A Venue as an Opening

Selim Velioğlu's expanded 4th edition of the book Bir Açılış Olarak Mekân / Enclosure as a Disclosure has been published by YEM Yayın.

In his book, which has become one of the fundamental reference sources for architectural and design education in Turkey in recent years, Selim Velioğlu explains his understanding of architectural space design, which he developed based on the concept of "disclosure." He illustrates this concept with thoughts, designs, and structures, illuminated by five core concepts that enable "disclosure" to materialize as a spatial reality: multiplicity, satellite elements, massing stratification, vitality from courtyards, and green-producing spatial configuration.

The main characteristic or distinction of the book is that it opens up a new field where theoretical studies and architectural design studies, which are perceived as two separate, polarized groups today, are integrated. The theoretical approach presented is exemplified by designs created entirely by the author and his colleagues. Another feature of the book is that it offers messages to non-architect or non-designer readers regarding the intertwining of spatial design with daily life. The book also draws attention with its rich content and engaging narrative.

The expanded book, with an increased number of pages and sample projects, features over 100 designs by Selim Velioğlu and his team, detailing residential, cultural, educational, sports, museum, hospitality, industrial, administrative, commercial, transportation, urban design, and landscape design projects of various scales.

Selim Velioğlu fundamentally summarizes his approach to architecture and, from there, his purpose in preparing the book as follows:

"..... The spatial environment should be like an open hand, not a clenched fist. It should be a friend to its user. It should be communicative, generous, inviting, lively, and interactive. Through its characteristics, it should evoke associations in the experiencer, taking them on meaningful journeys.

In the design process, data related to the environment and content should be analyzed into meanings and spatial elements that reflect these meanings, primarily in scaled and comprehensible dimensions, within the framework of human physical, biological, psychological, and spiritual capacities and characteristics. The semantic richness of life should be reflected in the space, considering natural and cultural values, in a way that brings joy of life to people.

Spatial environment design can primarily be defined as designing movement, space, and use in an overlapping manner, in light of environmental and content data and human expectations. Within the framework of the approach I elaborated in detail through designs in the book, which I presented in my doctoral thesis and named the triple overlapping analysis method; movement includes all issues related to pedestrian and vehicle circulation, as well as orientation, perception, and access; space includes all proportional, dimensional, and physical characteristics related to spatial identity; and use includes issues of function selection, juxtaposition of functions, and their distribution across locations, levels, and floors.

In our work, alongside the triple overlapping analysis method, there are five fundamental concepts — spatial solutions — that we have created and repeatedly used to shape our designs, with the aim of integrating with natural and cultural values and making the space closer to people and "disclosing" it, in line with human goals and possibilities. These concepts have been used as a whole or independently in our designs of different scales, such as single buildings, building groups, and urban designs, within the scope of possibilities. These are the concepts we call multiplicity, satellite elements, massing stratification, vitality from courtyards, and green-producing spatial configuration.

This book presents a design approach rooted in the common principles and priorities found in the designs we have realized. I believe that this approach and the ideas expressed in the book serve as a guide to achieving livable spatial environments."

The 4th edition of the book, which also includes the YEM Bookstore Kadıköy Store project opened in 2023, has been revised to 21x21 cm for easier portability and readability.