MİMARLIK AGENDA

From Chamber of Architects’ to the Public Agenda / Hasan Topal

With a drastic increase in recent years, there has been serious setbacks on universal values like human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy, peace, and brotherhood – deeply affecting all parts of the society. Starting with the forcible entry into the Chamber of Architects’ İstanbul Metropolitan Branch’s office building, the author comments on the recent highlights of the public agenda.

COMMEMORATION

In Memory of Bülent Özer / Esat Suher

Bülent Özer, holding a registration number, 1083 to the Chamber of Architects İstanbul Metropolitan Branch, passed away on June 7th, 2015. Graduated from İTÜ in 1958, he was a retired faculty member of Mimar Sinan University Architectural History Program. Özer also served as an editorial board member for the YAPI Magazine for forty years. His obituary was written by Esat Suher.

AGENDA

The First Turkish Expo Develops As Expected! Impressions From Antalya [Botanic] Expo 2016 / Zeynep Esengil

Antalya Botanic Expo 2016, themed “Flowers and Children”, has become a highly discussed topic due to its location, high budget, and possible impacts on the hosting city. Open to the public until October 30th 2016, Expo is problematized by the author by focusing on the preparation stages. Esengil argues that what will happen to Expo sites after the events seems the most significant problem.

Some Questions Regarding the City Hospitals / Feridun Duyguluer; Hasan Özbay; Duygu Erten

The Turkish Association of Architects in Private Practice (TSMD) brought the city hospital projects up for a detailed discussion at the panel held on May 26, 2016. The details of these projects were long being with held from the public and thus caused inconsistencies among professionals. During the event, various presentations from investors, contractors and architects explaining production and design processes have raised further questions. We received brief assessments from several panel viewers that compile these questions as well as reveal that there are so much to talk / discuss about.

FILE: 2016 NATIONAL ARCHITECTURE AWARDS

Turkey’s long-established and prestigious architectural award program, National Architecture Exhibition and Awards, celebrates its 30th anniversary. Organized by the Chamber of Architects (CAT) in every two years and hosted 2308 submissions so far, the Exhibition and Awards Program awarded 128 projects and 47 individuals / institutions for their exceptional achievements in 15 award cycles. The events and exhibition of this year have achieved, again, a high level of participation and public interest.

The Selection Committee for the Awards program of 2016 consisted of Acar Avunduk (chairman), Ercan Ağırbaş, Arman Akdoğan, Pelin Derviş and Cem Sorguç. Among 185 applications, they evaluated 178 projects presented in 239 presentation boards. 7 entries were eliminated due to not meeting the requirements. One nominated project was first assessed by the Committee but later, the fact that it did not fulfill the award criteria rendered the evaluation as an inadvertent case and the project was left out for the exhibition. Among the 26 nominated projects, the Selection Committee awarded 8 projects in the scope of the program.

The awarded architects for “Grand Award” (Sinan Prize), “Achievement Award in Contribution to Architecture” and “Commemoration Program” and the award winning projects in the categories of “Building,” “Project” and “Presentation of Ideas” were announced with a ceremony accompanied by the opening of the exhibition that took place in Akün Cinema, Ankara, on May 16th, 2016. The exhibition met the audience in Ankara and Istanbul from May to June 2016, and will be on display in Eskisehir from September 18th to 26th; in Konya from October 1st to 10th; in Adana from October 17th to 21st; in Kayseri from October 27th to November 3rd; in Izmir from November 8th to 30th; and in Samsun from March 7th to 18th. The file also includes reviews from Selection Committee members Acar Avunduk, Ercan Ağırbaş, Arman Akdoğan and Cem Sorguç.

ARCHITECTURE OF CRISIS

The Site and the Things / Pelin Tan

The condition of “crisis” determined by the ruling power today is created by specific situations where human rights are violated through interventions into certain spaces, construction activities and controversial urban planning decisions. In other words, we are faced with spaciocide. Focusing on this battle over space, the author questions how or with what methods architecture can be engaged with this struggle.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

The idea of Flexibility in Schools of Herman Hertzberger / Özge İslamoğlu, Gülay Usta

"Flexibility" concept in mind, authors focus on primary and secondary schools designed by Herman Hertzberger who preferred withdrawing himself from the interface between the user and the space by putting the users’ expectations to the foreground. Three projects were examined in terms of their tectonic qualities, classrooms, circulation areas, and the relation between entrances and schoolyards. Based on Hertzberger’s perception of the school building as a city in a small scale, the authors particularly search for traces of the architect’s idea claiming that a building is not a completed product, rather is a design proposal open to transformation.

FROM RURAL / CITY

Kepsut: From “Clay-lump House" to the Present / Bedriye Asımgil

Kepsut, a Turkmen settlement composed of tent-like structures called “clay-lump houses,” has multiple historical layers. The author notes that the aesthetics in construction created by the basic and natural use of local materials, and the intricacies of the construction technics and architectural details found in Kepsut indicate the presence of a high level of architectural taste.

COMPETITION

Lüleburgaz Stars Swim Academy Architecture Competition 

With a vision to contribute to the training of athletes at the national and international levels, and also to provide a swimming venue for the city for various urban recreational events, the Municipality of Lüleburgaz organized an architectural competition that has been recently finalized. Free, national and two-staged competition aimed to achieve projects that offer spaces integrated with the natural landscape to enrich the functional qualities of the project site. 33 projects evaluated in the first stage of the competition led to 8 projects for the second stage and at the final run, 3 awards and 5 equivalent honorable mentions were distributed.

Bornova Children’s World Building Architecture Competition

Announced by the İzmir Bornova Municipality, the competition aimed to achieve projects that enrich the lives of children in the region; provide a venue for participatory programs and exhibitions that support learning and creativity for children, their parents and local schools; and finally to create an urban node for the city. Free, national and single-staged competition expected projects based on the integration between space / spatial experience and the child development and training environments. The competition brief asked for a flexible / transformable spatial organization or a specific theme-based spatial arrangement. Among 58 submissions, 3 awards and 5 equivalent honorable mentions were distributed.

BUILDING TECHNOLOGY AND MATERIALS

Asbestos-containing Building Products and Urban Transformation / Gökçe Tuna Taygun

With the significant increase in the number of destroyed buildings under the “Urban Transformation Law,” professionals have started discussing the environmental damages caused by these demolitions. Asbestos, although being banned now due to health concerns, is an example of such concerns since it was used in construction materials in the old buildings. Focusing the asbestos-containing building products exposed during such demolitions, the authors draw particular attention to the necessary measures that could reduce possible risks and problems.

CONTACT

Touching the City Through Design: Cirkelbroen Bridge / Selda Bancı

Olafur Eliasson, inspired by his childhood dream of “crossing the harbor just by walking from boat to boat” transforms his memories into a design idea for a circle bridge, Cirkelbroen Bridge. The 35-meter-long bridge is made of five circular platforms, each connected to five irregularly sized poles through tensioned wires. The bridge encourages people to see the city from different perspectives, and allows them to discover new relations with water and the channel.