portfolio

architectural portfolio

gรถkberk koรงak application for the MPhil in Architecture and Urban Design (Projective Cities) postgraduate programme

The following is a modest summary of what I have done in the studios of METU Architecture, between years of 2016 - 2019. It tries to construct a perception on architecture. Each project belongs to its time, events, and my attitude towards them. Graphical language of the portfolio is kept to minimum to prevent dominating the work itself.

CITY AS FACTORY : A RETROSPECTIVE ALTERNATIVE TO CAPITALISM architectural design studio V + VI individual, graduation location : Skopje, Macedonia type : urban + architectural proposal duration : 13 + 14 weeks taught by: Prof. Dr. Ayşen Savaş Prof. Dr. Arzu G. Sorguç

fall18 + spring19

“City” is a system, composed of subsystems as geography, politics, economy, education, infrastructure, and superstructure, and if one of those subsystems changes, “the entire” changes. All subsystems are in infinite relation with each other, and the city is read as the totality of those relations.

In the era of capitalism, subsystems are collapsing, today’s Skopje as well, which consumption, social fragmentation, corruption, poverty, pollution, political and religious pressure are clear proofs.

Only “continuous production” can be the backbone for the whole system against collapsing, when everybody produces what they “can”, and gets what they “need”.

From now on, the means of production will belong to people. No more monetary system, private ownership, surplus and capital. No more dominance of the privileged elite with the accumulated wealth over the labor.

Eventually the “city” becomes a “factory”, based on matrices of outputs and inputs, with all the piping systems, assembly lines, pneumatic tubes and so on. All existing elements are adjusted for the production cycle, a new architectural language based on hard, brown, industrial, manual production. Neither “the facade” nor “the door” is the same anymore.

The project focuses on a node in this post-capitalist, shady, Blade Runner-like future, where an existing building is transformed into a production hub.

To simplify, an old woman can produce a jar of tomato paste in her kitchen. To produce that tomato paste, she needs tomatoes, salt and a glass jar, which she can get from the assembly line, attached to her kitchen´s facade, or ceiling. The glass jar is made in a hub somewhere in the city, and put to the assembly line, to become a possible input for tomato paste, or orange juice. Whoever can produce tomato paste or orange juice, will be infrastructured by the necessary inputs, and whoever can make a glass jar, will feed the production line. And whoever needs orange juice or tomato paste will get it, since that old woman put the final product to the output tube in front of her living room´s facade, that is connected to other houses. When the system is applied to everything we need as commodities - food, clothes, drugs, pencils etc., there comes out a complex production-consumption cycle of outputs and inputs, where everybody constantly produces what they can, and gets what they need out of the system.

Then, how the “existing” environment will transform to be the part of this cycle? Since the imagined production is not based on clean-cut technology, but rather a manual, primitive, everybody-can-do-by-hands, dirty and rusty type of production, the whole architectural language will change accordingly.

Basic Food(raw) eggs,meat,grains etc.

Medium Food(processed) bread,snacks,cookies etc.

Complex Food(cooked) meals,dinners,dishes etc.

Basic Cleaning for small-housing scale.

Medium Cleaning for public buildings.

Complex Cleaning industrial,medical chem.

Basic Paper for individual use.

Medium Paper for public institutions.

Complex Paper for mass-printing.

Basic Stationery Eqp. for individual use.

Medium Stationery Eqp. for public institutions.

Complex Stationery Eqp. for mass-printing.

Basic Print-out for individual use.

Medium Print-out(books) for public institutions.

Complex Print-out for distribution.

Medium Assembly requires medium skills.

Complex Assembly requires speciality.

Basic Medical Eqp. tubes,glass,needles.

Medium Medical Eqp. pills, sthescope etc.

Complex Medical Eqp. electronics, beds etc.

Laundry Storage Quality control units.

Distribution places.

Organizational places of the system.

Needs for the possible production outcome.

Connections of assembly lines.

Possible production outcome.

Information hubs of the system.

Existing needs for maintenance.

Public Library

Elementary School

Parking Garage

Hotel Building

Old City Restaurant

Insurance Company

Anti-aging Center

Lawyer Offices

PrinteryGraphic Design Off.

