EVENTS

On Marketing Cities and Production of Art: The Role of Art in Gentrification / Pelin Tan

A series of meetings are being organized in Istanbul around the theme of ‘gentrification’. In the meeting of March 4, invited speakers questioned the role of artists in the cultural market, physical renewal and ownership transformation through the example of Galata and Asmalımescit quarters of İstanbul. The audience from a wide spectrum of architecture, art, anthropology, sociology and planning approached the theme from different perspectives.

AGENDA

Improper Usage of Buildings and “Data Recorder” / Bülend Tuna

The deterioration of buildings due to misuse and the damage caused by the consequent structural weakness is a frequent problem we are facing. A recent example is the sudden collapse of the Zümrüt apartment block in Konya, causing the death of many of its households. In a country, where there is a constant risk of an earthquake, there seems hardly any attempt for a regular control of the built environment for such possible disasters. Added to that, it is quite often that the modifications made by the tenants or occupants of the houses, cause the collapse of certain buildings in future earthquakes. Bülend Tuna, comments on the seriousness of these conditions and suggests methods to reduce risks, such as legal obligations, special licenses and user consciousness. Another suggestion is that every building will own a “data recorder”, a box that will include necessary information and documents about the building’s history and its structural control.

A Letter on the Collapse of Zümrüt Apartment Block in Konya: “Why the Motive behind the Collapse is Still Left Unclear?” / Ali Vedat Kaya

Graduated from an architecture school in 1977, and has worked as a project architect as well as cooperative architect for over 25 years, Ali Vedat Kaya is the architect of Zümrüt Apartment Block and the one who was confined to 20 months of custody for being the only one responsible from the collapse of the apartment block. In his letter Ali Vedat Kaya sketches the improper modifications that took place many years after he completed the building, while questioning the improper legal procedures of his punishment and unfair attitudes towards his professional career.

CHAMBER BUILDINGS

Kadıköy Representative Office Service Building

The Kadıköy Representative Office, working under the Istanbul Metropolitan Chapter of the Chamber of Architects of Turkey, had finally realized its long term project of owning its separate office in November 1998. Situated in a historical settlement in Yeldeğirmeni of Kadıköy, the building has passed through restitution and renovation projects ran by Ahmet Lakşe. After a year of constant financial support from the Chamber as well as moral support from all the chapters, the building opened with a ceremony on the 3rd December 1999 with the attendance of guests and members. Consisting of 5 floors of 105m2 each, the building includes several functions from archive to library, computer training class to seminar rooms.

URBAN DESIGN

Reviewing Urban Design Debates Through Competition Processes and Application Examples / Nuray Bayraktar, Hülagü Kaplan, Ayşe Tekel

Urban design stands in the threshold of the disciplinary areas of architecture and planning. Recently architectural departments have opened urban design units and graduate courses within their own programmes. Nearly most of the new released national competitions also expected an urban scale intervention accompanied to architectural proposals. The authors evaluate contemporary ‘urban design disputes’ through analyzing 3 competition buildings in Ankara and their competition briefs.

COMPETITIONS

Bursa Kaplıkaya Recreation Valley Urban Design and Architecture Competition

In order to provide a new character to the city, to attain a compact form, to create space for social and cultural activities, where the citizens can rest, shop, have fun and stay over, Yıldırım Municipality opened an area of 200 000m2, near Kaplıkaya river, in Bursa for the purpose of creating an urban recreational valley. The aim of the competition was to create a space of social attraction with a natural setting within the city. Among the 23 projects submitted to the competition the jury selected 3 awards, 5 mentions and 5 purchase awards. The first prize was given to the project of Hakan Dalokay, Sedvan Teber, Belemir Güzer, Celal Abdi Güzer, for the coherent arrangement of functional relations and spatial ordering, especially in the way the traffic and pedestrian circulation was distributed within the topography.

İstanbul City Private Administration and City Council Service Buildings National Architecture Competition

Situated around and above Yerebatan Cistern, one of the biggest cisterns of the world as well as the most significant cultural heritage of Istanbul, two heavy structures of Istanbul City Private Administration and City Council service buildings not only harm the cistern but also create a busy human traffic around the area. Under these concerns the Municipality has decided to clear the area and move the service buildings into another space within the city. Under the auspice of “Saving the Yerebatan Cistern Project”, the competition sought projects for the new municipality building in the provided land. The results of the competition were announced in 14th August 2005 and the jury awarded 3 prizes, 5 mentions and 4 purchase awards. The first prize was given to the project of Nimet Aydın and Gizem Turgut for the perceptive relation attained between the building and its surrounding as well as for the rich solutions the project provides for the space of entrance, which combines the frontal pedestrian circulation to the road at the back of the building.

