The International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism (INTBAU) Türkiye, a country-wide initiative, will be housed in the Department of Architecture at Yildiz Technical University (YTÜ). As a nascent organisation established in 2018, its first mandate is to promote the general principles of INTBAU’s Charter while encouraging the study, conservation, and new construction of traditional architecture and urbanism in Türkiye. In this line, the chapter identity is Gathering, Sharing, and Designing for All.
INTBAU Türkiye aims to bring together academics, practitioners, community leaders, and supporters to promote the values of traditional building, architecture, and urbanism, and to address the challenges facing Türkiye’s traditional context. To this end, INTBAU Türkiye is composed of members from several research centres, academics from universities across different regions, as well as practitioners and students.
The Turkish Chapter seeks to promote a wider dialogue on how to learn from the precedents and value of traditional building resources in order to meet modern challenges. Traditional environments, patterns, and processes have much to teach us about creating human habitats that are beautiful, liveable, peaceful, energy-efficient, and both ecologically and culturally sustainable. The Chapter also aims to lead studies in urbanism, focusing on liveable spaces in urban areas through both new and traditional approaches.
The Chapter’s objectives over the next three years are the following:
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To support studies, projects, and activities in Türkiye that fulfil INTBAU’s values and principles.
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To encourage discussions on the diverse local identities, accumulated cultures, and traditional architecture of Türkiye.
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To provide a trustworthy platform for co-operation among organisations in Türkiye.
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To advocate the preservation and promotion of traditional buildings, with special emphasis on the use of local materials and technologies.
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To encourage people to maintain and restore traditional buildings, and to build new structures and places that contribute to traditional environments and improve the quality of life in both urban and rural settlements.
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To strengthen discussions on cultural continuity, sustainable development, and ecological/contextual design.
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To raise awareness through socio-cultural activities, bulletins and e-publications, seminars, conferences, training courses, and workshops.
Between 2018 and 2023, the Chapter organised site visits, exhibitions, lectures, and conferences. INTBAU Türkiye’s most recent initiative, launched in 2023, is the Hatay Project, which is planned to run for 10–15 years. It is expected that this project will serve as a model to be applied in different traditional sites across Türkiye, helping to revitalise both rural and urban environments. The project consists of three parts, focusing on the post-disaster recovery process in Hatay. Its partners include INTBAU, YTU, the Turkish Design Council, the Turkish Government, and national and international funding bodies.
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Building a Community House: Revitalisation of the old city, restoration of a traditional Hatay/Antakya mansion, and adaptive re-use.
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Research Project: New traditional architecture and disaster-resilient housing in rural areas.
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Summer Schools: Producing and sharing knowledge, engaging with local communities, and designing in rural contexts.
Chapter Board
Chapter Chair
Professor Çiğdem Polatoğlu Serter, PhD
Department of Architecture, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul.
Board Member, YTU International Research Center for Urban Studies (ICUS).
Board Members
Professor Zeynep Gül Ünal, PhD
Head of Department of Architecture, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul.
President, ICOMOS ICORP International Scientific Committee on Risk Preparedness.
Chair, ICOMOS ICORP Türkiye.
Board Member, ICOMOS International Council on Monuments and Sites.
Professor Nur Urfalioğlu, PhD
Department of Architecture, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul.
Board Member, Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism – Preservation Council of Kayseri.
Professor Neslihan Dalkılıç, PhD
Department of Architecture, Dicle University (DU), Diyarbakır.
Director, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, DU.
Director, DU CHCRAC (Cultural Heritage Conservation Research and Application Centre).
Associate Professor Dilek Yıldız Özkan, PhD
Department of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul.
Associate Professor Burcu Salgın, PhD
Vice Dean, Faculty of Architecture, Erciyes University, Kayseri.
Associate Professor Selin Yıldız, PhD
Department of Architecture, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul.
Assistant Professor Emir Çekmecelioğlu, PhD
Department of Architecture, Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay.
Research Assistant Zeynep Ece Atabay, PhD
Department of Architecture, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul.
Advisory Board
Emeritus Professor Can Şakir Binan, PhD
Department of Architecture, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul.
Member, ICOMOS Türkiye National Committee and DOCOMOMO.
Consultant, Aga Khan Foundation Architecture Awards and UNESCO.
Rapporteurs
Rabia Yılmaz, Architect, MEF University, Istanbul.
Abdullah Demir, Student, Department of Architecture, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul.
Begüm Özyer, Student, Department of Architecture, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul.
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Polatoğlu
Chair, INTBAU Turkey
