Kind of a Memoir

I am in grief and I don’t know where to put all the pieces of myself. I was deeply saddened over the past weeks by the earthquake in Turkey and I still am. I have been trying to gather my thoughts on this and I still can’t find the right words to express myself. I am sad and angry.

As we witnessed through the acts of all volunteers and non-governmental organisations in the earthquake zone, collaborative movements are one of the most powerful tools of humans. This collective action also forms the essence of the discipline of architecture. An essence in which the different parties are involved to share their knowledge. Isn’t it the reasoning of all the group works during our architectural education or collaborations in our professional life?

But when it comes to reality, it becomes difficult to pursue this cooperation in architecture. Polarised fields, political conditions and the tendency towards individuality makes it impossible. But it is also certain that the very qualitative studies have been shared. For instance, lately I come across a lot about earthen and wooden structures. However, we should be able to create a workspace that can gather these two different actors and their insights.

I believe that the involvement of different fields should shape cities and this is an inevitable truth. No one can overcome the challenges that our built environment deals with alone. A new workspace with various actors is essential.