MİMARLIK AGENDA

Democracy and Space / Akın Atauz

The author argues that men-made spatial transformations, or simply the production of space, highly relate with the concept of democracy through the shared question of how and why the production occurs. Commenting on recent political instabilities and questioning the relationship between space and democracy, he discusses the footsteps of a more totalitarian government that will be established in the near future without any dispute or criticism.

COMMEMORATION

In memory of Faruk Sade / Haldun Dostoğlu

Faruk Sade, with an id no 9586 to Chamber of Architects’ Ankara Branch, passed away on August 1st, 2016. Graduated from METU in 1978, he was the founder and the 32 year-long director of “Siyah Beyaz” that is one of the first contemporary art galleries of Turkey. Haldun Dostoğlu has written his obituary.

AGENDA

Academic Freedom of Expression: To Talk or Not to Talk, That is the Question / Tahsin Yeşildere; H. İbrahim Alpaslan; Esra Akbalık; İpek Yürekli; Esra Sakınç

Noam Chomsky indicated “it is the responsibility of intellectuals to speak the truth.” Today’s working environment lacking the must-have criterion of “freedom of idea / expression” hinders the production and dissemination of new knowledge by scholars. All comments we received from a series of academics emphasize that the most basic starting point on this matter is the freedom of expression.

Waking up from the (Olympic) Dream / Sena Özfiliz

2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's second largest city, began with demonstrations where the protesters called the event as "Exclusion Games." The criticism will last long after the closing ceremonies in August 21st. Focusing on recent local responses, the author argues that what is left behind this mega-event was “the criminalization of the public sphere, massive environmental damage, forced displacement of the poor and the increasing pressure on the favelas.”

Cerattepe Illumunates The Country / Bedrettin Kalın

Resistance still continues in Cerattepe where the mining activities first started in 1993. The author, an activist under the leadership of Green Artvin Association, reports the processes so far and the recent situation on the debates. The trail for the case related with the EIA report approving the controversial mine plan was scheduled for September 19th, 2016.

EVENT

Divas Do Not Leave / Sengul Öymen Gür

2004 Pritzker Architecture Prize and 2015 RIBA Gold Medal winner Zaha Hadid, one of the most important contemporary architects, passed away recently. Her unexpected loss has enlivened the literature on her works. Her projects within her office Zaha Hadid Architects are on display as part of the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale and open to visitors at the Palace Cavalli-Franchetti. The author reviews Hadid’s prolific legacy.

The 40th Session of the World Heritage Committee: The Remaining Agenda / Zeynep Aktüre

This year, the yearly session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee was held in Istanbul with the discussion questioning what was being protected by UNESCO. Reviewing the session, the author argues that the inclusion of the archaeological site of Ani onto the World Heritage List will improve the cultural relations in many local and international levels.

ARCHITECTURE OF CRISIS

How to Read Migration / Melih Ersoy

Considering recent issues related with migration, the first step to take is to be able to manage the fragmentation in the society in comprehensive terms. The author reads the immigration processes within generally accepted theories and argues that the heterogeneous society composed of immigrants is open to new opportunities. The “Architecture of Crises” section is open to your contributions where we discuss “crisis” at different scales, at different environments and through different reflections.

COMPETITION

İnegöl Municipality Building Architectural Project Competition

With a vision to strengthen the people-oriented local administration concept by including all residents, parties and units, the Municipality of İnegöl organized an architectural competition that has been recently finalized. The competition aimed to achieve projects offering a fresh look to the city, revitalize lost architectural values and embrace social municipality essentials and participatory administration while responding the to the needs of citizens. The project was required to bear traces of local culture and by doing that to create a sense of belonging. Among 49 submissions, 3 awards and 4 equivalent honorable mentions were distributed.

