RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2011

The Geographical Imagination

31 August - 2 September 2011, London

Back to Roots

Beria Bayizitlioglu BSc, MSc, PhD, CAT (Chamber of Architects of Turkey)

(also, affiliate member RIBA) 1980 to 1987, research assistant in İstanbul Technical University, 1987 to 2006, architect, interior designer, design co-ordinator and

project manager in Turkey, 2006 to 2009, assistant professor in the Faculty of Architecture,

Istanbul Technical University, 2008 to 2009, assistant professor at the School of Architecture,

University of Kent, UK. 2009 onwards, BAR&C Architectural consultant. Main topic of interest; the design, environmental and psychological

quality of houses and housing neighbourhoods. Author of numerous articles and papers on the subject of housing

quality; also the book İnsan Mekan İletisimi (Human - Space Communication) published in 2009.

Back to roots ‘If multivalent architecture is one way of establishing place and giving a strong identity to

form, then another obvious way of place-making is simply by taking into account the locale and its tradition’ Charles Jencks in ‘Modern Movements in Architecture’.

Architects were influenced by their typical national characteristics, and their buildings reflected their national identity:

Scandinavian modern was Nordic in feeling, nature-oriented and socially responsible, German was tough and ordered, Swiss was bourgeois and clean, Italian was vigorously modelled, sophisticated and slick to the point of decadence, Indian was strong and impoverished, Israeli was hexagonal and full of six-pointed stars, Japanese was constructivist, black on white, full of slight curves. Saynatsalo Civic Centre, Finland:

Designed by Alvar Aalto, 1949-52

Local valuesLocal values such as topography, climate and culture were

determining factors in architecture and planning until the beginning of the 20th

century. Topography : Topographical shape and attributes of land and

climate make settlements distinct from each other. Climate: The methods of adapting architecture to different

climatic conditions provide the necessary comfort standards of buildings internally. They do not rely on energy-led technology to contradict the natural environment.

Context: The buildings were erected according to the distinctive cultural context and to their knowledge of the local geography and climate. Thus the identity and the unique character of each place (sense of place) about that environment were formed in time.

Ovakent-İzmir-Turkey: Buildings settled on the hill to get cool summer breeze.

Kapadokya-Turkey:

Houses carved in the conic

hills.

Ovakent-İzmir-Turkey: Buildings on narrow roads create shadow in hot summer days.

Bologna-Italy: Arcades at both

side of the roads protect

people from rain, snow and

sun.

Newcastle-UK: The new building is in context by respecting the old ones.

Brief history of Modern Movement In the nineteenth century, with the break-up of traditional

cultures the modernism ideology formed. Before that ‘Art and Crafts’ or ‘National Romantic’ movement had preffered the ways of building with a strong sense of locality.

In the beginning of 20th century Modern Architecture has been defined as:

A ‘universal’ international style stemming from the facts of the new constructional means, adequate to a new industrial society, and having as its goal the transformation of society, both its taste, or perception, and social make-up .

Bauhaus-Universität Weimar: Designed by Henry van de Velde, 1904 - 1911

Unity Temple, Chicago: Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, built between 1905

and 1908

Late modernismLate-Modern Architecture is pragmatic and technocratic in its social ideology and takes many of the stylistic ideas of modernism to an extreme in order to resuscitate a dull language.

The exaggerated, disordered and extreme phase of modern. Creating some meanings in terms of complexity and contradictory within a form which conveyed themselves directly, regardless of the context. Have been concentrated on ‘high tech’ architecture that ignores local climate. Producing ‘unharmonious harmony’ with its irrational logic.

Hancock Tower, Chicago: Designed Bruce Graham with structural engineer Fazlur

Khan, 1968

Includes a variety of approaches which depart from the paternalism and utopianismof its predecessor, but they all have a double-coded language – one part modern andpart something else. The reason of this double-coding are technological and semiotic: The architects seek to use a current technology but also communicate with aparticular public.

Main ideas: Symbolism and metaphorical buildings. Abstraction of modernism. Accepts industrial society. Gives the buildings an imagery which surpasses that of machinery. An attempt to communicate with poetic images.

