QUESTIONING BOUNDARIES
Exploring design solutions in a changing world.
In the immediate aftermath following the devastating earthquakes that occurred on February, 2023 in the south-eastern region of Turkey and affecting a vast area composed of several provinces with a total population of approximately 14 million people, the Faculty of Architecture of Yaşar University intends to propose a moment of reflection on those dramatic events with the aim of intersecting disciplinary areas of research and practice directly and indirectly relating with the issues of resilience and transformation in urbanism, architecture, and interiors.
Scheduled between 3-5 April 2023, the third edition of the Design Fest of the Faculty of Architecture of Yaşar University proposes a rich program of talks and workshops under the general theme of ‘Questioning Boundaries’, a new variation of previous Fests’ themes – ‘Breaking Boundaries’ (2021) and ‘Circulating Boundaries’ (2022).
With the intention of remarking on the fact that the concept of boundaries plays a significant role in many disciplinary fields including architecture, interior architecture, urban design and urban planning, art, social sciences, and others, the third edition of the Design Fest offers a new set of activities encouraging reflections on new possibilities to rethink the idea of boundaries from an interdisciplinary perspective that integrates both theoretical and technical matters.
In particular, the proposed theme revolves around the aim of questioning disciplinary boundaries in a time of changes; the way we are used to living, and more specifically our physical, social and mental environments need to be analyzed and redefined.
The theme “Questioning Boundaries” emerges from the idea that in a world heavily affected by climate change, natural disasters, diminishing resources, wars, displacement of populations, economic crisis but also transformed by the fast development of virtual environments and socialization platforms, international solidarity, re-localization of human activities, protection of biodiversity and natural ecosystems. Architects and designers are asked to play a pivotal role in envisioning new spaces hosting human activities. The definition of new spaces of the built environment goes through – but is not limited to – questioning the physical occupation of the space and its dimensions (micro-living), its relation with the changing climate and natural disasters and its adaptability (transformable living), and the usage of it by populations of different cultures (appropriable living).
Following these intentions, the Design Fest 2023 offers talks and workshops, covering crucial issues such as sustainable and resilient development in town planning and architecture, living and relationships between nature and artifacts, rethinking material selection of architecture and design in a time of environmental crisis and natural disasters, solar building design, biogenic and earthen architecture.
The Design program that we organize as the Faculty of Architecture with the theme of “Questioning Boundaries” aims to provide an opportunity to integrate academia by involving stakeholders from practice to explore the ways of questioning boundaries.
The program includes online seminars and workshops.
Although predominantly oriented toward Architecture / Interior Architecture and Environmental Design disciplines, the program will be open to the participation of students, academicians, and professionals from all design fields.