Caferağa Sports and Cultural Center Architectural Project Competition

Announced by the Kadıköy Municipality, the competition aimed to design a sports and cultural center that could create a social node in the central area of Kadıköy which lately transformed into a dense entertainment center following new transportation facilities and emerging urban functions. Besides the specified program elements, the projects were required to offer flexible use of open/semi-open spaces in all levels, especially on the ground floor, so that the building will be in direct physical contact with the public “street” outside. 33 projects evaluated in the first stage of the free, national and two-staged competition led to 8 projects for the second stage and at the final run, 3 awards and 5 equivalent honorable mentions were distributed.

Şehitkamil Municipality Art Center National Architectural Idea Competition

Gaziantep Şehitkamil Municipality announced an architectural idea competition for an arts and culture space built into an underground parking structure whose terrace was already being used as a public space. Free, national and single-staged competition expected projects envisioning the parking structure as the “ground” of the new building – a requirement forcing the competitors towards unconventional designing strategies - and so creating a new cultural node for the city. Among 66 evaluated projects, 3 awards, 5 honorable mentions and 2 purchase awards were distributed.

URBAN TRANSFORMATION

Rural Gentrification: Reflections of gentrification in rural areas / Sevinç Bahar Yenigül

Affected by the socio-economic changes, urban population has started to move towards different regions of the city which, in turn, triggers rapid socio-spatial changes without the control of local authorities. Framing local reflections of these changes within the rural gentrification concept, the author discusses the so-called "urban transformation and development" projects in the southeast part of Ankara by especially focusing on their effects on urban space.

URBAN SPACE

Open-Minded Venues Against Socio-Political Conflict: Ankara Atatürk Cultural Center as a Difficult Proposition / İnci Basa

The debate over the Ankara Atatürk Cultural Centre and the area it was built on does not seem to end soon. According to the latest statement by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, a project defined as “a sports complex without buildings in it” will begin in the area later this year. ACC, the award winning project in “Building” category during the 1990 National Architecture Awards, was kept out of discussion so far. Analyzing the situation, the author argues that public spaces carrying cultural functions “can gain spatial autonomy only if they were escaped from the custody of political agents and administrators.” Basa especially emphasizes the multiplying role of the public spaces.

RURAL SETTLEMENTS

An Abandoned Village in Western Anatolia: Ödemiş-Lübbey / Koray Güler

According to 2015 census data, only 7.9 % of the population lives in small towns and villages. While it is certainly the effect of restoring the status of “neighborhood” by combining several villages in the context of the Metropolitan Law, there is still an intensive move from rural to urban areas. Lübbey, suffering the same fate, is one of the few villages that managed to survive by protecting its rural identity. By contextualizing Lübbey as a cultural property that needs to be preserved as a whole entity, the author emphasizes the necessity for a joint effort between fields of sociology, public administration, law, city and urban planning together with local actors.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE REPUBLICAN PERIOD

Public Health Policy of the Republican Period and Kocaeli Memleket Hospital / Oya Şenyurt, Özden Senem Erol

As many other re-discussed topics after the proclamation of the Republic, the concept of public health was reconsidered and new policies were introduced through new spatial reflections under different titles. The authors address the contemporary development of the public health institutions gaining diverse names and functions varying from Gureba Hospitals to Numune Hospitals, or from Memleket Hospitals to State Hospitals. The Hospital in Kocaeli, which is planned to be demolished soon unfortunately, presents an exemplary case for this discussion.

CONTACT

A Colorful Orb in the Urban Square / Merve Çalışkan

GiRA carousel is a temporary mobile orb. Installed in Sao Domingos Square, the orb’s outer frame was formed by tightly woven heads of traditional São João hammers, the most colorful component of the annual St. John's Festival held in Porto on each June 23 (Festa de São João do Porto) - a ritual enthusiastically celebrated in the public areas of the city for a long time. Recalling this local tradition to both the Portuguese people and tourists, GIRA touches onto the city center “temporarily” and its colorful and playfully mobile nature draws much attention among coffeehouses surrounding the Sao Domingos Square.