MİMARLIK AGENDA

Revisiting Local Democracy After the Local Elections / Ruşen Keleş

“Today, the notion of contemporary municipal governance brings to mind a management style that does not exclude central government but rather complements it; one that reconciles central governance with the principle of local administration, addressing its shortcomings and deficiencies, and that is highly responsible, autonomous, participatory, transparent and close to the people. We have witnessed significant steps taken in Turkey, particularly since the transition to a multi-party political system, towards developing such an understanding and practice of municipal governance. However, even today, we cannot yet say that a truly modern local governance system has been fully established."

“The way to free local democracy, and thus democracy itself, from the virus of centralization requires both those who hold administrative responsibilities of any level and the people themselves to be determined in upholding their responsibilities and rights as residents and citizens. From this perspective, we can argue that elections of any kind are more about form and method than about the essence of the issue.”

AGENDA

Reading the Toll of the Disaster on its 25th Anniversary! / Tolga Özden

Nearly a quarter of a century after the August 17 earthquake, and despite other devastating disasters like the 2011 Van Earthquakes in the meantime, that dreadful toll reappeared on February 6, 2023, this time in the form of full-blown chaos affecting 11 cities. How the hope that the slogan ‘This will be the last!’—born out of past experiences that reduced losses to mere statistics—could put an end to the worsening situation after August 17, had faded over the course of 25 years! The earthquake that was expected to occur over this quarter-century, has turned unpreparedness into despair, helplessness into fatalism, and profit into plunder, and brought such destruction that while causing traumas as severe, if not more so, than the fear and shock of August 17 did, has also made the question, “What have we been discussing for the last 25 years?” utterly meaningless. After the 1999 Earthquakes, new institutional organizations and a new disaster management system were created to address the failing system, but once again, it was forgotten that the real goal was not ‘managing disasters’ but ‘reducing disaster risks.

EVENT

• Italo Calvino at 100+1! Integrating the City into Literature, and Literature into the City / Sevil Enginsoy Ekinci

Italo Calvino’s 101st birthday was celebrated with a widely attended exhibition, followed by a series of events at Kıraathane Istanbul Literature House. Along with the prominent role of Calvino's works in literature, his city-centered narratives also paved the way for theoretical and critical readings and interpretations, enriched by contributions from a variety of perspectives and experiences. One of the architects of the celebration, Sevil Enginsoy Ekinci, reinterpreted the narratives brought together at the event through the lens of Istanbul while presenting the works and processes in the exhibition.

• Authoritarianism and Local Governments in Disaster Conditions: Urbanization and Democracy Symposium / Koray Güler

The 'Authoritarianism and Local Governments in Disaster Conditions: Urbanization and Democracy Symposium,' organized by the Chamber of Architects, took place on December 9th in Istanbul. The author highlights the critical role of local governments in shaping the built environment, noting that the event, open to professionals and interested participants alike, focused on "the changes and developments in local administrations, from rural settlements to large cities, and their effects on the economy, social life, urbanization, and the architecture profession."

ARCHITECTURE OF THE REPUBLICAN PERIOD

• Turkey's First Locally Manufactured Washing Machine: Bursa Tolon Factory / Gürkan Okumuş, Özgür Ediz

The article examines the pivotal role of the Bursa Tolon Washing Machine Factory, Turkey's first domestic washing machine plant, in shaping the nation’s industrial path and its significant contribution to the urban and industrial culture of Bursa, the Republic's industrial city. The decision to demolish and rebuild this protected structure is described as "an anachronistic situation leading to the loss of collective memory." The authors, who adopt an integrative approach in their work, evaluate the journey of the Factory—"one of the symbolic structures of Republican history, established with the philosophy and goal of reducing the country's dependence on foreign imports, and an invaluable example of civil modern architectural heritage deeply embedded in the social, economic, and cultural life of the city and society"—through the lens of the key figure, Inventor Kamil Tolon, alongside the economic and industrial context of the period. They emphasize the importance of preserving the collective memory related to urban and industrial culture.

• The 65-Year-Old Legacy of the Republic: Erzurum Atatürk University Housing / Şölen Köseoğlu

The founding of Atatürk University in Erzurum in 1957 was followed by the construction of numerous projects that were selected through competitions. The university housing was designed by Enver Tokay, Hayati Tabanlıoğlu, Ayhan Tayman and Behruz Çinici, who won the competition held at the time. The construction of the housing began in 1958, and it was put into use in the 1960s. The author uncovers that six blocks with three different types in varying sizes for different users were built, one of which was demolished and no longer exists; while from the 1960s to the 1990s, 59 more blocks resembling the initially built ones were constructed. The research, while revealing that over time, types differing from the original blocks were developed, evaluates the architectural qualities of the housing, their place in the memories of their users, and the decision of the early Republic to establish a university in the East, transforming a barren land into a small town among the trees.

CONSERVATION / PRESERVATION

• The Lost Modern Heritage, Urban Identity and Beyond: Emekli Sandığı Eskişehir Bus Terminal and Emek Hotel / Ayşe Deniz Yeşiltepe, Feran Özge Güven Ulusoy

Modern heritage buildings of the recent past, which fail to meet the aesthetic and visual expectations of the public and are not claimed by cultural heritage authorities, are not only seen as unworthy of preservation but are also gradually disappearing. The authors emphasize the significant role modern architectural works play in shaping urban identity as the cities develop, as well as in establishing the spatial patterns of modern life and collective memory within them; while studying the Emekli Sandığı Eskişehir Bus Terminal and Emek Hotel, built in the 1960s and remaining physically intact until August 2022, as recent examples of lost modern heritage in Eskişehir. The authors explore the conceptual and spatial projections of demolition, as well as the significance of these buildings in Turkey's architectural history and urban memory, pointing out the importance of public involvement in the decision-making processes regarding structures that have become integral to the community.

