ARCHITECTURAL AGENDA

Un-deceiving the State of Law: On Sulukule Drawing Lots / Cihan Uzunçarşılı Baysal

Urban renewal/ transformation regulations and practices in Turkey from 2005 till today shows how law is instrumentalised in the name of neoliberal economy politics and comprises rich examples on how it evolves to a level of unlawfulness. Disaster Act of 6306 bypassing all legal regulations and applications in the scope of planning and zoning, is a result of such an understanding. Even though there is an annulment decision on Sulukule Urban Transformation Project announced by the 4th Administrative Court of İstanbul, the stage of property distribution with the method of drawing lots is completed as it has been prescribed in the project prepared for İstanbul Sulukule region. The author says that the drawing of lots is a foreplay of a content in the Disaster Law, which will lead to significant violation of rights and he emphasises the need for administrative procedures to be realised by ‘adjusting’ rather than ‘transcending’ the current law and justice.

AGENDA

• A Discussion outside of Architecture: Çamlıca Mosque and Competition / N. Müge Cengizkan
• What if we Stop and Breathe a Little? Or an Utopia / Haydar Karabey
• The Future of Çamlıca Hill? / Zeynep Ahunbay
• Mosque / Doğan Kuban

About the mosque to be built on İstanbul’s Çamlıca hill; the place of the mosque at the forefront region of Bosporus and its effects on the city silhouette; whether there is a need for a mosque at this scale for that region of the city; symbolism and the scale of the mosque; appropriate method of obtaining the project; various flaws of the architectural competition announced in an uninteresting manner yet with a high-stake value; or why the government suddenly let go of the Çamlıca TV Tower project, obtained two years ago in controversial circumstances; are the common subjects of discussion these days. But the most important and dreadful question is whether architectural/urban competitions have become the new tool in obtaining legitimacy for urban interventions from now on. Haydar Karabey, Zeynep Ahunbay and Doğan Kuban convey their views on the subject.

FROM RURAL/CITY

MİSİ: At the Edge of “Gümüş River”, at the Skirts of “Gümüş Hill” / Neslihan Dostoğlu

Misi, is a village located 15km west of Bursa, at the banks of Nilüfer stream, leaned against the slopes of Uludağ, surrounded by forests and has a history dating back to 1800 BC. With a population of 700 people still living in the village, it includes a square next to a bridge over the Nilüfer stream, which is surrounded by a mosque, various shops and coffeehouses. This square, dead –end streets, houses located on the slope towards the Nilüfer stream and the pine forests surrounding them are the important features constituting the physical identity of Misi. By the “Misi Preservation and Revitalisation Project” realised by the municipality, it may be possible to preserve certified buildings, restore some to re-function and strengthen the facades with rehabilitation.

FROM THE CHAMBER

International Support from UIA, ACE, UMAR and BAK to CAT against the Outdated Interventions towards Professional Chambers and Field of Profession

Besides the interventions towards professional chambers and to the field of profession by the ruling government in Turkey and by the rent income circles, steps taken against the usurping of rights of the members of profession also triggered strong reactions at the international architectural platforms. International Union of Architects (UIA), European Council of Architecture (ACE), Union of Mediterranean Architects (UMAR) and Federal German Chamber of Architects (BAK) presented their concerns and ideas about the recent regulations with a letter addressed to the President and Prime Minister of Turkey. The judicial procedure of the lawsuit initiated by the Chamber of Architects of Turkey (CAT) on the cancelling of these regulations still continues.

URBANISATION POLICIES

The Crises of Capitalism and the Urban Struggle / David Harvey

The world’s leading social theorists, British geographer David Harvey presented a Marxist urban analysis on the relations between capitalist regime and urbanism in his series of speeches, firstly in İstanbul Bilgi University on the 9thJune and later in METU on the 13th June, 2012. He recounted on the city, as a site of contradictions and crises of the capitalist system, rather than the city as the site of the market. Harvey, who has become a significant reference among people working on the city due to his writings since 1980s, presented an eye-opening speech that also provides hints to forms of new urban organisations.

EVENTS

Towards a Space-less Architecture: Mobility and Reading the Mobile City through Urban “Circulate” Exhibition / Tuğba Erdil

Paris Museum of Architecture Cite de l’architecture & du Patrimoine has hosted an interesting exhibition naming: “Circuler-Quand mouvements façonnent les villes Circulate-When Our Movements Change Cities”, between the dates 4th April-26th August 2012. The exhibition, curated by the architect-engineer Jean-Marie Duthilleul, while keeping track of the inner-city mobility through historical chronology, also presents clues to the reader about the formation process, the factors and qualities of the language of “new symbolism”, which is present in the postmodern architectural discussion today. The author conveys the concept of “mobility” in its interaction with architecture, developed parallel to urban life and the aesthetic and communicative language through the exhibition.

