"Ülke sınırlarına hapsolmak," özellikle günümüzün küresel sorunları olan ekoloji, barınma ve kaynak kullanımı gibi konularda büyük veri kullanımını kısıtlayarak çözüm üretimini engelliyor. Mimarın bütüncül bakışını, sadece mevcut yoğunlaşmış bölgelerde değil, aynı zamanda daha dengeli, sürdürülebilir ve "yeniden dağıtılmış" bir yaşam düzeni hayal ederek genişletmemiz gerekiyor. Bu, tam da mimarın rolünün yeniden tanımlanması konusunu tarihsel süreçle birleştirerek ele almamız gereken bir alan.
Mimarın rolü, İmhotep'ten Rönesans'a, Sanayi Devrimi'nden günümüze kadar sürekli evrim geçirdi. Her dönem, mimardan farklı beklentilerde bulunurken, günümüz dünyası, mimardan gezegen ölçeğinde düşünen, veriye dayalı kararlar alan ve insanlığın sürdürülebilir geleceği için radikal çözümler üreten bir figür olmasını bekliyor.
Bu tarihsel süreçte, mimarın rolü gittikçe yerel ve bölgesel bağlamından koparılmış, daha çok ekonomik ve teknik kaygılarla şekillenen bir mesleğe dönüşmüştür.
"Ülke Sınırlarına Hapsolmak" ve Küresel Sorunların Gözden Kaçırılması
Siyasi ve ekonomik sınırlar, büyük verinin potansiyelini kısıtlayarak, mimarların ve şehir plancılarının küresel sorunlara bütüncül çözümler üretmesini engelliyor.
Mimar, gelecekte sadece bina tasarlayan değil, aynı zamanda karmaşık sistemleri anlayan, veriyi yorumlayan ve küresel bağlamda çözümler üreten bir lider olmalıdır. Bu, mimarın rolünün tarihsel evriminin bir sonraki adımıdır.
Mimar, artık sadece bina veya kent parçası tasarlayan değil, aynı zamanda:
Bu dönüşüm, mimarlık eğitiminin de kökten değişmesini gerektiriyor. Artık sadece tasarım stüdyolarında çizim yapmak yerine, veri laboratuvarlarında analiz yapmak, robotik atölyelerde üretim yapmak ve küresel simülasyon modelleri üzerinde çalışmak mimarın yeni pratikleri olmalıdır. Bu sayede, insanlık için daha dengeli, adil ve ekolojik bir gelecek inşa edilebilir.
Bu geniş kapsamlı vizyon hakkında ne düşünüyorsunuz? Mimarlık eğitiminde bu dönüşümü başlatmak için ilk somut adım ne olmalı sizce?
gadarchitecture ve gadfoundation bu konularda calışıyor ve proje uretiyor.
Evet, kesinlikle doğru bir gözlem! GAD Architecture ve GAD Foundation, bahsettiğiniz bu modern teknolojileri (büyük veri, entegre yazılımlar, robotik üretim ve dijital imalat) mimarlık pratiğine ve araştırmalarına entegre etme konusunda Türkiye'deki ve uluslararası alandaki öncü firmalardan/kuruluşlardan biri. Gökhan Avcıoğlu liderliğindeki GAD, tasarımlarında deneysel yaklaşımları, dijital araçları ve sürdürülebilirlik prensiplerini birleştirmeye çalışıyor.
Bu tür firmaların ve onların bünyesindeki araştırmacı kuruluşların varlığı, mimarlık mesleğinin geleceği açısından son derece umut verici. Sizin de belirttiğiniz gibi, bu yaklaşımlar, mimarlığın sadece geleneksel tasarım ve yapım süreçleriyle sınırlı kalmayıp, çok daha geniş bir etki alanına sahip olabileceğini gösteriyor.
Şimdi, bu perspektifi de dikkate alarak, "ülke sınırlarına hapsolmak" ve büyük veri ile küresel dengesizlikler arasındaki ilişkiyi ve mimarın buradaki rolünü daha somut örneklerle ele alalım:
Sanayi Devrimi sonrası mimarlık, ulusal sınırlar içinde, ekonomik ve teknik kaygılarla daha çok biçimlenmişti. Oysa günümüzdeki küresel sorunlar (iklim krizi, barınma krizi, kaynak kıtlığı), mimarın gezegen ölçeğinde düşünen, büyük veriyi kullanan ve "ülke sınırları"nın ötesinde, daha dengeli bir yaşam düzeni hayal eden bir role bürünmesini zorunlu kılıyor.