Karabük Municipality Service Building National Architecture Competition

Organized by the Karabük Municipality, the competition aims to achieve architectural projects for Karabük Municipality Service Building and landscape proposals for its neighboring greenery area. Among the 61 submitted projects the jury prized 3 awards, 3 mentions and 5 purchase awards. The first award was given to the project of Erkin Mutlu. The jury commented positively about the way the land integrates to the building through a pattern of platforms on different levels, creating a flow of movement enriched with programmatic suggestions throughout the building.

Bursa Central Station and Public Square Architecture and Urban Design Competition

The city centre and the historical centre of Bursa show a juxtaposed character. Even though this may be accepted as a favorable situation at certain times, the uncontrolled transformations within the city centre damaging the historical structure of the city has started to create risks in urban scale. As a consequence there emerged a need to specify a new direction for the development of the city centre on an axis towards Bursa Central Station. The competition sought for projects that propose an urban pattern for the formulation of the axis with constant relation between green, public open spaces and closed communal organizations. Regarded as one of the most significant urban development project of Bursa Municipality, the jury selected 3 awards, 3 mentions and 5 purchase awards among the proposals. The first prize, the project of Seçkin Kutucu, Ebru Yılmaz, Tomurcuk Yonca Kutucu, Uğur Bozkurt, was commented positively by the jury in the way how the empty and filled spaces are balanced, the public square is emphasized and environmental factors are evaluated.

İstanbul Beylikdüzü Cumhuriyet Street and Surroundings Urban Design Competition

An associative competition organized by İstanbul Metropolitan Planning -Urban Design Centre and the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Projects Department, Beylikdüzü Cumhuriyet Street and Surroundings Urban Design Competition results were announced in April 2006. Among the 15 projects submitted, jury evaluated 11 projects and prized 3 awards and 4 mentions. The project of İrem Mollaahmetoğlu Falay, K. Ferhan Yürekli, Mete B. Baypınar and Tülay Ayaşlıgıl was given the first prize with regards to the strong conceptual tendencies of the proposed idea. Bearing alternative solutions to classical zoning strategies and offering compatible solutions with the transportation system of the city are emphasized as highlighted qualities of the project.

ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY

On the Concept of ‘Modernity’ in Turkish Architecture / Afife Batur

The article of Afife Batur provides a general overview to the changing conceptions of the terms ‘new’ and ‘modern’ from the late Ottoman times to today. Added to that, the article highlights the fact that architectural transformations taking place from 18th century onwards are not about the discovery of what was imposed from outside but actually are a search to the innermost and genuine character of self evolution. Batur also stresses the need to get away from the tension between the terms ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’, which usually get trapped into close, unfruitful and not innovative monologues.

BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

Alternative Sustainable Housing Practices and Reinforced Concrete Housing in Turkey / İlkay Koman, Özlem Eren

As a result of social change in Turkey, which started in the 1950s, and of the rise in urban population, multi-storey concrete apartment houses first appeared as dwellings of the modern middle class, and then became the choice of residence for the entire urban population. Nevertheless, there is also a great potential for the application of steel and timber building technologies. The article tries to highlight the role of interest groups, focal points of power such as trade, industry and politics as well as the significance of social consciousness in promoting the concept of sustainable building and materials.

SERIAL: ARCHITECT’S STATE OF MIND / serial editor: Kubilay Önal

Tülay Çoban: An Architect in Modification / Decoration Management and Control Services

With this serial, the intention from the very start was to emphasize the changing roles and functions of architects within the society. It is a fact that the architects now are not only working within the field of ‘design’ but in various other fields that come to have a body recently. The series in that sense try to reflect different experiences of architects in each issue. In the light of these concerns Kubilay Önal questions Tülay Çoban’s experiences as an architect working in a bank, organizing the interrelations for projects of modification, decoration and controlling the firm’s architectural management.

PUBLICATIONS

MİMARLIK Index Published for Issues 1 - 325

Chamber of Architects has been publishing the journal MİMARLIK from the year 1963 till today. Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2003, MİMARLIK constitutes a significant reference to the Chamber’s publication activity. Published as an index source book, MİMARLIK Dizin (MİMARLIK Index) 1-325 covers 43 years of history of the journal, from 1963-2005 and the issues from 1 to 325.

MEA ARCHITECTURA MEA CULPA

From 20th Century Manifestoes to 21st Century Manifestoes / Gürhan Tümer

Upon a re-visit to his library, Gürhan Tümer expresses his recent ideas after going through once again “Programmes and Manifestoes on 20th Century Architecture” by Ulrich Conrads. Discovering the fact that the book is potentially rich in material for ‘Mea Architectura – Mea Culpa’, programmes and manifestoes of architects – or of people interested in architecture, constitute a customary performance that will be inherited by next generations.