INTERNATIONAL IDEAS COMPETITION

“CELEBRATING CITIES”: National and International Prizes

* International Prize Winners from Turkey Comment on “Celebrating Cities” and İstanbul: How Can Social Projects Turn into Urban Projects?

-Interview with Cem İlhan (2nd Region Prize-International/Professional Category)

-Interview with Ali Özer (2nd Region Honorary Mention-International/Professional Category)

* Awarded Projects in the National and International Stages

The prize winners of the “Celebration of Cities” International Ideas Competition, which was organized by the International Union of Architects (UIA) in the student and professional categories for architecture students and architects, were announced in March 2004. The prize and one of the honorary mentions of the 2nd Region, which consists of 28 countries, were given to two projects from Turkey, both proposed for the city of İstanbul. Our interview with the winners, aims to learn their opinions about their targets in the competition, their proposals for today’s urban condition specific to İstanbul and also for other cities in the world in general and the relation between architecture and urban environment. Our file covers the awarded Turkish participation both at the national and international stages, as well as the two foreign projects that received the Grand Prizes in the international professional and student categories.

ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION

* Transformation Due in Architectural Education: Viewpoints of the Chamber and Turkish Schools of Architecture? / Mehmet Bozkurt

* The Declaration of the MOBBİG Meeting, November 2003

The transformation of the architectural education system is currently on the agenda of Turkey in the framework of “free circulation” necessitated by the EU harmonization. The interrecognition of professional qualifications gains importance in this process and, as a matter of fact, rearrangement of architectural education system and its duration becomes an issue of high priority. Mehmet Bozkurt presents the opinions of the Chamber of Architects and universities, which are two major sides of these long-breathed discussions. While the former suggests 5 years of continuous education (3-year basic education + 2-year theoretical and practical education), the latter proposes 6 years (4+2). Our file also includes the declaration issued after the November 2003 meeting of the MOBBIG (Communication Group for the Chairpersons of Architecture Departments), which was an important meeting evaluating the discipline of architecture in the framework of the Higher Education Law in prospect.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS

* International Achievements from Turkey

The recent achievements of Turkish teams in the international architecture and urban development idea competitions draw the attention of architectural circles. In this issue, we present the projects recently awarded in the international platform: Honorary Mention in the “Hellenikon Metropolitan Park and Urban Development International Ideas Competition”, the Special Jury Prize in “Fiume Veneto Cotton Mill Area Transformation International Idea Competition” and the First Prize in “Senior Residence Architecture Idea Competition”.

EARTHQUAKE

Earthquake Resistance with Used Car Tires: Interview with Ahmet Türer / N. Müge Cengizkan

An earthquake-resistant building project, which utilizes used car tires for the low-cost reinforcement of masonry buildings, was enlisted for the financial support of the World Bank in 2003. The project is actually a social project based on the “do-it-yourself” method to be promoted to the general public by brochures, posters and internet. Assist. Prof. Ahmet Türer from the Civil Engineering Department of the Middle East Technical University, who developed the project, answered our questions about the social content and applicability of the project, as well its structural and seismic advantages.

FROM THE WORLD

* Alternative Ideas for the Ground Zero: A Disaggregated Scheme Proposal against the Pressure of Construction / Michael Sorkin

* World Trade Center Memorial: New Public Space Proposals as a Response to Terror / Michael Sorkin

In his participation to the 15th International Building & Life Congress in Bursa in 18-20 September 2003, Michael Sorkin made a presentation of his opinions about what could be done in the Ground Zero in the aftermath of terrorist attacks, and also about some projects that he developed together with his students. He criticizes the immediate efforts to fill this site with a new building and emphasizes that the answer to be given to terror by democracy should have been the reinforcement of public spaces rather than the placement of commercial facilities. In parallel to this opinion, both their projects for the reconstruction of the Ground Zero and their memorial proposal are based on the idea of “free gathering spaces”.

SUSTAINABILITY

‘Sustainability’ as a Form of Conduct in the Context of Environmental Sensitivity / Deniz İncedayı

The presentation by Deniz İncedayı on behalf Turkey in the Balkan Architecture Conference (under the theme of Architecture and Sustainable Developments in Balkans) organized by the Chamber of Architects of Turkey and the Architects’ Union of Bulgaria in Sofia in April 2004. İncedayı says that the concept of “sustainability” is not a mere thematic concept; its coverage should be redefined because its quality changes in line with the social developments and cultural processes. In these terms, İncedayı emphasizes that the approach based on individual interest or the individualistic design mentality should necessarily be replaced by public interest and socialist design ideology.

URBAN RENEWAL

Urban Conservation-Renewal and Cultural Heritage: The Example of Budapest / Özge Yalçıner

Özge Yalçıner mentions about the practice, programs and legal framework of urban conservation and renewal work carried out in Hungary, a country that has a rich history. With the example of Budapest, she investigates into the conservation and renewal of the sites enlisted in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List and the development of urban and historical environment of Budapest. In this respect, Budapest is a showcase, where the city is enlivened by means of conservation and renewal based on a totalitarian policy, from the social programs supporting the urban programs to the courses spreading the consciousness of conservation to students.

English and Turkish translations by Tuğçe Selin Tağmat