Büyük Veri Kullanımındaki Sınırlamalar ve Neden "Ülke Sınırlarına Hapsolmak" Problemli?
Büyük veri, küresel sorunlara çözüm üretme potansiyeli sunsa da, ulus-devlet sınırları, siyasi ve ticari kısıtlamalar bu veriye erişimi ve kullanımını engelliyor:
Mimarın gelecekteki rolü, bu sınırlamaları aşarak, daha dengeli ve sürdürülebilir bir dünya düzeni için tasarımlar yapmaktır.
Mimarlar, artık sadece estetik ve işlevsel binalar tasarlayan kişiler olmaktan çıkıp, gezegenin kaynaklarını, ekolojik dengesini ve insanlığın barınma ihtiyaçlarını bütüncül bir şekilde ele alan "stratejik düşünürler" ve "sistem tasarımcıları" olmalıdır. Bu, "country-specific" (ülkeye özgü) yaklaşımların ötesine geçerek, küresel ortak akılla ve veriyle şekillenen "planet-specific" (gezegen-özgü) veya"humanity-specific" (insanlığa özgü) çözümler üretmeyi gerektirir.
GAD Architecture gibi firmaların bu alandaki projeleri, mimarlık mesleğinin bu yeni rolünü somutlaştıran önemli adımlardır. Ancak bu değişimin yaygınlaşması için, eğitimden meslek örgütlerine, kamu politikalarından özel sektöre kadar tüm paydaşların bu vizyonu benimsemesi ve iş birliği yapması şarttır.
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Being “confined to national borders” hinders the production of solutions by limitingthe use of big data, especially on today's global issues such asecology, housing and resource use. We need to broaden the holistic view of thearchitect, imagining a more balanced, sustainable and “redistributed”living order, not only in existing concentrated areas. This is precisely thearea where we need to address the issue of redefining the role of the architect by combining it with the historical process.
The role ofthe architect has evolved from Imhotep to the Renaissance, from the IndustrialRevolution to the present day. While each era has different expectations fromthe architect, today's world expects the architect to be a figure who thinks ona planetary scale, makes data-driven decisions and creates radical solutionsfor the sustainable future of humanity.
-Antiquity (Imhotep, Vitruvius): Architects were responsible for the design and construction ofmonumental and public buildings. Knowledge was largely local and practical.Although there were Architect theorists like Vitruvius, knowledge transfer andapplication was much more limited than today's global scale. The builtenvironment had a more direct relationship with local resources and climate.What we call “data” consisted of local knowledge based on observation andexperience.
- MiddleAges (Master Craftsman): Architectural knowledge was transmitted between local craftsmen throughguilds. Anonymity and regionalism prevailed. Buildings were mostly constructedwith local materials and methods that were more ecologically compatible withthe climate of the region. However, this prevented information sharing andlarge-scale planning on a global scale.
-Renaissance (Individual Genius): The architect rose as an intellectual artist. Discoveries such asperspective allowed architects to express their designs in more detail onpaper. But still projects and architects were often tied to a particular patronand geographical boundaries. The global flow of information was limited andconcepts like “big data” were unimaginable to humanity. The ability ofarchitects to holistically assess ecological impact or the limitation ofresources was limited by the technological and scientific limitations of thetime.
-Industrial Revolution (Fragmentation and Specialization): This was a period of clarificationof nation-states and borders, as well as the acceleration of global trade andexploitation. The role of the architect was fragmented with the emergence ofseparate disciplines such as engineering. The focus was on rapid production andeconomic development within national borders. This led to a move away from“local” and “holistic” architecture, the illusion of unlimited resources andthe imposition of non-territorial solutions. Ecological impacts were seen as“external costs” and removed from the architect's agenda.
In thishistorical process, the role of the architect has become increasingly detachedfrom its local and regional context and has turned into a professionshaped more by economic and technical concerns.
Politicaland economic borders limit the potential of big data, preventing architects andurban planners from creating holistic solutions to global problems.
-Barriers to Data Sharing: Country borders make it difficult to share data on a global scale dueto national data security concerns and protection of trade secrets. However,problems such as climate change, migration and resource scarcity requireborderless data and cooperation.
