 years of age)
and older individuals (47-65 years of age)
FIGURE 4A.
was studied. Compared with older respon-
dents, younger respondents (those under
46 years of age) were expected to give more
favorable ratings to the physical qualities
of the spaces. This hypothesis was gener-
ated from several studies, including
Holbrook and Schindler (1994), who found
that age played an important role in the
perception of space and aesthetic prefer-
ence of retail environments. A study by
Sinha and Nayyar (2000) has shown that
older people in high-density conditions
were negatively affected by the situation.
Similarly, Joyce and Lambert (1996) have
shown that younger consumers generally
feel more positive about store-image at-
tributes, and that this is an important com-
ponent in a consumer's choice of store and
use of a store environment when compared
with older consumers. Yildirim (2005) has
focused on determining the effect of differ-
ences in age, gender, and education on cus-
tomers' evaluation of store atmospherics
FIGURE 4B. and salesperson behavior, revealing that
younger customers, males, and those with
FIGURES 4A-B. The Menekse apartment building.
only a secondary education have a more
positive perception of store image than
older customers, females, and higher-edu-
cated customers.
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 78
RESEARCH METHODS
Respondents
In the current study, a "main living room evalu-

ation questionnaire" was given to a total of 92
house users. Forty-seven percent of the respon-
dents were male, and 53% were female; 62%
were between 25 and 46 years old, and 38%
were between 47 and 65 years old; 42% were
high school graduates, and 58% were univer-
sity graduates. Thirty-two percent of the re-
spondents had experience for a short time
(mostly in childhood) with traditional Turkish
housing life, and 68% had grown up in apart-
ments in a big city in Turkey, mostly in Ankara.
None of the 92 house users had previous experi-
ence with a main living room with a curved
projection. An average of 84.6% of those sur-
veyed owned the apartment that was surveyed
(Menekse 87%, Görkem 75%, and Camlik
92%). Regarding the analysis among the 92 re-
spondents, 38% mentioned that they were very
impressed with the curved area of their main
living room when they first bought or rented
their apartment. Other factors in choosing this FIGURE 5 A.
particular apartment included the importance

of the sociocultural position of the neighbor-
hood, easy access to the city center, the use of
the interior of the house, and large balconies.
Environmental Settings
Three apartment buildings in newly developing

suburban sites of Ankara previously threatened
with squatter housing have been examined in
the research. These apartment buildings were
called Menekse, Görkem, and Camlik, and
have been taken into consideration in this study
because of the curved forms that are reflected in
their interior spaces, especially in the main liv- FIGURE 5B.
ing rooms, which represents an example of a
different structure with a curve added to it.FIGURES 5 A-B. The Görkem apartment building.
The first apartment building researched was called Menekse ("African Violet"). This apart
consists of eight floors and contains a total of 32 flats, i.e., four flats on each floor. The f
with one main living room and four bedrooms. Curved areas exist in the corner and on bo
main living room (in total, there are three curved areas). A large curved projection, the o
this study, is situated at the corner part of the main living room. The diameter of this p
meters and its depth is 2.10 meters. Due to its deep extension, the projection seems almost
part from the main living room (Figures 4A-B).
The second apartment building researched was called Görkem ("Splendour"). This building
floors and contains 40 flats, i.e., four flats on each floor. Each flat is planned to include
room and three bedrooms. Unlike the previous example, the curved projection is not at th
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 79
the main living room. Instead, it is on the side

of the main living room. Balconies contribute to
the curved form of this apartment building, as
was the case in the previous example. The di-
ameter of the curved projection is as wide as the
previous example, 3.50 meters, but it is not as
deep, only 1.75 meters (Figures 5A-B). The
curve in this case is not perceived separate from
the main living room. On the contrary, it seems
included in the space.
The third apartment housing researched was

called Camlik ("Pine Grove"). This building
has a total of 28 flats over 14 floors, i.e., two
flats on each floor. The middle floors of the
building consist of seven duplex houses that
were not included in this study. Each flat has
one main living room and four bedrooms. The
main living room has a curved projection de-
signed with a diameter of 4.80 meters and a
depth of 2.40 meters as an external attachment.
This projection is located completely on one
side of the main living room as in the previous
example, but in this case, the projection is addi-
tionally encircled with a curved balcony (Fig-
FIGURE 6A.
ures 6A-B).
Procedure
In this study, the users of three apartment build-

