2nd ECOLOGICAL ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING SYMPOSIUM

27–28 April 2007 | Antalya

The 2nd National Ecological Architecture and Planning Symposium, organized by the Antalya Branch of the Chamber of Architects, was held in Antalya on 27–28 April 2007.

The opening speeches of the symposium were delivered by M. Osman Aydın, President of the Antalya Branch of the Chamber of Architects, and Prof. Dr. Yıldırım Yavuz. The thematic presentation of the symposium was delivered by Architect Oktay Ekinci.

The symposium, which was also attended by Prof. Dr. Arwind Krishan from India and Prof. Brian Edwards from the United Kingdom, featured six thematic or invited lectures and 25 scientific papers. Current issues in the field of ecological architecture and planning, approaches toward the creation of sustainable cities, and the measures that could be taken in Türkiye were discussed with the contributions of participants from different disciplines.

Aim and Scope of the Symposium

Industrialization and developments in science and technology have significantly changed the relationship between humans and nature; the perception of nature as an unlimited resource has led to the rapid depletion of natural assets, natural resources, and the environment. This situation has, since the second half of the twentieth century, brought environmental problems and the sustainability of natural resources into discussion at the international level.

In line with these developments, ecological architecture and planning have become one of the principal fields of study within the discipline of architecture. The symposium aimed to evaluate the relationships among ecology, economy, architecture, and planning with the objective of creating sustainable cities and living environments.

Symposium Themes

The symposium programme was organized under two main themes:

1. Ecological Architecture

• Relationships among ecology, economy, and architecture
• Ecological approaches in traditional architecture
• Ecological priorities in contemporary architecture
• Ecological architecture and examples of applications
• Legal and administrative issues in ecological architecture
• Ecological architecture and tourism

2. Ecological Planning

• Relationships among ecological planning, economy, and politics
• Ecological rehabilitation
• Ecological planning and examples of applications
• Legal and administrative issues of ecological planning
• Ecological planning and tourism

Papers Presented at the Symposium

• Sargun Tont – İzzet Özkeresteci: An Attempt to Relate Ecological Architecture to Scientific Understanding
• Prof. Brian Edwards – Mediha Burcu Sılaydın: Ecological Planning: Is It Possible Through Planning Practice and Conservation Efforts Conducted at the Urban Scale?
• Nezire Papatya Seçkin: Solar and Wind Control in Ecological Design
• Süha Özkan – Bayazıt Büyükyıldırım – Ayşin Sev: The Role of Technology in Ecological Architecture and Energy-Efficient Buildings
• Prof. Dr. Vacit İmamoğlu – Mehmet Tunçer – Özge Yalçıner Ercoşkun: Ecological Planning for Antalya Shaped by Urban Land Rent Pressure
• Murat Dal: Causes of the Deterioration of Limestones Used in Traditional Buildings of Northwestern Thrace
• İsmail Erten: Ecological Approaches in the Development Areas of Çanakkale
• Gülcan M. Yener – Veyis Özek: Evaluation of the Climatic Factor in the Formation of Traditional Residential Architecture
• Sultan Şimşek – Ayşe Önder: Ecological Approaches in Traditional Architecture: The Case of Kayseri
• İbrahim Bakır – Fatih Canan – Sami Kalfaoğlu: Evaluation of Traditional Rural Architecture in Terms of Ecological Sensitivity
• Semra Arslan Selçuk – Arzu Gönenç Sorguç: Learning from Nature and Sustainable Architecture
• Figen Beyhan Kars – Esra Lakot – Özlem Aydın: Determining Design Priorities Through the Examination of Ecological and Sustainable Architectural Approaches Based on High-Rise Building Examples
• Aylin Salıcı – Erdoğan Gültekin: The Importance of Urban Ecological Corridors in the Urban Development Process: The Case of Adana
• Veyis Özek – Pınar Kısaovalı: Criteria for Reducing the Energy Requirements of Buildings in Ecological Architecture and Their Importance for Our Country
• Enes Yaşa: Energy-Efficient Design Criteria in Ecological Architecture and Application Examples for Temperate Climate Regions
• Hilal Erkuş Öztürk: An Alternative Approach to Ecological Tourism Planning
• Ali Türk – Rafet Kıstır: Environmentally Sensitive Tourism Planning Approaches in the Context of the Conservation of Historical and Environmental Resources: The Case of Isparta
• Atilla Gül – Oğuzhan Özaltın: An Ecological Planning Approach for Ecotourism in Protected Natural Areas of Türkiye
• Özgür Özkan: Coastal Ecology and Marinas
• Tolga Uzun: Green Roof Applications in Ecological Architecture
• Neslihan Kulözü: Reflections of the Ecosystem on Local Life and Vernacular Architecture
• Gökhan Avcı: The Use of Wood Material and Its Impact on Ecology
• Ertuğrul Aladağ: The Dependence of Village Earthen Roofs on Local Natural Materials
• İsmet Şahin: An Examination of Yıldız Park and the Yıldız Palace Imperial Garden as an Example of Planning Park and Garden Design Through an Ecological Approach
• Aydın Özdemir: Design Examples Compatible with Natural Topography in Ecological Architecture and the Relationship Between Architecture and Landscape Architecture

Symposium Final Declaration

In the evaluations carried out within the scope of the symposium, it was emphasized that natural values are being progressively lost due to unbalanced planning decisions and environmentally insensitive architectural practices in Türkiye. It was stated that, in order to ensure the rehabilitation and sustainability of natural and cultural values and to re-establish a healthy relationship between humans and nature, the relevant individuals, institutions, and communities should undertake shared responsibility.

At the conclusion of the symposium, it was decided that the final declaration, unanimously adopted, would be submitted to the relevant ministries, universities, and non-governmental organizations.

The declaration included the following recommendations:

Courses on environmental awareness, ecological architecture, and ecological planning should be incorporated into the curricula of faculties providing education in architecture and planning; environmental laboratories should be established, and research projects in these fields should be supported.

The environmental suitability of architectural projects prepared for all building types should be reviewed by professional chambers.

Urban planning studies should be conducted in accordance with the principles of ecological cities; land policies within cities should be re-evaluated accordingly.

Ecological criteria should be prioritized in architectural environmental design and landscape planning.

Sustainable architecture and ecological planning should become an integral part of lifelong education.

Cooperation should be established among local governments, the Chamber of Architects, and faculties of architecture; local media should be utilized to inform the public, and ecological architecture projects should be implemented through collaborative projects developed among universities.

Thematic parks exhibiting ecological and alternative energy systems should be established.

An ecological research centre should be established in Antalya, and data related to ecology should be collected within this centre.

Names Included in the Final Declaration

• Prof. Dr. Yıldırım Yavuz — Faculty of Architecture, Middle East Technical University
• M. Osman Aydın — President, Antalya Branch of the Chamber of Architects
• Prof. Dr. Yusuf Gürçınar — Faculty of Fine Arts, Çukurova University
• Architect Oktay Ekinci
• Prof. Dr. Vacit İmamoğlu — Faculty of Architecture, Middle East Technical University
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Seda Tönük — Faculty of Architecture, Yıldız Technical University
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çetin Göksu — Faculty of Architecture, Middle East Technical University