VIRTUAL MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY

Abstract

This study explores how architectural discourse differs from everyday language by tracing the evolution of concepts in architectural thinking. The aim is to reduce the uncertainty faced by newcomers to architecture, a field that is difficult to trace in written sources because much of its practice operates intuitively. The fundamental starting point of the research is to make visible how concepts such as “flow,” “threshold,” “context,” “layer,” and “atmosphere,” and verbs such as “triggering,” “structuring,” and “articulation,” which are frequently found abstract and ambiguous by students new to architecture. The research is planned as a multi-step undertaking, and the first step is the subject of this paper. This first step, conducted in Turkish, involves developing the method and testing a prototype conceptual framework. Firstly, a literature review is conducted to understand traditional and innovative vocabulary structures. Secondly, it is planned to create a conceptual data pool of approximately 20-40 words by reviewing YouTube interviews (‘Architects Talk with Kalebodur’) and podcast series (‘Açık Radyo: Açık Mimarlık’) together with first-year undergraduate students. Afterwards, these words will be examined using thematic coding. The findings will be enriched by discussions held in a studio environment to produce visual “concept networks” that show the relationships among concepts. Accordingly, the study proposes a digital ‘Concept Atlas’ that visualizes the multi-layered conceptual structure of architectural discourse and serves as an accessible reference to enhance conceptual awareness in architectural education, particularly for beginners.