MİMARLIK AGENDA

Architecture and the Chamber of Architects for Freedom of Thought and Expression / Bozkurt Güvenç

The attack on Charlie Hebdo, satirical weekly magazine of Paris, the city, which is considered to be the capital of liberal arts, remained on the world’s agenda for a long time.  The leaders walked arm-in-arm, condemning the attack on the freedom of expression. The author while referring to the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) and Chamber of Architects (CAT) founded for defending personal rights and freedom, stresses the significant role of both institutions in preventing the consumption of the history and natural resources, and defending rights of citizenship and current values; such as secular education and its institutions, our cultural identity and language, the rule of law and judicial independence, separation of constitutional powers, autonomy of free arts, in the democratisation process of “New Turkey”. It is to him that these institutions have always fulfilled the legal duties and ethical responsibilities for the protection of secular republic, resisting bribery, corruption and gaining unearned income over the land through urban transformation projects.

COMMEMORATION PROGRAMME- EGLI

Ernst A. Egli: Contributions to Turkey

The Commemoration Programme, organised by the Chamber of Architects for keeping the memory of architect(s), who has contributed to the architecture and architectural culture of Turkey, had focused on the work of Mimar Kemalettin Bey, Seyfi Arkan, Zeki Sayar and Haluk Baysal- Melih Birsel, is now carrying Ernst A. Egli to the agenda in the scope of his contributions to Turkish architecture, for the term 2014-2016. The magazine aims to dedicate a special section to new and original research on the work of Egli in almost every issue along the period.

AGENDA

Why there are more Labours’ Accidents and Occupational Murders? / İsmail Doğanyılmaz

The labours’ accidents and occupational murders occurring in work life, constitute one of the most important dilemmas of labour life at global scale. Due to differences in regulations from country to country, and even from one firm to another, the statistics on labour accidents fails in displaying the real numbers. Despite these facts, according to the data provided by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) 2.3 million people lose their lives in the world every year due to labour accidents and results of illnesses caused by occupational injuries. The author reveals the fact that in every fifteen seconds a worker dies as a result of occupational accidents in the world.

Kayaköy: From a Village of Peace and Friendship to a ‘Holiday Village’ / Esin Köymen

Located in Fethiye region of Muğla, Kayaköy, is one of the largest and oldest Greek settlements in the region where the Mediterranean meets the southern Aegean.  The village, which has abandoned and therefore fallen into disuse after its residents have left the village following the great exchange, is subject to various conservation and revitalisation projects in the leadership of Chamber of Architects. While the projects are defending for “a Village of Peace and Friendship”, the contract proposed by the Ministry aims for the building of a 300-bed resort “holiday village”, a project, which is based on the violation of existing values of Kayaköy. The author, by referring to the work carried out by the Chamber of Architects in Kayaköy, provides an evaluation on the context of the place.

COMMEMORATION

A Wise Scholar / Yegân Kâhya

We have lost Metin Ahunbay, who was a graduate of 1961 ITU Faculty of Architecture, and a member of the Chamber of Architects with 1634 registry number, the holder of “Special Award for Conservation” in 2002 National Architecture Awards with regards to the restoration project of Ayasofya, a member of ICOMOS-Turkey, retired faculty member of ITU Department of Architecture, one of a plane trees for the students of ITU Department of Architecture and the beloved husband of Zeynep Ahunbay, on December 25, 2014. The commemoration was written by one of his students, Yegan Kahya.

We have lost Fahri / Mehmet Nuri Arıkoğlu

We have lost Fahrettin Ayanlar, who was a 1967 graduate of METU Architectural Faculty, member of the Chamber of Architects with 3022 registry number, delegate of Chamber of Architects General Assembly and holder of an award in the “Building Category” of 2008, 11th cycle of National Architecture Awards with his “Koç University Anatolian Civilisation Research Centre, İstanbul”, on January 13, 2015. The commemoration on Ayanlar is written by Nuri Arıkoğlu, who is a colleague and a friend from the department.