Financial Police Office

Church

Priests’ Housing

Stationery Shop

Small Scale CafesRestaurants

Bookstores

Individual Residentials

Auto-repair Ateliers

Parking Garage

Shops Under Blocks

Basic Assembly requires less skills.

Kindergarden

Complex Auto-parts ready to implement.

Clinic Center

Medium Auto-parts assembled basic parts.

High-Rise Residentials

Basic Auto-parts plastics,steel, bolds etc.

small scale cafes

small scale cafes

restaurant

distributor

food production hub(B)

food production hub(M)

food production hub(C)

food production hub(C)

individual housing

food production hub(C)

abandoned buillding

distributor

housing and cafes

food production hub(M)

lawyer offices

offices and living units

individual housing

hotel

living units

governmental building

organization hub

car renting shop

storage and distributor

govermental building

organization hub

auto-repair shop

auto-parts manufact.(M)

insurance company

quality control hub

auto-repair shop

auto-parts manufact.(M)

governmental building

quality control hub

auto-repair shop

auto-parts manufact.(C)

car parking

storage

auto-repair shop

auto-parts manufact.(B)

car parking

storage

auto-repair shop

auto-parts manufact.(M)

hotel

quality control hub

auto-parts man. hub(C)

residential blocks(Tange)

residential+food prod.

residential blocks(Tange)

residential+food prod.

residential blocks(Tange)

residential+basic assemb.

residential blocks(Tange)

residential+food prod.

library and school

library and school

The diagram (left) is the matrix of outputs and inputs, based on the existing buildings in the project site in Skopje. Three colours represent three functions as explained at bottom left.

A commodity that is already produced by an existing function in the site, can be another building`s input for its possible production. To simplify, a medium food (bread) that is already produced in an existing cafe, is an input for the complex food (dinner, lunch) that can be produced in a restaurant. Buildings construct flow cycles between each other through this principle. Since it is too complex to apply the method to all goods, basic commodities on the site selected to guide the design, that are explained at the right column of the diagram.

The grayscale diagram above represents how each building is transformed and re-functioned to become a unit of the production cycle, with the necessary infrastructure. A single Rhino command is used as a form finding method, “loft”. Pipes containing assembly lines “loft” to surfaces of existing buildings, and “suck” all the output from one, and distributes to other.

The isometric view (right) is the transformed site. A prototype of the system is proposed, with complex arrangement of production lines. The rest of the city is expected to adjust itself to the new order, which the site is birthplace and generator of it.

In a future where there is no surplus of goods, no accumulated capital. All the agents of production will belong to crowds.

No more centralised manufacturing.

Everyone works for everyone else.

Society as a whole.

The imagined future is not a pink, neat, bright environment, but rather Brave New World like, dusty, steamy, dirty. City is weaved by out of scale, hard, industrial infrastructure, and streets, roofs, facades won’t be as they were before.

Architecture is reshaped by industrial forms. Highly influenced by Chernikov’s The Construction of Architectural and Machine Forms, as well as Russian Avant-garde.

The first semester ends at this point. After a short winter break, second semester continues, within the same proposal, in the scope of reducing the scale to architectural.

PLUG THE GROUND

Two collages (left) are made after two different trips, one to a factory, another to a junkyard.

The program of the factory constitues a basis for the project program, where there are linked subsections of common and private manufacturing areas, all infrastructured.

The junkyard trip constitues a basis for formal decisions. Old engine parts, plastic pipes, metal sheets, out-of-use compressors, rusty nuts, oily copper bobbins and crooked aluminum sticks are brought to the studio, cleaned, dried and grouped. Through manual craftsmanship, these “found objects” are put together, trial after trial, to form a meaningful composition. The goal is to materialize the form produced in digital environment using “loft” command.

The first collage represents the contemporary production atmosphere in a factory. The second collage is the formal exploration through close up photographs of two conceptual models.

The model (right) is the first one of two.

The second model is selected to work on in detail.

The second conceptual model (left) is digitally modeled, with its own detail. Then, through iteration, the digital model is manipulated as well as the program.

The diagram (right) demonstrates main design steps.

The main form is created through a 3D collage of found objects.