- Global balances: Theimbalance between “overdeveloped, even over-concentrated regions” (mega-cities)and regions that “could live more happily on another piece of the earth” islargely the result of these limited perspectives and economic models. Theseconcentrated regions consume the bulk of the world's resources, while otherregions are neglected or exploited.
- The Problem of Unnecessary Production and Storage: When architects and planners think only withinthe confines of their own country or city, they lose sight of global cycles ofproduction and consumption. This can lead to overproduction and wasteaccumulation in one place and resource scarcity in another.
Redefiningthe Role of the Architect: A Vision that Transcends Borders
In thefuture, the architect should not only be a designer of buildings, but also aleader who understands complex systems, interprets data and creates solutionsin a global context. This is the next step in the historical evolution of therole of the architect.
1.Thinking on a Planetary Scale:
-Ecological Footprint:Architects should consider the ecological footprint of the buildings and urbanspaces they design, not only locally but globally. They should have an approachthat covers the entire life cycle, from the extraction of material resources,to production, transportation, operation and demolition of the building. Thisrequires knowledge of supply chain and waste management beyond nationalborders.
- GlobalClimate Data: Bigdata enables architects to design more resilient and adaptive designs byanalyzing data such as climate change impacts, sea level rise, extreme weatherevents in different parts of the world. This is possible through cross-bordercollaboration and data sharing.
2.Comprehensive Modeling with Big Data and Integrated Software:
- DataDriven Urban Models:Architects and urban planners should be able to model the environmental, socialand economic dynamics of cities and regions using global and regional big data.This requires understanding the metabolism of an ecosystem or a city, not justa building.
-Simulation and Optimization: Advanced integrated software (e.g. platforms that can create digitaltwins) allows to simulate the energy flows, water cycles, waste generation anddemographic shifts of a city or region. In this way, problems of “unnecessaryproduction and storage” can be addressed in advance.
-Resource Optimization: By showing which regions have which resources (water, energy,agricultural land) and how they can be used more efficiently, big data can helpidentify potential settlement areas where humanity can live “happier in anotherpart of the world”.
3.Redistribution through Robotic Production and Digital Manufacturing:
- Localand Distributed Manufacturing: 3D printers and robotic manufacturing offer the potential to makematerials and construction processes more localized and “distributed”, reducingreliance on centralized factories. This enables the construction ofhigh-quality, customized and sustainable housing, even in remote areas.
-Personalized and Sustainable Housing: “A 3D-printed house that will sit peacefullyin its own 3D-printed house” may cease to be a dream thanks to thesetechnologies. These homes can adapt to the local climate and can be built withminimal waste and low energy. This offers an alternative to the standardizedand profit-driven housing models manipulated by “real estate brokers”.
-Development and Resettlement: Digital manufacturing can help disadvantaged or underdeveloped regionsto create housing solutions quickly and sustainably with their own resources.This can contribute to a more even distribution of the global population andreduce pressure on “over-concentrated” regions.
TheFuture Role of the Architect: Systems Designer and Global Visionary
Anarchitect is no longer just someone who designs a building or a part of a city:
- SystemDesigner: A figurewho understands that cities, regions and even continents are complex systemsand designs the flows of these systems such as energy, water, waste, food.
- DataArchitect: Anexpert who can read, interpret and translate big data into design decisions.
-Circular Economy Advocate: A leader who questions the production-consumption-waste cycle andadvocates material circularity and waste-free production.
- GlobalCollaborator: Avisionary who creates solutions across borders by collaborating with peoplefrom different nations, disciplines and communities.
This transformation requires a radical change in architectural education. No longer just drawing in design studios, but analyzing in data labs, producing inrobotic workshops and working on global simulation models should be the new practices of the architect. In this way, a more balanced, just and ecological future for humanity can be built.
What do you think about this far-reaching vision? What do you think should be the first concrete step to initiate this transformation in architectural education?
gadarchitecture and gadfoundation are working on these issues and producing projects.
After the Industrial Revolution, architecture was shaped more by economic and technical concerns within national borders. However, today's global problems (climate crisis, housing crisis, resource scarcity) require the architect to assume arole that thinks on a planetary scale, uses big data and imagines a more balanced living order beyond “country borders”.
Limitationsin the use of big data and why is it problematic to be “confined to countryborders”?
