Naval museum spaces a study on accessibility and visibility based on the relationship between the sea and land

The relationship between location and context, design, and usage gains importance in architectural structures. The interrelated patterns of different syntactic and semantic layers compose the built space especially museums or exhibition spaces. The museum spaces have a considerable part of everyday life in terms of social interaction. The accessibility, visibility, and circularity of the museum spaces are affecting the integration of the human-space activity. The museums by the sea are recognized with the silhouette of the city. These museums are accessible from the seaway and overland routes. It is important that the museums as an exhibition space in the city are visible from both the sea and the land and provide two different accesses. For this reason, the study investigates two naval museums which emphasize the importance of location belonging and the type of the museum. Within the scope of the study, Genova Galata Museo Del Mare in Italy and the Istanbul Deniz Müzesi in Turkey with a similar location and function are examined. The museums are close to the seaway and visible from the sea. However, Istanbul Deniz Müzesi’s access is provided from the motorway due to the actual usage. On the other hand, in the case of Galata, the situation is the opposite. Thus, the museum structure is passed through in it and creates the connection space between the sea and land. The aim of the study is not only a representation of the maritime structure of the museum in a city that is the sea but also to highlight the importance of access from both sides. Furthermore, with the examination of the visibility, accessibility and circularity affect, the usage and time-related changes in the museum to be focused. For this purpose, use from the sea and the land, the relationship between the land and the sea will be evaluated as a bridge of the ground floor. In this study, the space syntax analysis method is applied. Space syntax provides an analytical analysis of human-environment relations, accessibility, and movement values. (Hillier et al., 1987). The relevant results will create a research base for further use and change over time. In conclusion, in two different sea countries’ naval museums are evaluated with the context of location and usage comparatively. The accesses of the museums and exhibitions areas are also evaluated by the visibility, accessibility, circularity analyses. A scientific base has been created to examine past, present, and future usage.