ings were asked to answer a research question-
naire. Ninety-four percent (30) of the respon-
dents from the Menekse building, 90% (36)
from the Görkem building, and 93% (26) from
the Camlik building contributed and answered
the questionnaire. The other users of the three
buildings refused to join the study. The ques-
tionnaire data were obtained by interviews dur-
ing a two-month period in 2004 and 2005. The
questionnaire was applied on weekdays and on
the weekends and at different hours of the day.
The subjects finished this questionnaire in
about 20 minutes.
FIGURE 6B.
FIGURES 6A-B. The Camlik apartment building. The curved areas in the main living rooms of
three different flats in three different apartment
buildings included in the study have been evaluated in two ways by their users: (1) Functional Q
(usage of the main living room and the curved area, and organization of the furniture in the curved
and (2) Perceptual Quality of the curved area (properly located/badly located, roomy/cramped, attra
unattractive, well proportioned/badly proportioned). The users of each space were asked to describ
ideal environment and to rate visual displays on these scales. In the design of this questionnaire,
technique of altering the sets of items from positive to negative was utilized, as previously carried
Eroglu, et al. (2003), Fiedler (1985), and Imamoglu (1975), to reduce the probability of respon
simply marking the scale on either of the extremes. The respondents then had to evaluate the impo
of each of the bi-polar semantic differential items on a Likert-type scale from one (completely agr
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 80
five (completely disagree), as previ-

ously carried out by Akalin-Baskaya
and Yildirim (2007), Baskaya, et al.
(2006), Kaya and Weber (2003),
Vischer (1989), Yildirim (2005), and
Zeithami, et al. (1996).
In this study, the users' perceptions of

the curved area in their main living
rooms were accepted as dependent
variables. There are many factors af-
fecting the space perception of the us-
ers. Those factors concerning the data
of the curved area size were accepted
as independent variables. The curved
area in the Menekse building is deep
with a narrow diameter, the one in the
Görkem building has a smaller depth
and narrower diameter, and the one in
the Camlik building is deep and has a FIGURE 7A. Flowerpots (Menekse).
large diameter. The perceptual quality
differences among those users who
had a curved area in their main living
room were tested with a one-way vari-
ance analysis (ANOVA). A Tukey
HSD test was also used in order to
compare the averages of the variables
that were statistically significant in
the variance analysis.
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
Usage of the Main Living Rooms

and Their Curves
According to the results of the study, the

main living room from the examples
was not preferred for daily use and was
mostly reserved only for guests (96%).
In addition, most of the curved areas of
FIGURE 7B. Sitting (Menekse).
the main living rooms were used and
decorated as sitting places (Menekse
67%, Görkem 80%, Camlik 81%). Alternatively, 26% of the residents in Menekse (with the curve in its ma
corner), 14% in Görkem, and 1 1% in Camlik put potted plants and flowers in the curved area (Figures 7A
and 8).
The statistical differences among the problems faced by curved area users were analyzed with ANOVA. Accord-
ing to these results, the differences among the problems faced by curved area users were statistically significant
when arranging their furniture (F= 13.635, df= 2,p = 0.001). In other words, there are differences according
to the difficulties stemming from the architectural features of the space, and those differences appear while
placing furniture in the curved parts of the main living rooms. Evaluation of each of the three types of curved
areas is statistically different for the dependent variables (evaluation of the encountered difficulties). The order-
ing of the curved areas for those variables while arranging furniture is as follows, from the most positive value
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 81
TABLE 1 . ANOVA test of the perceptual quality of curved living rooms.
Perceptual Quality of Curved Sum of df Mean F Results

