I grew up in the smallest city of Turkey, Yalova, where green hills meet the water. As a child, I did not know how lucky I was to live so close to nature. During the weekdays, I went to school, while the weekends were filled with outdoor activities.
At the age of 12, I moved to Istanbul, which is a megacity at the border of Europe and Asia. The city is a cultural melting pot and its unique identity is the result of many civilizations that inhabited the area throughout history. One of the present challenges is the high population that exceeds the urban capacity. Over the years, I witnessed the slow extinction of traditional architecture, recreational areas, and green spaces. High-rises have become the new face of the city. This has a severe impact on the climate such as preventing sunlight from entering the streets. This is also affecting the cultural identity of the city.
I decided to study sustainable architecture to design structures that respect nature, traditional architectures, and social needs. During my studies, I traveled the world to observe different cultures and their traditional building styles. The rich variety of architecture in the world is the result of different social behaviors and diverse landscapes. For example, rural Moroccan houses are made of bricks and the rooms are arranged around a courtyard whereas the traditional Nepali houses are made of wood and face toward their rice terraces. In Malta, old stone houses keep it cool during summer and warm during winter, while in Scandinavia, the southern facades take full advantage of the limited amount of sunlight. What impressed me in these places is that their lives are in perfect harmony with their environment. Unfortunately, today, it is becoming more and more common to see the same building style in different parts of the world. These copy-paste buildings disregard the local climate, lifestyle, and resources.
As an architect, I believe that we must benefit from the experience of the past and the technology of the future. We must think globally but build locally. And above all, we must consider the prosperity of our environments as a whole and not as an isolated urban jungle.
My goal is to help create sustainable cities and communities. I dream of a world where human existence does not threaten nature and biodiversity. A world where our species is a part of the balance and our habitats blend in with the ecosystem. As the youth of today, we are the future of this planet. We have the opportunity and—most importantly—the responsibility to leave a green earth to the next generations.