EVENT

Illusion of Perception: Oğuz Öztuzcu Exhibition of Photography

4th photography exhibition of Oğuz Öztuzcu is opened in the Chamber of Architects İstanbul Metropolitan Branch, between the dates, January 26-February 7, 2015. The retrospective exhibition is consisting of his new photographs and a selection from his previous exhibitions called “Impressions” and “Photopaintings” previously opened in İstanbul and Florence. Öztuzcu, in his stimulating works, which he briefly names as “photographs”, subjects to colour, form, contrast, relations of light& dark, motion, sharpness, light and provides original work through a novel approach towards third dimension.

Turkish Modern Furniture has Revealed / Zeynep Tuna Ultav

Within the context of “(DATUMM) Documenting and Archiving Turkish Modern Furniture” scientific research project, which was executed by Deniz Hasırcı, Zeynep Tuna Ultav, Seren Borvalı and Hande Atmaca and supported by Izmir University of Economics, Turkish modern furnitures designed between1930-1975 were examined and detailed documentation, also archiving were carried out to create awareness for historic and original furniture. The exhibiton as a result of this project was open to public between February 6-24, 2015.

FROM RURAL / CITY

From Aphrodisias to Geyre / H. İbrahim Alpaslan

Aphrodisias is a city among the numerous ancient cities in Anatolia, with a characteristic formation of various stratified settlement patterns that has survived till today. Until it was moved in 1960, Geyre Village has also shared the same lands. The people from Geyre adopted from the former residents of the land and reused, sometimes the existing building materials and building elements and othertimes the existing buildings themselves. After the moving of the village, the excavations in the site provided many new findings, filling up the available museum space, thus revealing a need for a new museum building. In this way another ring is attached to the continuity of different cultures and structures from different periods.

COMPETITION

Ideas Competition for the Planning of Konyaaltı Shore and its Coastal Formations

Organised by the Metropolitan Municipality of Antalya and in coordination with the Chamber of Architects Antalya Branch, the “Ideas Competition for the Planning of Konyaaltı Shore and its Coastal Formations” aims to achieve projects which address a comprehensive approach for an architectural design that includes planning measures for integrating the city with the coast of Konyaaltı, which hasn’t been subject to a holistic planning approach for many years. Among 49 projects submitted to the national and single-staged competition 3 awards and 5 equivalent honourable mention awards were distributed.

Anamur Atatepe Public Centre and Environment

Announced by the Municipality of Anamur, “Architectural Competition for Anamur Atatepe Public Centre and Environment” aimed to achieve projects for designing a social centre together with its environment on “Atatepe”, formerly called as “Top Beleni” hill, with an altitude of 152, located on the northern side of the city. Among the 127 projects submitted to the national and single-staged competition, 3 awards and 5 equivalent honourable mention awards were distributed. 

ARCHITECTURAL CRITICISM

Suspending Stereotypes, Making Divinity Experiential / Deniz Güner

Synagogue, Church, Mosque project nominated for the “Building Category” in 2014 National Architecture Awards, was realised in Gelsenkirchen in the scope of 2010 European Capital of Culture events. The winning project of the architectural competition opened for the building of a symbolic and temporary mosque-synagogue next to a historical church belongs to Ağırbaş and Wienstroer Architectural Office and they structured their project as “a promenade of inter-religions”. The author while evaluating on the European Union and the notion of association it engenders, states that the project is utilised to create a meeting platform for these three monotheistic religions and thus undertakes a challenging effort in its search for grounding a collective life.

PRESERVATION - CONSERVATION

When the Old Meets with the New: Turku City Library / Feride Önal, Zafer Akdemir

Since the concept of conservation has evolved from the preservation of individual structures to the preservation of historical environment and context, continuity has become one of the most prevailing issues. When the city library, located in the oldest city of Finland, Turku, was decided to be expanded, the continuity of the historical values was emerged as the most important design criteria. The authors state that Turku City Library, where the new meets the old, the future meets the past, the knowledge meets the imagination and intense activities go along with tranquillity, was converted into a public space, which acts as a centre for knowledge, experience and learning, by the Finnish architecture group JKMM Architects.

