Public’s Judgment on Contemporary Mosque Design Approaches

Mosque design is an issue that has been considered mostly in theoretical level by authorities whereas its impact on users left neglected. This study focuses on the judgments of high-school students (N=100) who follow a religionbased program in Aydın, Turkey. Participants judged 4 contemporary mosque design approaches. Scores were collected via questionnaire. General like-dislike responses was the dependent variable of the study whereas differentness, exterior, interior, suitability for praying, invitingness and style characteristics of mosques were the independents. According to results, the mosques imitating historical figures were the least liked whereas the ones interpreting these figures received the highest appreciation from young Turkish participants. Furthermore, different characteristics were effective in participants’ judgments for different mosque design approaches. The study is considered to be important as it proposes a methodology for diagnosing public opinion on mosques and underlines the potentials of interpretational, prism-shaped and free-shaped approaches in mosque design in Turkey rather than the ongoing imitational practice.