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Salvaging Buildings : reclaiming a livelihood from the excesses of Istanbul's mass urbanization
(2023)
Turkey’s demolition waste management is, to a great extent, dependent on çıkmacıs (reclaimers) who salvage condemned buildings for raw materials and architectural elements. Its urbanization history is full of key moments marked by building demolitions, which became a necessary material resource for informal urbanization. As early as the 1970s, the çıkmacıs helped the gecekondus [squatter houses] by supplying second-hand building materials and construction loans. They managed to turn a lack of infrastructure into an advantage and remain very adaptable to the ever-changing conditions of neo-liberalized urbanization. They depend on solidarity networks and other informal resources. Assemblage thinking helps to redefine the concept of informality, understand the relational dynamics between various actors, and focus on the agency of materials. The empirical data gained from ‘follow the thing’ ethnographic research in Turkey and Georgia reveals the double lives of çıkmacıs who move between village and city. Additionally, by following the example of a reclaimed window frame’s journey from Istanbul to Tbilisi, we can more clearly see the second-hand trade network in the context of urbanization and incremental architecture. In the context of waste’s materiality, the empirical part of the research shows the symbiotic relationship between çıkmacıs and the discarded demolition materials.
Learning from the past, designing for the future : sustainability of the Mediterranean vernacular
(2020)
With climate change and the depleting ozone layer, awareness about protecting the environment is increasing and “Sustainable Architecture” is becoming an essential part of the architectural future of cities. However, sustainable buildings of today are being built with high cost, high tech systems which can be reduced by taking advantage of past technologies and systems. The brilliance of vernacular architecture and the way man adapted to his surroundings fascinated me and inspired me to do further research on the sustainable characteristics of vernacular settlements of the Mediterranean area in order to determine if these characteristics can be applied to present and future architecture in an innovative way to create sustainable buildings with least possible energy consumption.
The method of research was based upon a general analysis of the passive design (solar and wind) characteristics of a town or settlement in Mediterranean climate starting from its site elements such as topography, vegetation, water. After that its urban structure, such as the geometry, block and street orientation and dimensions. Following that, the dwelling characteristics like dwelling shape, orientation and dimensions and finally the thermal regulating elements found in these dwellings, such as windows and vegetation. These elements were given a score according to their contribution to energy savings in buildings. Four case studies were chosen: two vernacular case studies from the region of study (the Mediterranean Coasts) and two modern case studies inspired by the Mediterranean vernacular. The analysis was repeated in the same sequence mentioned: Site, Settlement, Dwelling, Element, for the actual performance of each case study. The elements were given a number of points out of the score assigned for each element in the general analysis.
A total score and rating for each case study resulted from this analysis. The objective of these scores were to compare the performance of the vernacular case studies to the vernacular inspired case studies in terms of energy savings. The final scores displayed comparable results between both types of case studies meaning that when these modern settlements were designed with an influence from the Mediterranean vernacular, their performance in energy savings was close to that of a vernacular settlement. That means that it is possible to design settlements which are influenced by vernacular settlements and can even defeat them by following the general guidelines of the vernacular passive design characteristics in addition to modern tools and innovative methods. These guidelines can be reflected in a handbook and rating system which can become a simple step by step guide for architects and planners to design sustainable settlements without the need for expensive and complicated rating systems and consultants.