 

COMPETITION

Municipality of Ödemiş City Centre and Enclosure National Architecture and Urban Design Ideas Competition

Municipality of Ödemiş has opened a national ideas competition to acquire projects for the planning of the city centre and its surroundings. In the scope of the competition Government Square is expected to be reorganised preserving its quality as a parade ground and achieve architectural and urban projects, which will anticipate the integration of the new service building and its square organisation with the surrounding multi functioning areas. Among the 34 projects submitted to the competition 3 awards and 3 honourable mention awards were given.

ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION

The Evaluation of Interdisciplinary Approach in Design Education: DAU Department of Architecture, Introduction to Architectural Design Studio / Uğur Ulaş Dağlı, Nil Paşaoğluları Şahin

Interdisciplinary architectural-design education in Turkey is one of the significant discussion topics in recent years. This approach is being tested at the undergraduate level at some faculties providing architecture, interior-architecture and industrial design education. Authors emphasise the need for interdisciplinary design education through the experiences of DAU, Department of Architecture.

PUBLIC SPACE

Spaces without Music: A Reaction to the Use of Background Music in Public Spaces / Onurcan Çakır

We constantly encounter with background music in many public spaces and transportation we use in daily life. Stemming from the idea, which states that “societies do not have a common music taste; we can only talk about individual music preferences”, Spaces without Music is an organisation arguing that each individual can have a different musical taste and even a single individual can prefer to listen to different tunes during the day depending on mood swings and therefore the broadcasting of background music in public space actually becomes an imposition on the users.

PRESERVATION REVITALISATION

Europa Nostra 2012 Restoration and Preservation of Historical Buildings Award: Balat İlyas Bey Complex / Nezih Başgelen

The only project from Turkey that is awarded in the category of “Restoration and Preservation of Historical Buildings” of Europa Nostra Awards 2012 is the restoration project of Aydın-Balat İlyas Bey Complex. The restoration and preservation work is conducted by KABA Eski Eserler Koruma-Değerlendirme ve Mimarlık Ltd. The complex, which was built in the 15th century, especially with the genuine architecture of the mosque, design of the façades and decoration, is one of the pioneering examples of the Anatolian Turkish architecture. In the complex Turkish bath, madrasa and fountain structures partly and the mosque in its entirety manage to remain intact till today.

CONSERVATION

Conceptual and Legal Investigations as “A Cultural Panorama- A Cultural Landscape” Element for the Preservation of Rural Settlements / Emel Kayın

The subject of preservation of rural settlements is mainly discussed by the concepts of “cultural panorama” and “cultural landscape” in our country. The author while looking at the conceptual and legal foundations of the topic, states that the required conservation strategy, besides the physical features of the settlement, should also take issues like beliefs, rituals and crafts into account and need to put forward a holistic approach with natural and cultural relations in relation to the reservoir.

ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHITECTURE

On the Title of European Green Capital / Özge Yalçıner

The author provides a comparative analysis on the cities, Stockholm, Hamburg, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Nantes that bear the title “European Green Capital”, given by the European Commission since 2010, through 12 criteria determined by the jury. She further addresses the key strategies for cities apt to apply after 2014. Doing eco-improvements in buildings against climate change, creating new eco-neighbourhoods, taking advantage of renewable energy sources, preparing water, rainwater and waste management plans and sharing these experiences, are listed as the significant issues of the topic.

ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHITECTURE

Ecological Architecture: Rural Houses of Eastern Blacksea Region/ Tülay Zorlu, Serap Faiz

The idea that “nature finds the optimum solution”, requires a re-look over traditional / rural architecture with well-established ecological balances. The authors trace the building practices of rural houses in Eastern Blacksea Region, which due to its geography and climate, benefits from ecologic balances.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE REPUBLICAN PERIOD

An Agricultural Enterprise of the Early Republican Period: Antalya Duplication and Breeding Station of Hot Climate Plants / Sıdıka Çetin

Agricultural enterprises founded to become the model of economic development in rural areas, are one of the fundamental constituents of modernisation initiated in the frame of central organisation of agricultural sector in the early Republican Period. The author, while stating the concept of planning in the built environment of Antalya Duplication and Breeding Station of Hot Climate Plants founded in Antalya, also introduces the built structures that have lost their function today within the settlement.

PUBLICATION REVIEW

Notes on a Book/ Tayfun Gürkaş

The author coveys his notes on Göksun Akyürek’s book titled as “Reconstructing Knowledge: Architecture, Knowledge and Power in Tanzimat Period” (Bilgiyi Yeniden İnşa Etmek: Tanzimat Döneminde Mimarlık, Bilgi ve İktidar). According to the author Akyürek follows the genealogical traces of the relation of architecture and power in Tanzimat Period known as the “Dark Ages” of the Ottoman Empire. The author states that Akyürek mainly discusses three major axes: the new knowledge of Tanzimat as a discursive practice; the building of non-discursive practice and İstanbul, the city that became the object of knowledge; and lastly the Sergi-i Umumi-i Osmani, which can be translated as the subject thinking over itself.