The Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture (FFAA) held a panel titled “Urban Resilience and Disasters” at the HKU Culture and Congress Centre, bringing together student-focused design work and the search for solutions to urban problems, with the participation of professionals and academics. At the end of the panel, awards were presented at a ceremony to the projects produced in the “Comfortable Living Spaces Workshop”.
The subject of “Urban Resilience” was addressed from a broad perspective by experts. The panel was attended by HKU Rector Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli, HKU Vice-Rectors Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan and Prof. Dr. Mehmet Lütfi Yola, FFAA Acting Dean Prof. Dr. Gülden Gümüşburun Ayalp, Chamber of Architects Gaziantep Branch President Mustafa Büyükuncu, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality City Council President Erdem Güzelbey, and professionals, academics and students who are experts in the field.
At the opening of the programme, HKU Rector Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli emphasised that the panel brought together academics, architects and students who are experts in their fields to address the search for solutions to urban problems. He said: “In today’s world, natural disasters, environmental changes and social crises are among the most serious threats facing our cities. Considering our country’s geographical position, ensuring that our citizens have the right to live in safe buildings against the risk of earthquakes, strengthening existing buildings and designing sustainable buildings are of great importance for the safety and welfare of our society. We aim to offer the contributions of knowledge and science to the losses that earthquakes will cause. We stress that the foundations of structures should be laid on the basis of education, that the soundness of these standards should be tested and analysed, and that they should be applied by all stakeholders. The “Comfortable Living Spaces” workshop held as part of our event is one of the best examples of this. The innovative ideas that emerged in this workshop will be a source of inspiration on the way to building better cities and stronger societies.”
Emphasising that cities must be resilient not only physically but also socially, economically and culturally in the face of natural disasters and crises, FFAA Acting Dean Prof. Dr. Gülden Gümüşburun Ayalp said: “Our aim is to discuss how urban resilience can be achieved, the effects of disasters and crises on cities, and innovative approaches to coping with these effects. I believe that together we can produce solutions to make the cities of the future more resilient, more sustainable and more liveable.”
Following the opening speeches, important discussions were held in the “Urban Resilience and Disasters” panel, moderated by HKU FFAA faculty member Asst. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Murat Uluğ, on how cities can be made more resilient to natural and human-induced crises. Participants addressed innovative approaches to urban resilience and exchanged ideas on urbanisation and disaster management.
“Gifts Found Their Owners at the Awards Ceremony!”
As part of the event, the projects produced at the end of the two-day “Comfortable Living Spaces” workshop, organised at HKU with the participation of students from the FFAA Architecture and Interior Architecture departments, were evaluated by a jury, and the projects found successful were awarded.