Living Rooms Squares Square
Properly located/badly located

Between groups 11.436 2 5.718 10.285 p< 0.001
Within groups 49.477 89 0.556
Total 60.913 91
Roomy/cramped
Between groups 6.122 2 3.061 6.094 p<0.01
Total 50.826 91
Attractive/unattractive
Between groups 19.611 2 9.805 15.276 p< 0.001
Total 76.739 91
Well proportioned/badly propor
Between groups 20.832 2 10.416 9.267 p< 0.001
Total 120.870 91
Note: a: 0.001 and a: 0.01 are the
to the most
side (Camli
(Görkem)
(Menekse).
Perceptual
Area in Ma
The statistica
spondents' h
who had ex
Turkish ho
grown up in
the users' p
in main livi
with ANOV
sults, the d
dents' housi
found to be
FIGURE 7C. all the semantic differential items:
Sitting (Görk
"properly located/badly located" (F =
1.301, df = 1, p = 0.257), "roomy/
cramped" (F= 1.631, df= ',p = 0.205), "attractive/unattractive" (F = 1.462, df= 1 9p = 0.230), and "well
proportioned/badly proportioned" (F = 1.828, df= I, p = 0.180). For this reason, for the rest of the
statistical analysis the respondents' housing experiences were not considered as an independent variable.
In this section, the statistical relationship between the users' perceptual quality regarding three different
curved areas in main living rooms was studied. The differences among the semantic differential items,
including the perceptual quality of the users, were tested with ANOVA (Table 1).
According to the ANOVA results given in Table 1, the differences among the semantic differential items,
including the perceptual quality of the various curved areas, were found to be statistically significant (at a
level of /? < 0.01). Consequently, it can be said that the differences among the curved areas have a signifi-
cant influence on perceptual quality. A Tukey HSD test was carried out in order to perceive the semantic
differential items belonging to the sources that were significant in the variance analysis. To compare the
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 82
TABLE 2. Tukey1 test of the perceptual quality of curved living rooms.
Perceptual Quality of Curved Curved Living Room Types

Living Rooms
Small Curved Corner Small Curved Side Large Curved Corner
M5 ŠĒČ HG* M ŠĒ> HG M ŠĎ HG
Properly located/badly located 2.52s 0.90 B 1.96 0.71 A 1.69 0.47 A

Roomy/cramped 2.77 0.79 B 2.26 0.69 A 2.23 0.58 A
Attractive/unattractive 4.33 0.67 B 3.33 0.80 A 3.46 0.94 A
Well proportionec^adly proportioned 3.88 1.06 B 2.76 0.97 A 3.26 1.15 AB
Notes: 1 . Tukey HSD: Average differences in the homogeny evaluation groups

2. M: Mean values
3. SD: Standard deviation
4. HG: Homogeny groups
5. Variable means ranged from 1 to 5, with higher numbers representing more negative responses
mean values, standard deviations and

homogeneous groups belonging to
the differences among the various
curved areas were utilized (Table 2).
In Table 2, the perception of the three

curved areas was statistically differ-
ent for the dependent variables (per-
ceptual quality), and the ordering of
the curved areas within the properly
located/badly located, roomy/cramped, FIGURE 8. Usage patterns of the curved forms.
and attractive/unattractive variables
from the most positive to the most negative value is as follows (Figure 9): large curved side (Camlik) >
small curved side (Görkem) > small curved corner (Menekse).
Moreover, the ordering of the curved areas within the well proportioned/badly proportioned item is as
follows: small curved side (Görkem) > large curved side (Camlik) > small curved corner (Menekse).
Briefly, it has been found in the homogeny test that there are statistically significant differences at the level
of p< 0.01 among the perceptual quality of the various curved areas.
The statistical differences between age and gender groups with users' perceptions of three different curved areas
in main living rooms were analyzed. Table 3 shows age groups' (younger, older) and gender groups' (male,
female) perceptions of three different curved areas in main living rooms. From the evaluation of the means, it
can be seen that both younger and male users had a more positive perception of three different curved areas in
main living rooms than older and female users.
These results of differences between age and gender groups in users' perceptions of curved areas in main
living rooms for semantic differential items were analyzed with ANOVA. According to these results, the
differences among users of different age groups were found to be statistically significant (at a level of p<
0.05) for the following semantic differential items: "properly located/badly located" (F = 6.156, df= 1 ,p
= 0.015), "roomy/cramped" (F= 4.215, df= 1 ,p = 0.043), and "well proportioned/badly proportioned" (F
= 5.073, df = ', p = 0.027), confirming the study's expectations regarding the effect of age on users'
perceptions of curved areas in main living rooms. In addition, the differences among users of different
gender groups were found to be statistically significant (at a level of p < 0.05) for the following semantic
differential items: "properly located/badly located" (F = 3.967, df= 1 ,p = 0.049) and "well proportioned/
badly proportioned" (F = 5.810, df= 1, p = 0.018). Therefore, based on the results regarding the effect of
gender on users' perceptions of curved areas in main living rooms, those attributes noted for their percep-
tual quality items are supported.
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 83
TABLE 3. Means and standard deviations of the perceptual quality of age and gender groups.
Perceptual Quality of Curved Age Gender