The method is a new way of form finding in architecture.

underground tank

storage

output

pneumatic tubes

existing building

infrastructure for material circulation

explode all the surfaces ramp

main hall for common production

elevator

gate stairs vertical stairs

production units staff room - services

spatial units

path

infrastructure for human circulation

The hub sits between the library and the hotel. The gate is the main entrance where workers are registered. Staircase covered with glass and steel connects the gate to the staff room and main hall.

Workers get prepared in the staff room before reaching to production halls. Main hall is for common usage, while units can house 4-5 workers. Vertical circulation units provide connection both to the ground and underground.

Pneumatic tubes (left) come from the underground tank, go out to connect to the steel structure. Tubes provide

necessary materials for basic manufacturing to units via pneumatic capsules. Main hall (right) structured with concrete circles and metal cover between, housing large surfaces for collective production.

The project doesn`t focus on the production of a specific commodity, but rather it constructs an infrastructural base, to manufacture various commodities, which doesn`t require advanced machinery or special training, but more physical, hands-on labor.

Moreover, imagined production will vary time to time, one day, basic assembly of pens, other day patching up shoes.

It is a free-space without any ownership, used by anyone, for everyone.

ATATURK FOREST FARM - II

architectural design studio III group work, in a team with: Evrim E. Saçmalı Fulya Yener Zoha Zaka location : Ankara, Turkey type : urban + housing proposal duration : 12 weeks taught by: Prof. Dr. Aydan Balamir Assist. Prof. Dr. Marco Bruno Lect. Kadri Atabaş

fall17

The project was given as the final work of 3rd year 1st semester, expected a proposal both at the scales of urban masterplan and housing. All the work was carried out in the teams of 4 students. The program is decided by the teams. It consists of the proposal of the second farm forest in Ankara, in the light of AOÇ, learning from its positive and negative aspects. The site is located between Ulucanlar Musem, Ankara Castle,and Hıdırlık Hill, where once was a vast squatter area, now TOKI blocks start to take place at, through the destruction of existing squatters. Our idea is based on the removal of the borders where exist in between different components of the urban, an antithesis to what AOÇ has today. The new farm forest is thought as healing infill to the project site, where there is a tremendous amount of destruction, both socially and physically. It is proposed as a band-aid, both for the torn apart urban-human fabric. A social and architectural healing through urban scale agricultural production, social connection between different parts of society and recreation of destructed old settlement. The program manipulates the existing to serve as healer.

Points, as the abstraction of TOKI blocks, in between there are destructed squatters.

Ankara greenery map

Lines as binders. Small arteries interact with points, pulls them into the core.

project site topography

Surfaces as infills. Farming areas fill the spaces that are defined by the arteries.

masterplan 1/5000

The housing area is located between Ulucanlar Museum, hospital and squatters. Housing is thought as a healing aid to the demolished squatter area. The existing streets of two squatter neighborhoods are extruded, and connected at the central of housing to create a public zone. The upper greeen part is proposed as the small scale urban farms, where the habitants of squatters at both sides can come together through agricultural activity.

housing and farming

Diagram showing different units, their plans, elevations and sections. Unit types are highly related with the user capacity, from one person living unit to the family unit. Units have different kind of relationships when they come togerher, and this relationship varies according to conditions.

The design process starts by defining the vehicular roads, which are extruded from the surrounding street entrances, the transversals on the plan. Then, secondary roads as pedestrian paths are opened, perpendicular to the vehicular roads. These borders define the housing islands, which the units are placed. The spaces that is between the border of the island and the housing unit is used as the open area of the each unit. The arrangement of units varies according to topography as well.

partial first floor

partial ground floor

partial section

Farming as a band aid to infill destructed zones.

Farming as a social condenser.

Public regeneration through production.