Post Modernism

Pompidou Centre, Paris: Designed by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, 1971-77

Pacific Design Center, "The Blue whale”, Los Angeles: Designed by

Cesar Pelli, 1975-6

Systematic and dynamic transmutation of movements; an exchange between abstract cyphers and concrete contingencies. Transformation from some pre-existent geometric or platonic solid to an attemporal and de-compositional mode. The form is a series of fragments – signs without meaning dependent upon, and without reference to, a more basic condition. It is opposed to the old humanist (functionalist) opposition of form and function.

New Modernism

Dancing Building or Ginger & Fred: Designed by Vlado Milunic and Frank Gehry,

1992-6. http://rolfgross.dreamhosters.com/Gehry-

GE/Images/PragueDancingHouse.jpg

At present architecture is an individualistic approach that has created its own ‘signature architects’.

An exercise in ‘branding and advertising’ for architects. Convergence between the advocacy language of architecture and

commercialism.

‘With the disappearance of the old frameworks and narratives, all that seems now to matter is individual personalities and buildings. Architects have begun to aspire to the celebrity role of pop stars or avant-garde artists. A new generation of internationally feted stararchitects has begun to cultivate an exaggeratedly sensuous individualism’. Miles Glendinning in ‘Architecture’s Evil Empire’.

Iconic buildings are designed and constructed to turn an image into a building.

Exploits the benefits of Computer Generated Design, Computer Modelling and technological improvements of materials, structures and mechanics.

An iconic building represents the image-driven architecture to make a splash and to make money.

Novelty, Attention-Seeking: Iconic buildings

Sage Music Centre, Newcastle: Designed by Norman Foster, 1997-2004

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain: Designed by Frank Gehry, 1993-7 http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/spain/bilbao

Beijing CCTV Tower: Designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren, 2008 http://www.arcspace.com/architects/koolhaas/chinese_television/

Today, in our time, local values have gradually receded from the design and construction realms, to the point where they are no longer considered.

If topography, climate and culture are not considered as design inputs, iconic buildings can be constructed anywhere in the world; in any topography, in any climatic zone, in any society. Therefore most of cities in the world are getting similar and this movement causes lack of identity, lack of concern, lack of well-being of society.

“… never before has the world been so firmly in the grip of an establishment like the present architectural one, the most rigid in the history of art. All modern cities, as they are rebuilt, grow to resemble each other more. Rio and Hong Kong, to take two with rather similar settings, are clothing themselves more and more in the same style; London and Tokyo come closer each year.”

David Hunt, ‘Memoirs: Military and Diplomatic’, London, 2006.

Brief history of sustainability 1950s: Naturalists drew public attention to ecological issues: reason of

air pollution (chemical, physical, biological), carbon emission (acid rain); and ozone depletion (global warming).

1960s: The ideology of non-violence and civil rights movement expressed by ‘flower power’ and ‘make love not war’ increased environmental awareness.

1970s: While awareness of global environmental issues was increasing energy supplies were threatened. Establishment of Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, The Club of Rome, Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

1980s: The decade of energy audits and highlighting of energy issues.

1990s: Environmental impact assessments.

2000s: The decade of sustainability plans – including Local Agenda 21s.

2010s: Pre-occupation with climate change.

Key Events 1972 United Nations Conference on Human Environment (Stockholm);

Development and environment are linked. 1987 Montreal Protocol

Protection of ozone layer. 1987 The Brundtland Report – Our Common Future

sustainable development emphasized, environmental protection, economic growth, and social equity defined.

1992 United Nations Conference - Earth Summit on Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro)

‘humans ... are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature’ and ... ‘conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the Earth’s ecosystem’

1997 Kyoto Protocol: International treaty on climate change, A commitment on the reduction of greenhouse gas emission.

2002 World Summit – Earth Summit (Johannesburg).

The need to manage the world’s natural resources and biosphere in order: to secure long term harmony between man and nature; and to achieve continuous enhancement in the environment and life quality for human and

other life forms.

Emphasises the essential relationship between natural environment and the human living patterns which were formed by geography, climate and culture.

The sustainable strategy is the capacity of using the existing crafts of an area, local or regional, and to organise the economy of building and development in the community to focus on local values.

The catchphrases of sustainability such as think global act local, the 3Rs of reduce, reuse and recycle, and stay close to source, all relate to local values.

