Abstract:

This study is about the concept of place attachment in coffeehouses, and the significance of environment-behavior studies, and specifically the place attachment concept within interior architecture education. As the emotional bond between people and place, place attachment is one of the main concepts in environment-behavior studies. Interior architecture education often focuses on a skill-based approach, however, there is also a clear need for students to learn about how psychological and cultural connections are formed with regards to space and place. This was achieved through the exploration of the role of the coffeehouse as a traditional place of socialization and characteristics of these spaces in five coffeehouses in İzmir, Turkey, and deriving a practical method to present this concept as design guidelines beneficial for interior architecture education. As one of the most important port towns in the world historically, İzmir offered places of socialization such as coffeehouses to contribute to the social capital of Muslim and non-Muslim community and the Western groups between 17th and 20th century. In the study, following historical background, Scannell and Gifford’s (2010) framework on place attachment was used in the analysis of coffeehouses, with the added dimension of “culture”. The study aims to contribute to literature regarding Turkish coffeehouses as places of socialization and place attachment, and provides further directions for the development of research in this field, as well as the how old and new coffeehouses can redefine their role in the community. The discussion on social relationships and awareness of place attachment concepts are vital for professionals in the interiors field, and thus, interior architecture education, and implications will be discussed within the context of the study. Within this frame, design guidelines regarding place attachment will be formed and educational tools will be provided with regards to the means by which this important concept could be understood and utilized by undergraduate interior architecture students.

Keywords:

Turkish Coffeehouses, Interior architecture education, Place attachment, Socialization, İzmir-Turkey.