ARCHITECTURAL DESGIN

In the Intersection of Ground and Sky, A “Crystal Culture Cloud”: Musée Des Confluences / Özen Eyüce

In the design of Confluence Museum, opened last December in Lyon, the architects moving from the idea; “what an architect should do in 21st century is to create a context befitting to the century”, argue that a museum should be a medium for sharing knowledge rather than being a mere showroom to exhibit the collections to the visitors. The author, while emphasising these expressionist designs as investment to the future of societies, states that the museum by bringing what is today and real with the part named as “crystal”, together with what is future and imaginative with the part named as “cloud”, creates a “Crystal Culture Cloud”.

PUBLIC SPACE

On the State and Public Space in Turkey / Birge Yıldırım

The concept of “public space” should be defining areas of freedom giving way to public interaction, yet in Turkey it gains a new meaning as “a space identified with the state”.  The author while questioning this symbolic meaning confined by the representation of state introduces alternative formations of public space over social networks, where physical and conceptual boundaries are blurred. The article discusses whether this action, which defines itself through the notion of occupancy, can be an indication of a new public space.

URBAN IDENTITY

The Qualities of Urban Facades and Other Effects behind in the Formation of the City Image: On Milan / Suat Apak, Hande Apak, E. İpek Öziltürk

The first image comes to mind when we name a city in reality is a reflection of that city’s identity. The urban identity gets shaped in a long period of time not only by buildings but also by their environments and relations among each other, in addition to a planned and responsive development. The authors, analysing Milan, a city with a strong urban image, focus on the effects of repetition on urban identity visible in the typological features reflected on façade organisation, connections between the courtyard / street, building entrances and other façade features that create rhythm and coherence.  

UNIVERSAL DESIGN

The Evaluation of Balıkesir Atatürk Park in the Context of Universal Design/ Seda Buğra Tekinalp, Gaye Birol Özerk

The definition of the users of the built environment is an important input for the design stage; however a more important issue is by whom its use is precluded. Universal design right at this point argues the need to offer possibilities for integrated use as its main concern in the design of spaces. The authors, evaluating on the Balıkesir Atatürk Park, the largest public space of the city, within this context, regard the possibility of using the urban space without any obstacle, underline functionality as a “physical” and social rights as a “public” issue. 

BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES AND MATERIALS

Multi-Storey Timber Structures with Cross-Laminated Timber Material/ Neslihan Güzel, S. Cengiz Yesügey

In the beginning of the 20th century the use of timber was mostly abandoned for the sake of using concrete and steel systems, as a solution brought to achieve robust structures and to protect these structures against fire. However due to the effects of environmental notions such as sustainability, renewable energy sources, greenhouse gasses and global warming, on building industry, we have started rethinking the conventional building materials. The authors while stating cross-laminated timber as an important innovation in this sense provide examples of its use in multi-storey buildings.

ARCHITECTURAL THEORY

Architect’s Intellectual “Capital” and Illusionary Value in Design/ Tuğçe Şimşekalp Ercan

The notion of “capital” often regarded as the accumulation of money, starts to give reference to architects’ knowledge, experience and his/her architectural background when the issue is about the “marketing” of architecture. The author states that these qualities, which she defines as the intellectual capital, while increasing the architect’s reputation, creates an “illusionary” value. She emphasises the problems raised by the evaluation of architecture, which includes diverse processes than the production industry, through such comparable financial notions.

CONTACT

A Sculpture-Structure: Antoine / Rüksan Tuna

The shepherd Antoine, who is the protagonist in the novel of the great Swiss author Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, “Derborence”, gets trapped under a rock as a result of an avalanche. He manages to survive and return to his village and his wife only after seven weeks. Swiss design firm Bureau A’s work is a small but significant memorial structure, built to offer a shelter and acts as a tribute to mountaineers and the author who subjects the life in the mountains, with its simplicity and functionality.