Living Rooms Younger Older Male Female
M1 ŠĎ2 M ŠĒ> M SD M ŠĎ
Properly located/badly located 1.943 0.63 2.37 1.00 1.93 0.50 2.26 0.99
Roomy/cramped 2.33 0.66 2.65 0.83 2.32 0.56 2.57 0.86
Attractive/unattractive 3.66 0.96 3.91 0.81 3.69 1.05 3.81 0.78
Well proportioned/badly proportioned 3.14 1.14 3.68 1.10 3.04 1.21 3.61 1.03
Notes: 1. M : Mean values

2. SD: Standard deviation
3. Variable means ranged from 1 to 5, with higher numbers representing more negative responses
FIGURE 9. Perceptual quality of curved living rooms.
DISCUSSION
Today no one can deny that it is the era of "flexible accumulation" (Harvey, 1995), and co
is ready to digest what will be offered to them. In the case that no architectural identity is c
consumer, architecture that has some connection to history or looks different from what peo
most likely be preferred. As a result, in different social classes of a society, historical, tr
cultural values might be co-modified in the name of creating an identity. As mentioned earlie
the curved form produced and constructed by some small construction companies is very
days in Turkey as a kind of commodity sign , giving the impression of "a distinct lifestyle."
a detail solution might resemble an earlier example such as a tradition, or it might be an
from a different culture. In either case, the popularity of a design usually depends on its fun
a resemblance of traditional Turkish architecture, the projection is the main part of the recep
must please its users both aesthetically and functionally. An aesthetically pleasing design m
at first sight as a commodity sign , but if it is found functionally deficient by its users,
developer may alter the design in size, shape, or both. In some cases, the design can be com
or removed from consideration. In terms of the results of the three examples studied in
differences between the functional difficulties faced by those users having a variety of cu
statistically significant (at a level of p< 0.01). Consequently, most of the users of those flats
curved corner projection in the main living room (Menekse) mentioned that they face difficu
ing their furniture. This problem decreases in the other examples (Görkem, Camlik) when
is much wider, integrating more into the main living room area.
26:1 (Spring, 2009) 84
The findings of this research have explained the influence of differences in the perc
related to the size of the curve in those flats where the curved areas were reflected
research has shown that there can be problems stemming from the interior space of
the aesthetic concern of having a curve. Some of the users seem to organize the curv
living rooms by using seating elements, plants, or flowerpots. The usage patter
seemed to change according to the size of the curve. When the curve was rather
nized their furniture as if there were not a curve because they could not find furnit
so they either put plants and flowerpots in this curved area, or left it bare. When t
it was organized with seats and coffee tables because the users considered this are
living room.
The findings of this study clearly present a consistent picture of the effects of differences both in gender
and age on users' perceptions of curved areas in main living rooms. In fact, female and older users seemed
to be more critical than male and younger users about the semantic differential items. Therefore, based on
the results regarding the effect of age and gender on users' perceptions of curved areas in main living
rooms, those items noted for their perceptual quality are supported.
The results of this work prove the dissatisfaction with a small curved corner projection in the main living
room, both functionally and perceptually. However, this does not imply dissatisfaction with an overall
established tradition. Features like projections in main living rooms can change over time due to changes
in social context, economics, convention, custom, and personal preferences. At the moment, curved pro-
jections are still a member of a set of prominent forms repeatedly used by designers and developers,
especially in certain areas of developing Ankara, just because the style still keeps its popularity. However,
regarding the results of this work, the alternative with a small curved projection (3.50 meters wide and
2.10 meters deep) should be least preferred by designers and developers.
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Additional information may be obtained by writing directly to Associate Professo