Sustainability

Return to Local Values Today, a large percentage of building materials have an alarming degree

of toxicity: based, derived or dependent on fossil fuels, and have an intolerable degree of obsolence. High-tech buildings are compelled to a high input of energy, which is not useful for carbon emission and is destructive of the environment.

Using technological facilities to make buildings comfortable against local climate conditions is a waste of energy, money and a cause of pollution. It is important to work with, not against, local climate conditions.

The lack of context, rejection of cultural memory and psychological needs for life and identity does not work in the realm of human comfort and sustainable delight. A building should not be an object that has been dropped into a context that is alien to the community, the existing built environment, the topography or local climate.

The need to requalify and reassess all major aspects of the act of building, in terms of technology, materials and psychological needs, is urgent.

The findings of my case studies undertaken in two new medium to large size community developments, one in England, the other in Turkey support the benefits of proximity and localism. These show the importance of social engagement in encouraging a movement ‘back to roots’.

Findings of my case studies The first case study done for my PhD thesis was undertaken in İstanbul –

Bahçeşehir suburban development ten years after it was completed. Located on the European side of İstanbul, north side of the Marmara sea. The only effective transportation is by motorway. 35 km from the city centre, journey time is 1 hour by car. 44% of occupants’ idea was to move somewhere else because of being away

from social activity spaces, and the necessity to drive for journey to the city centre which was only available transportation.

The second case study was Accordia Living in Cambridge undertaken three years after it was completed. 2 km south of the city centre and one km from the railway station, 20 min walk from the town centre, 10 min from the station, On bus, cycle and pedestrian routes. 41% of occupants were not satisfied because of lack of social activity

spaces in their housing development. They prefer to walk (31%) and bicycle (28%) to the city centre of

Cambridge. Most of them sold their cars because of proximity to the city’s

facilities.

Localism Bill The Localism Bill which is presented in 2010 by the UK government,

emphasises the values of local, small scale activities as opposed to those on a national or global scale. In everything from food production to politics there is an increasing focus on from “where” as well as “what”.

It prioritises local actions and indicates a cautious devolution of power to the local level in an attempt to better implement national and international goals.

Its intention with regard to planning matters is to bring the process closer to local communities by enabling them to take more control of planning in their areas. Neighbourhoods become the building blocks of local planning, and communities are therefore put more in the driving seat to care for local assets and take on services.

The Localism Bill proposes several key changes including; Regional (rather than national) targets for housing and other

development and policies on strategic matters such as infrastructure, transport and climate change.

The introduction of neighbourhood planning with community-led development plans.

Conclusions Today’s technologies of communication encourage localism. People’s

desire to access facilities is satisfied by advanced systems. Instant communication systems such as internet and mobile telephone enable people to access all types of knowledge as well as to communicate with each other without the need for displacement.

Proximity is a traditional feature of localism which, today, is experiencing an important revival in people’s expectations as illustrated in the findings of my case studies.

All these improvements about sustainability and localism invite us to return to the roots of design inputs based on local values.

I look forward to the Localism Bill ensuring the use of local values in building design.

‘...in fact modern technology does not only serve to solve quantitative and economic problems but if properly understood may help us to substitute for devalued motifs of historicism forms which give our environment character and thereby make it become a real place’ .

Christian Norberg-Schultz in Alla ricerca dell’architettura perduta (1975).

Thank you

Dr Beria Bayizitlioglu , Architect,Consultant for Housing Quality

www.beria.co.uk

References Bayizitlioglu, B., İnsan-Mekan İletişimi (İstanbul: Edumar

Yayıncılık, 2009). Chetwyn, Dave, ‘What localism means for Heritage’ in Context 120 (July 2011), pp.21. Frompton, Kenneth, Modern Architecture (London:Thames & Hudson,

1980). Glendinning, Miles, Architecture’s Evil Empire (Glasgow: Bell &

Bain, 2010). Guedes, Pedro, The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architecture and

Technological Change (Beccles and London: 1979). Jencks, Charles, Modern Movement in Architecture (London: Penguin

Books, 1985). Jencks, C. and Kropf, K., Theories and Manifestoes of Contemporary

Architecture (Chichester-West Sussex, 2006). Powers, Alan, Britain (London, 2007). Rodwell, Dennis, Conservation and Sustainability in Historic Cities

(Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2007).