AGEDNA

Urban and Environmental Rights in the Constitution / Ruşen Keleş

The author, by focusing on urban transformations, which have accelerated in Turkey with the recent announcement of the Law on the Transformation of the Disaster Risk Areas, analyses the urban and environmental rights in the Constitution.  He states that the entire jurisprudence system is a superior institution and the determinant factor in the working of the system, which provides efficiency and productivity, is the level of economic, social and cultural development. He further emphasises that the deserved protection of the citizen’s rights and the historical, cultural, art and architectural values of the environment are directly related to the urbanisation of the citizens, development of civic consciousness and the light of enlightenment reaching every level of the society. It is to him that as long as there are people working in central and local governments, who can degrade cultural and art values, neither the rights of the Republic, nor the citizens can be protected.

URBAN TRANSFORMATION

The Possibilities of “Problem-Based” and “Location-Specific” Urban Transformation Model / İclal Dinçer

While conveying the sustainable, local development-oriented urban transformation models in England, the author assess the ‘destructive’ campaign enforced all across the country in recent years by the hand of TOKİ and the demolitions, which fundamentally rely on the Disaster Law.

BIENNALE

• The Architect’s Name doesn’t Exist in Venice / Pınar Gökbayrak
• İstanbul Design Biennale, as a Specific Choice in the World of Spectacle or Maybe a Seed of Hope / Emre Arolat
• International Antalya Architectural Biennale and “Template” / Tülin Görgülü

The numbers of Biennales in the field of architecture and design increases every year in our country.  İstanbul Design Biennale, which is going to be organised for the first time this year is summarised by the co-curator Emre Arolat and the International Antalya Architecture Biennale, which was organised for the first time last year is summarised by Tülin Görgülü, the chairman of the forthcoming year. Arolat, covers the structure of the Biennale, which has started together with a series of side events at the time this issue of the magazine is prepared for publication. Görgülü, on the other hand, highlights the theme of the second Antalya Biennale, which will take place in 2013. Pınar Gökbayrak provides insight to the outstanding works in the most important international biennale of architecture, the Venice Biennale, which will be open to visiting till 25th November this year.   

ARCHITECTURAL CRITICISM

Looking into our Frames through Type and Unique Spatial Experiences: Association of Automotive Industry Exports Technical and Industrial Vocational High School/ Özlem Erdoğdu Erkarslan

Designed by Dürrin Sürer and Metin Kılıç, Association of Automotive Industry Exports Technical and Industrial Vocational High School, has received 2012 National Award in the “Building Category”. The author, while evaluating the building from the perspective of contemporary education models, also establishes her critical architectural approach by “colliding the notions of type and typology with the experience of unique space”. It is to her that the design of the building shows that space quality can also be achieved by standing away from complex philosophical or sociological sub-texts.

FROM RURAL / CITY

Living with Train in İzmit / Güven Birkan

The author, who is originally from İzmit, refers to the old railway line passing through the city, diving it into two, through the memories it has left, its importance in the urban memory and its effects on the social life of citizens. He tells his childhood memories, the role of İzmit railway station as a parade ground and how the transportation facilities evolved in İzmit till today, to the reader, together with anecdotes from his life in a sincere language.

COMPETITION

Organisation of Public Spaces and Facades of Çeşme Central Coast National Ideas Competition

Çeşme, giving its name to the peninsula located at the western end of İzmir, besides its high tourism potential, lacks an architectural coherence and a genuine image in reflecting its own identity. The aim of the competition was to provide a spatial image to Çeşme while offering an urban organisation to the region. After the evaluation of the 22 projects submitted to the competition, the jury has distributed 3 awards and 5 honourable mention awards.

COMPETITION

Municipality of Uşak İsmetpaşa Avenue and Environs National Architectural and Urban Design Ideas Competition

Municipality of Uşak has organised an ideas competition for acquiring urban projects aiming at the development of İsmetpaşa Avenue, which is the significant trade centre of the city, having a heavy pedestrian and vehicular circulation and the current municipality building together with its close environment. Among the 20 projects submitted to the competition 3 awards and 4 honourable mention awards were distributed.

COMPETITION

Şişli Halide Edip Adıvar Religious Complex National Architectural Competition

In the competition opened by the Municipality of Şişli, İstanbul, for the reconstruction of the Halide Edip Adıvar Religious Complex, the intention was to achieve an architectural design, which will contribute to the urban identity of the region and coincide with the concept of “külliye” (religious complex). Among the 141 projects submitted to the competition, 3 awards, 5 honourable mentions and 3 purchase awards were given.

BUILDING PHYSICS

A Significant Factor for Spatial Quality and Comfort: Daylight/ Ümit Arpacıoğlu

Together with the concepts of energy efficiency and sustainability, enhancement of spatial comfort conditions, are the issues increasingly demanded from the designers.  The author, while stressing the significance of daylight factors as guidance for designers, also proposes a systematic for the internalisation of these factors and revealing them at earlier phases of architectural design.  

ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHITECTURE     

A Look at the Sustainable School Examples / Hikmet Sivri Gökmen

The choice of proper technology and material and issues related to the climate-sensitive spatial solutions, in order to reduce energy requirements in the production of education buildings, are relevant for every environmental friendly building. However as a designer, having consciousness in turning these design inputs into tools of learning and integrate them to educational programmes for children and adolescents in their training process, seem to be as much important. The author brings forth internationally known examples of education buildings, which were designed to be sustainable and give special emphasis to the education of the issue.  

ARCHITECTURE OF THE REPUBLICAN PERIOD

A Fraction Remained in the Shadow of Modernisation and the Process of Natural Life: A Discussion on Bursa Karacabey Stud Farm / Özlem Arıtan

Bursa Karacabey Stud farm, located on the main road of Bursa-Balıkesir, is an agriculture and stockbreeding settlement, which was established in the Ottoman period and survived till today after charging new functions in the Republican period. The author, in order to preserve and develop the versatile potential of the stud farm in the scope of Republican modernisation and natural life, emphasises that these kind of settlements need to open to public use and in cases where privatisation is needed, public awareness should be brought to foreground.   

ARCHITECTURE OF THE REPUBLICAN PERIOD

Chain of Tusan Hotels as a Precursor in the Tourism of Turkey and Çanakkale Tusan Hotel / Gökçeçiçek Savaşır, Zeynep Tuna Ultav

In order to start a cultural tourism aimed mostly at foreign tourists, TUSAN chain of motel and hotels, serving in the sector of tourism for 50 years, consists of four motels and a hotel with similar architectural language and five rental hotels at different regions, built on the route of touristic-antique cities in the year of 1962 by Tourism Industry Inc. The authors comment on the TUSAN hotels, which have a significant and unique position as the tourism buildings of the Republican period.

CONTACT

Antonio Castro Leal Library / Rüksan Tuna

“Contact” is a section covering thematic designs ranging from urban scale to the scale of industrial design, which contain genuine ideas on the city, architecture and object that touch us as a designer. The first instance of this new section of the magazine is from the capital of Mexico, Mexico City. We see how a building with heavy stone walls and used as a tobacco-processing atelier, military post office, weapon and ammunition store and alms-house, is transformed into a library building.