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CENTRE architectural design studio II partly individual, in a team with: Dilara Turgut Nilra Zoraloğlu

location : Ankara, Turkey type : building complex duration : 10 weeks taught by: Prof. Dr. İnci Basa Dr. M. Barış Yağlı

spring17

The project is the final work of 2nd year 2nd semester. It is expected to design a research centre that is composed of a main library, and 3 research buildings for Biology, Chemistry and Phycics, that are connected to this library. Phase I, designing the general site plan and main library, is carried out within the team, while Phase II, designing a building for research in those fields, is carried out individually. 1000 m² for each building and 1500 m² for the library, at total 4500 m² footprint.The program is given by the instructors.The site is located at the outskirts of Ankara, next to TED College, an open vast land, that has been newly started to develop with the constructions of highrise housing blocks that are extremely alien to surroundings, creating a non-suitable environment for the act of research. The idea is based on creating an inner realm for the essence of research, closing itself to the surrounding, constructing a total new ground for the production and sharing of knowledge, creating a duality between.

The concept idea, the masterplan and the library is designed in the team, the first stage. The three buildings of Physics, Chemistry and Biology is divided individually between the group members, to pursue the design requirements at the later stage, more detailed.

Addition of the prismatic mass onto the land. A new ground for resarch.

site

TED COLLEGE ROAD

PUBLICITY INCREASES

Subtraction of courtyards and circulation axes. Introverted mass for knowledge production.

PUBLIC LIBRARY

SHARING Library, common spaces, open spaces, classrooms

PRODUCTION Physics, Chemistry and Biology buildings(research)

PRIVATE RESEARCH BUILDINGS PRIVACY INCREASES

Superimposition of the lightweight steel structure. Extraverted spaces for knowledge sharing.

The mass is gently inserted into the slope, creates a total flat surface at the top.It starts as burried to the ground, then it ends up by displaying its true self. For the individual part, each of us follows the same principles, that we constructed during the first design phase.

Following pages demonstrate my individual work on the physics building(2).

Subtraction from the mass that is given by us from the first design phase, to define the main entrance and the secondary exit.

Addition of the surfaces to the steel frame.

Addition of the lightweight steel frame onto the concrete.

The program consists of entrance hall, offices, classrooms, labs and computer lab, 1000m² total.

All laboratories are placed within the mass, while offices and classrooms are placed at the first floor to the steel grid structure. The idea is to create a separation of functions, offices and classrooms are considered as the places for knowledge sharing, while laboratories are for the knowledge production.

N

B

A

A

B

A clear distinction.

Two different characteristics of space.

Two different experience.

Above - View from the atrium, looking through classrooms at top, and the main lab at bottom.

Left - View from the main lab, looking through the atrium, and at the back, computer lab.

Right - View from the second lab looking through other labs.

URBAN COCOON

architectural design studio I individual location : Ankara, Turkey type : rooftop extension duration : 5 weeks taught by: Prof. Dr. Güven Arif Sargın Lect. Fatih Cengiz Oz

fall16

living unit-a 4 people

living unit-b

The Turkish Chamber of Architects has been one of the influential centers of thought on architecture and urbanism since its founding in 1954. The Urban Cocoon is intended to enhance the intellectual function of the chamber by providing spaces for temporary accommodation (live) and collective production (work). It is conceived at the top most level of the current building of the chamber as an architectural entity that is in a symbiotic relationship with the existing structure. The rooftop and the last floor(5th) is open to be designed, while other parts of the building remain same. The program consists of an event space(108m²), living spaces(108m²), services (42m²). A total footprint of 360m² is expected to be designed. Since the 5th floor and rooftop footprint is not enough to place all these functions in, instead of trying to squeeze everything, I propose a completely new additional structure onto the building. The idea is based on the separation of all additional interventions (spaces and structures) from the main building.

1 person

living unit-c 5 people

living unit-d1 1 person

living unit-d2 1 person

living unit-d3

Removal of walls, windows, roof and 4 columns at the front.

1 person

event space

20-30 people

the building

Addition of living units at back, surfaces in front for the event space.

Addition of the steel truss, steel elements hung from the truss.

Exposed.

As the intestines of a building are extracted out.

Every single element is on display.

Nothing is hidden.

The urban cocoon is composed of temporary living spaces and an event space that has the capacity to accommodate various events. The events that are expected to take place in the cocoon include but are not limited to; workshops, exhibitions, colloquia, forums, lectures, screenings and design practice. Depending on the activities, the residents of the temporary living spaces can be; students, visiting scholars, professionals, artists or any other individual that is hosted by chamber.

fin. gรถkberk koรงak january 2020