• Tracing a Unique Construction Technique in the Black Sea Region: Wooden Domed Mosques in Samsun Province / Zeynep Aktaş, Aynur Çifci

Domes, structural covering elements that have been used since prehistoric times, are commonly found in both urban and rural structures. In the Friday mosques of rural Samsun, domes, which also carry a symbolic significance, are built of wood. The project which included a literature review, archival research and fieldwork, detected 23 wooden domes, 21 of which belong to registered mosques. All the domes have pitched roofs. The size of the domes, supported by wooden columns and walls, varies depending on the dimensions of the structure and whether it has a mahfil. Due to their rural location, these structures are 'vulnerable' and face preservation issues such as structural damage, poor-quality interventions, and abandonment. The authors emphasize the importance of preserving the mosques built with the documented unique construction technique, as they are recent representatives of the long-standing wooden masonry mosque tradition in Samsun.

• A Cultural Geography Reading on the Transformation of Rural Settlements in İzmit / Esra Balcı, İclal Dinçer

Rural areas are under pressure for rapid transformation due to many local and global reasons… In accordance, Balcı and Dinçer draw attention to the deficiencies in understanding the cultural identities of rural settlements in our country, as well as their relationship with nature, and their geographic settlement characteristics, emphasizing that these notions are not sufficiently included in the analysis phase of planning, the key actor in controlling the transformation. They examine the rural settlements of İzmit through the lens of cultural geography and the concept of habitus. In their article, based on the findings of a study that aims to “reveal how data collected primarily through qualitative methods can contribute to the analysis phase of the planning discipline" the authors deepen their analysis of the physical, socio-cultural, and planning processes through methods such as oral history and guided tours in the field.

• Yeniden İşlevlendirilen Tarihi Yapılarda Sürdürülebilirlik: Mardin Eski Hükümet Konağı / Rojat Aksoy Işık

Preserving historical buildings and passing them on to future generations is crucial for ensuring cultural, social, and economic sustainability, especially for the cities where these structures are located. In this context, within the scope of conservation efforts, adaptive reuse practices in historical buildings stand out as part of the preservation efforts. The subject of the article, the Old Government Building of Mardin, was built in the 19th century in the city center of Mardin. It served as a government office until 2002 and later as the Department of Architecture of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at Mardin Artuklu University, from 2007 to February 2023. The aim of the study is to assess the changes that the building, which is not in use today, has undergone from past to present, through the perspectives of sustainability and architecture. In the study, the author further develops her research that is based on the architectural plans and photographs from the periods when the building functioned as a government office and later as the architecture department, through on-site inspections. The research reveals that during the period when the building served its original function as a government office, additional floors and spatial modifications were made, whereas during its use as an architecture department, it was repurposed without extensive interventions.

ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY

• Religious Structures in Anatolia That Have Lost Their Community / Firdevs Kulak Torun

Erzurum is an important city that has witnessed the interaction of different societies and cultures. The Armenian community, which has long existed within this environment of interaction and experienced significant population densities in various periods, built its own religious structures. However, only a limited number of these buildings have survived to the present day. The author, pointing out that some structures have not survived and others are hard to associate with a particular community, examines the architectural features of the Armenian churches in Erzurum through a comparative approach. She emphasizes that these structures hold significant religious, cultural, and historical value as examples of the Armenian architectural tradition.

• Healthcare Structures: Transformation and Sustainability / Kübra Bıyuk Öksüz, Neslihan Dostoğlu

Recent studies predict a decrease in the reliance of healthcare services on physical spaces. However, we see that expected spatial changes, along with sudden social and economic developments, can influence the need for healthcare environments in various ways. In this context, the authors highlight how societal stressors such as pandemics, wars, natural disasters, and migration have historically increased the demand for healthcare spaces and in such cases buildings with different functions were repurposed as healthcare facilities. Through case studies, the article examines the repurposing of buildings into hospitals, an essential architectural response to the increased demand for healthcare services during epidemics, assessing how these transformations contribute to social, spatial, and economic sustainability in the face of sudden crises. The article addresses these transformations in the context of wars that coincided with epidemics, which globally impacted communities.

CULTURAL HERITAGE IN DANGER

The Chamber of Architects Kahramanmaraş Branch Building as a Local Representative of Recent Architecture / İlke Alatlı

In this edition of "Cultural Heritage in Danger" section, first introduced in issue 405, we feature the Chamber of Architects Kahramanmaraş Branch Building through the lens of İlke Alatlı.

CONTACT

Under / Deniz Gürata Hayırlı

Designed by the world-renowned architecture firm Snohetta, Under stands out not just as a popular underwater restaurant, but as a place of awareness where architecture, food, nature, and culture come together in harmony. Noting the critique of fast consumption that the building presents, the author traces the elements of the sustainable and holistic approach of Under, considering the building’s pursuit of visual harmony, its sensory design, and the restaurant menu that is seamlessly integrated with the overall concept.