Spatial Complexity of Istanbul International Financial Center Skyline: A Mixed-Method Approach

Abstract

Appointed as a new International Financial Center in 2010, city silhouettes changed drastically due to high-rise banking and finance towers and thirty- to fifty-story residences. This article aims to analyze the spatial complexity of Istanbul International Financial Center (IIFC) silhouette in a two-step analysis. In the first step, visual and verbal evaluations are considered. For this purpose, a workshop was held with Architecture and Interior Architecture students at Do?uş University, where students in groups of two evaluated the city silhouette in three different photos taken by the author. In the second step, an attempt was made to quantify the spatial complexity. Numerical scores were produced for the same three photos used in the workshop. Urban environments are inherently multi-layered, and, therefore, not only verbal but also visual and quantitative assessments could be needed. The mixed approach employed in this article has enhanced our abilities to comprehend spatial analysis. While Step 1 provided information of a qualitative nature, Step 2 enabled us to make a comparison between the silhouettes, which was not possible in Step 1. © 2024 Common Ground Research Networks. All rights reserved.