In architecture, space is a volumetric whole where human activities take place, perceived physically and mentally, experienced, and endowed with meaning. Space is not merely a concept limited by emptiness; it is a multi-layered phenomenon shaped by the arrangement of its bounding surfaces, material, light, scale, and its relationship with the user.
Origin and Theoretical Background
The word "mekân" (space) is of Arabic origin, derived from "kevn" meaning "to exist," and throughout history, it has been regarded as a meaningful context surrounding human existence, beyond merely being a physical place. The central role of space in architectural history became particularly pronounced in the 20th century, influenced by phenomenological and hermeneutic approaches. These approaches treated space not as a purely geometric and physical entity, but as a dynamic structure gaining meaning through human experience.
With Modernism, space transformed into a design element prioritizing functionality and simplicity; pioneers like Le Corbusier defined the building as a functional organism with the concept of "space machines." During this period, the perception of space was shaped by order and rationality, developing a new architectural language with open and fluid plan configurations that facilitated human life.
In the Brutalism movement, space was designed to create a strong physical and emotional impact on the individual through raw concrete surfaces and heavy volumetric forms. In this period, the naked use of material and the monumental scale of the building showed that space was conceived not only as a functional area but also as an expression of power and belonging.
With the digital age, the perception of space has extended beyond physical boundaries; with the development of virtual environments and digital technologies, space has become a phenomenon experienced on virtual platforms, no longer limited to a physical presence. Virtual spaces, digital architecture applications, and augmented reality technologies have eliminated the necessity of defining space with concrete existence, offering users the possibility to reproduce spatial experience in a digital environment.
Throughout this historical process, space has evolved into a multi-layered concept encompassing human existence in digital and virtual planes as much as its relationship with the physical environment; thus, today it has gained a reality that is perceived, experienced, and interpreted in both material and virtual dimensions.
Physical Characteristics
Architectural space is not merely a physical void enclosed by specific boundaries and defined by building elements; it is also an entity represented and expressed through various means of articulation. While the physical boundaries of space are shaped by vertical (walls, columns) and horizontal (slabs, ceilings) elements, the arrangement, proportion, material selection, and environmental factors like light determine the perceivability and sensory quality of the space. Furthermore, space takes shape in the architect's conceptual world even before construction, and these ideas are concretized through representation techniques such as plans, sections, perspectives, and axonometries. These representations convey not only the geometric properties of space but also its volumetric relationships, spatial continuity, and emotional interaction with the user. In this context, various drawing and visualization methods, from two-dimensional technical drawings to three-dimensional digital models, enable a better understanding of both the technical and aesthetic qualities of the designed space. Thus, architectural space becomes a multi-dimensional phenomenon that gains existence in both physical and representational planes.
Space in Architecture (Pexels, Vimal Dev)
Perceptual and Experiential Dimension
Space is not merely a visual object of perception, but an experiential realm felt by all senses and gaining meaning through the individual's bodily-mental interaction. Multiple senses such as touch, hearing, smell, and even thermal senses deepen the psychological and emotional effects of space on the user. In this context, space becomes not only a physical environment but an entity that leaves a trace in the individual's memory, allows for the formation of emotional bonds, and strengthens the sense of identification with a place. As Juhani Pallasmaa emphasizes, architecture is not only seen with the eyes but also perceived with the "eyes of the skin"; therefore, the design of space should encompass all sensory dimensions of user experience.
Space-Place Distinction
While space, in many theoretical approaches, refers to an abstract, universal, and objective arrangement; "place" is the concretized form of this abstract structure that gains meaning through human experience, emotional ties, and social interactions, acquiring identity and character. In this context, every place includes a space, but not every space can gain the quality of a "place" at the level of its relationship with humans. For space to transform into a "place," merely being a physical entity is not enough; it must also become an environment that leaves a trace in individuals' memories, is nourished by memories and emotions, and hosts social interactions and cultural meanings.
As environmental-behavioral theorists like Edward Relph and Yi-Fu Tuan also emphasize, the concept of place emerges when a person feels a sense of belonging to a space, forms an emotional connection with it, and develops an attachment to it over time. In this process, the role of architectural design is not only to produce functional structures but also to create unique and characterful spaces capable of leaving meaningful and lasting impressions in the users' memories. Thus, space nourishes individual and collective memory, supports cultural continuity, and by taking a deep place in human life, assumes the identity of "place."
Historical Approaches in Architecture
Since ancient times, space in architecture has been defined by proportional and geometric arrangements; especially in Ancient Greek and Roman architecture, ideal proportions and symmetry were considered fundamental elements of both aesthetic and structural integrity. In this period, space was conceived with a harmony reflecting the order of the cosmos. Coming to the Renaissance period, the understanding of space was re-examined with a human-centered perspective; drawing from Vitruvius's system of proportions based on the human body, numerical compositions and perspective rules became indispensable tools of architectural design.
Thinkers like Leon Battista Alberti and Leonardo da Vinci developed approaches that linked space with mathematical order and aesthetic balance. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the concept of space became too complex to be explained solely by physical and numerical criteria; August Schmarsow defined space as the fundamental element of architecture, treating it as a dynamic structure related to human movement and perception.
According to Schmarsow, architecture should design not only the formal boundaries of space but also human movement and experience within these boundaries. In the same century, Sigfried Giedion, in his work *Space, Time and Architecture*, deepened the understanding of space in modern architecture by addressing it with a temporal continuity and experiential dimension. Giedion argued that space is not merely a three-dimensional entity but also a multi-layered phenomenon shaped by historical processes, technological developments, and social transformations.
This historical development process has laid the groundwork for the concept of space in the discipline of architecture to evolve from being merely a structural and geometric element into a dynamic and multi-dimensional structure intertwined with human experience, movement, perception, and cultural context.
Current Interpretations
Today, space is considered a multi-layered phenomenon shaped not only by its structural and physical characteristics but also by social, cultural, psychological, and environmental interactions. The emotional connection the user forms with space, the sense of belonging developed, and the ways of experiencing and using space are now recognized as among the most powerful elements determining a building's meaning and identity.
