Explorations of Urban Room: A Design Studio Experience for İstiklal Street’s Old Passages in Istanbul

The “urban room”, which was the first project of the design studio, was a proposition given to undergraduate interior architecture students from Istanbul Technical University in 2021– 22 fall semester. The students were encouraged to use interior strategies and techniques of interior- making for exploring different ways of thinking and practicing in public realm. Over a period of three weeks, the students, composed of 34 2nd- year undergraduate students, divided into eight sub- groups to develop design scenarios and proposals for old passages in a unique cultural, historical and trade environment of İstiklal Street in İstanbul, Turkey. Each group was asked to conduct a situation analysis for chosen passage and to propose a design scenario involving urban room proposals for Tunnel, Syria, Atlas, Aleppo, European, Alhambra, Flower, and Hazzapulo Passages. The design studio experience raised awareness the importance of interiormaking practices for proposing experiential, experimental, momentary, and temporary design scenarios and situations for all participants. This study presents an overview of different approaches of each group for “urban room” design proposals and urban interior situations. The study will help designers, educators, and students to question and propose urban interior situations regarding the idea of urban room through varying interior- making strategies, techniques, and practices.