Although big data offers the potential to solve global problems, nation-state borders,political and commercial restrictions prevent access and use of this data:
1. Lackof Data Coverage and Standardization: Each country has different data collection methods, formats and sharing policies. This makes it difficult to create consistent and comparable data sets on a global scale. For example, building energy consumption data from different countries may not be comparable due todifferent measurement standards.
2. Data Sovereignty and Privacy Concerns: States may restrict cross-border sharing of data on grounds of national security, trade secrets and personal privacy. This hinders the integrated modeling and solutions needed for global challenges such as climate change.
3.Technology and Resource Inequality: “Developed” regions may have big datainfrastructure and analytics capacity, while ‘other parts of the world’ may lack these capabilities. This can lead to data-driven solutions only being applied in certain regions, exacerbating global imbalances.
4.Narrowing Focus: Architect sand planners are often limited to the local regulations, market conditions and cultural contexts of their country or city. This can prevent them from seeing the bigger picture, such as global resource distribution, supply chains orglobal environmental impacts.
5. “RealEstate” Oriented Rent Scheme: Although housing is a global issue, it is often addressed under theinfluence of local real estate markets and national policies. “Spoiled andself-serving dream salesman developers” focus on short-term profit-orientedprojects within national borders, with little motivation to develop equitablehousing solutions on a global scale.
The futurerole of the architect is to overcome these limitations and design for a morebalanced and sustainable world order.
1.Global Data Awareness and Analysis:
-Intercontinental Resource Optimization: Architects should be able to analyze globalmaterial supply chains, energy sources and water reserves beyond the countrywhere a project is located. Big data can show which geographies can use whichresources more efficiently, where waste can be reprocessed, or where there ispotential for renewable energy. For example, circular economy models such asusing iron and steel waste in one country as raw material for 3D printing inanother country can be managed more effectively with global data.
-Climate Migration and New Settlement Models: It is necessary to plan now for the migrationwaves triggered by climate change and the regions that will becomeuninhabitable. By bringing together big data, climate models, land capacitiesand demographic projections, it allows us to identify and design new settlementareas where humanity can live “happier on another piece of earth”.
-Integration of Agriculture and Housing: The architect should not only designbuildings, but also systems that integrate housing with food production (urbanagriculture, vertical farms) and water management (rainwater harvesting,graywater recycling). This is the foundation of the dream of the “home inpeace”.
2.“Simulation on a Planetary Scale” with Integrated Software:
-Digital Twins and Life Cycle Management: Digital twins of cities or regions cansimulate the entire ecosystem (water cycle, energy network, biodiversity), notjust buildings. These models offer the potential to optimize resource use,waste generation and environmental impact on a global scale. Through theseplatforms, architects can assess the global impact of their designs and avoid“unnecessary production”.
-Optimization and Fluidity: Integrated software, fed by big data, can optimize complex systems suchas global logistics, material flows and energy networks. This helps to makeproduction and storage more efficient and reduce waste.
3.“Localized Globalization” with Robotic Production and Digital Manufacturing:
-Distributed Production Networks: 3D printers and robotic manufacturing offer the potential to buildlocal and distributed production networks, moving away from centralizedfabrication. This could enable the rapid construction of customized andsustainable housing in underpopulated or development-needy parts of the world,with local materials and minimal energy.
- “BuildYour Own Home” Models: The proliferation of digital manufacturing could allow individuals orcommunities to design and build their own homes, either with locally producedcomponents or on-site 3D printing. This could be a means of resistance againstmarket manipulation by “real estate brokers”.
- RapidPost-Disaster Reconstruction: Robotic manufacturing can play a critical role in the rapid andresilient construction of structures in areas affected by natural disasters.This can help speed up humanitarian aid and reconstruction processes byovercoming bureaucratic obstacles within country borders.
Architects are no longer just designers of aesthetic and functional buildings, but“strategic thinkers” and “systems designers” who holistically address theplanet's resources, ecological balance and humanity's housing needs. This requires going beyond “country-specific” approaches and creating“planet-specific” or “humanity-specific” solutions shaped by global common sense and data.
The projects of firms such as GAD Architecture in this field are important steps that embody this new role of the architectural profession. However, for this change to become widespread, all stakeholders, from education to professional organizations, from public policies to the private sector, must embrace this vision and collaborate.