IAED PhD Candidate Wins First Paper Award from Turkish Acoustical Society 

Enkela Alimadhi, a PhD candidate in Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, received the 1st Paper Award from the Turkish Acoustical Society (TAKDER) for her 2024 conference presentation in Nantes, organized by the French Acoustical Society. Her award-winning research, supported since 2022 by the Acoustical Society of America’s Committee on International Research and Education (CIRE), integrates environmental psychology, architecture and soundscape studies. Alimadhi focuses on the impact of acoustic environments in oncology settings to promote well-being and aid recovery. Her work examines how sound influences user experiences in healthcare, with an aim to integrate soundscape design into architectural practice. Particularly relevant to Türkiye’s expanding healthcare infrastructure—including developments like the massive 1.2-million-square-meter Ankara City Hospital—Alimadhi’s interdisciplinary approach addresses the creation of restorative spaces that use sound to enhance atmosphere, emotional balance and mood regulation. Her research underscores the importance of acoustic environments in fostering recovery, building on principles from environmental psychology to highlight how soundscapes can meaningfully contribute to patient-centered design in healthcare architecture.