the Faculty of Technical Education, Department of Furniture and Decoration, G
Besevler, Ankara, Turkey; email: kemaly@gazi.edu.tr.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank Gazi University for the financial support of this study by the research fund under Gra
2 1 . The authors are also indebted to the generosity of Christopher Wilson from the Architecture Department of Izm
Economics, Izmir, who gave his time and intellectual capacities to read drafts of this work and make correctio
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
Kemal Yildirim is currently Associate Professor in the Faculty of Technical Education, Department of Furniture
Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey, where he also received his M. A. and Ph.D. in Interior Design. His main resear
the analysis of interior space and user satisfaction in connection with the visual perception of space. His other
include interior design, environmental psychology, store image, user behaviors, and statistical data analysis.
Aysu Akalin is currently Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Department of A
University, Ankara, Turkey. She received her M. A. in Restoration from Middle East Technical University, Ank
in Architecture from the University of Manchester, School of Architecture. Her research interests inclu
psychology, user satisfaction in connection with the visual perception of space, flexibility in mass housing, way
sensation and perception, corporate image, and computer-aided architectural design.
Manuscript revisions completed 1 September 2008.
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PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE DIMENSIONS OF CURVED AREAS IN THE MAIN

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PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE DIMENSIONS OF CURVED AREAS IN THE MAIN LIVING

PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE DIMENSIONS OF

Copyright © 2009, Locke Science Publishing Company, Inc.

Symbolic Associations with Apartment Housing in Turkey

involvement of architects. Güzer (1994), estab-

The curved main living room of apartment hous-

are strong but often confusing.

Evaluation of the Main Living Room in Turkish Culture

The traditional Turkish home has changed and improved

Curved-Form Apartment Housing in Ankara

Within the perspective given above, this study examines

consumer society. In the 1990s, "orgy" (Baudrillard, 1993)

It is possible to discuss some basic forms widely used in

The curved form is a kind of fashion, very popular nowa-

for space of the house. In either case, it is the only

In this research on curved spaces, it was extremel

It is believed that interior space and its decoration

homemakers judged "windows" and "room shape"

Stamps (1999:44) states that while empirical work

Another objective of the present study was to exam-

Akalin-Baskaya and Yildirim (2007) have

The responses given about perceived

In the current study, a "main living room evalu-

particular apartment included the importance

Three apartment buildings in newly developing

the main living room. Instead, it is on the side

The third apartment housing researched was

In this study, the users of three apartment build-

five (completely disagree), as previ-

In this study, the users' perceptions of

DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

Usage of the Main Living Rooms

According to the results of the study, the

TABLE 1 . ANOVA test of the perceptual quality of curved living rooms.

Perceptual Quality of Curved Sum of df Mean F Results

Properly located/badly located

Note: a: 0.001 and a: 0.01 are the

TABLE 2. Tukey1 test of the perceptual quality of curved living rooms.

Perceptual Quality of Curved Curved Living Room Types

M5 ŠĒČ HG* M ŠĒ> HG M ŠĎ HG

Properly located/badly located 2.52s 0.90 B 1.96 0.71 A 1.69 0.47 A

Notes: 1 . Tukey HSD: Average differences in the homogeny evaluation groups

mean values, standard deviations and

In Table 2, the perception of the three

Perceptual Quality of Curved Age Gender

Notes: 1. M : Mean values

FIGURE 9. Perceptual quality of curved living rooms.

Akalin-Baskaya A, Yildirim K (2007) Design of circulation axes in densely-used polyclini

Alp AV (1993) An experimental study of aesthetic response to geometric configurations o

Altinisik MB (1998) A critical approach: The correlation of architecture and commercial

Canter C (1969) An intergroup comparison of connotative dimensions in architecture. Env

Chan CS (2000) Can style be measured? Design Studies 21:277-291.

Duncan J Jr. (1973) Landscape taste as a symbol of group identity: A Westcheste

Giizer CA (1994) The limits of architectural criticism: Architecture as a process of representation,

Imamoglu V (1975) Spaciousness of interiors. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Strathclyde,