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World’s population today, most of them living in cities, have been isolated from the natural environment, combat with the physical and mental health problems like the loss of productivity, chronic fatigue, depression etc. due to stress-related disorders. Moving from the estimation that 70% of the world’s population will be living in the cities in the coming years, re-establishing the human-nature relationship and presentation of the experience possibilities of nature as a therapy tool for urbanists can be expected to be significant. The concept of biophilia defined by social psychologist Erich Fromm in 1964 for the first time defends that there is an instinctive connection need between human and other living systems. In the case of rupture of this connection, occurrence of various physical and psychological drawbacks in human health has been proven by several scientific investigations. Biophilic architecture arising from the implementation of a psychological originated concept to the architecture, took place as an intense-studied area in the literature especially in 2000 and beyond. Biophilic design draws attention to the emotional aspect of the interaction need with the natural environment while sustainable design approaches physical and material-oriented to the natural processes required by people. Sustainable architecture focuses on reducing the environmental impact of the buildings and remains insufficient to re-establish the human-nature relationship. Biophilic design aims to fill his gap becoming the architectural design of life. In this study, biophilia phenomenon is examined approaching sustainability by putting the protection of the human and humans’ physical/psychological health in center. Main design principles of the biophilic architecture are discussed through current scientific studies and architectural projects.

The sites of primary schools in particular are of great importance in terms of the opportunities they provide for students, such as getting fresh air, establishing relations with nature and external environments, and learning about nature through experience. In this context, the sustainable design criteria of school sites becomes an important factor. The Eco-Schools International Programme aims to introduce environmental management systems into primary schools within the scope of ISO 14001/EMAS. It has a crucial task of educating new generations and promoting sustainable development throughout the world. This study examines primary eco-schools located in Istanbul. A questionnaire-based survey was administered on the theme of school sites and the findings of the study were examined. Questionnaire findings were categorised under five main themes. According to the topics of the questionnaire study, eco-schools in Istanbul often exhibit a successful performance in terms of sustainable transport and parking ar...

Approximately 50% of the energy produced on earth is used by buildings. As for all building types, ensuring the energy conservation in primary school buildings is important in many ways. In addition to environmental and economic benefits, the systematic application of sustainable energy consumption in primary school buildings also makes a positive contribution to the education of future generations. The “Eco-Schools International Programme” aims to introduce environmental management systems into primary schools within the scope of ISO 14001/EMAS. This study examines primary schools in Istanbul that are part of the Eco-Schools International Programme. A questionnaire-based survey was administered on the theme of energy management within primary schools located in Istanbul city, and the findings of a field observation were examined. Questionnaire findings were categorized under three main themes: energy usage and conservation policies at the eco-schools’ buildings’ envelope, energy usage and conservation policies in the indoor environments of eco-schools; and types of energy sources used at eco-schools. According to the main results of the study; solar control elements on the facades, methods aimed at energy conservation from windows, energy-effective woodwork applications and independent control of energy systems (which are used in a small proportion of eco-schools) should be discussed and integrated in all eco-school buildings. It is seen that natural gas is used by 100% of survey respondents and that renewable energy resources are used only at low levels for testing purposes and/or to make small contributions to energy gain. In this context, expanded use of renewable energies at all the eco-schools should be considered.