We have asked two following questions to architects and natural stone manufacturers: What are your expectations about 2015? There are rich sources in Turkey for natural stone. Do you think that those sources and materials are being used well as in architecture? Here are the answers…
TUNCER ÇAKMAKLI
A snow-white winter, a spring with fresh aromas, the warmest of summers and a colorful autumn… And I wish a new year in which we can create ideas. I expect health – energy – and a society capable of understanding, evaluating – living. I don’t believe that natural stone is used enough… I think intelligentsia can produce not by academic education but knowledge can produce by continuously working brains and unfortunately, brains who can do this are very few. Although natural stone is the first building material of humans, buildings are attempted to be formed by fake products, leaving aside all experience. I believe that together with master tradesmen and journeymen, intense education and usage research is necessary so that natural stone once again enters the structural environment…
CEM SORGUÇ
As we’re getting used to; it seems like each year, we’ll tend towards confusion and ambiguity, I hope for a calm year. I don’t think so, because there isn’t adequate inventory in the hands of us, architects, and the related industry. Even their names and resource geographies have ambiguity and contradiction.
SEMA TOPALOĞLU
Will we still talk about being free and like ourselves in 2015 or will we live for the day, re-batching nature, the resourceful, what we have accumulated, accepting everything or shall we have concerns for the future? I mean, in different geographies, without telling yourself, only producing and moving towards new experiences by sharing. Today’s investor and client, yes, they have recognized the necessity of architecture, they have recognized the necessity of architecture, the contribution of the architect to the project. But with what vision and what ambitions? Is it to create a difference and use mineral stone, one of the most basic richnesses of this geography, doing right by it. At this point, there are serious duties for architects and designers, creative brains. To know the material, sometimes submitting to it and sometimes evolving processing it and making it different. Otherwise, indeed it’s a waste. When you go with just assumptions, the beautiful material also goes to waste. This material, which is found ordinary and pushed around by most, finds its value only if bravely shaped in correct hands. I hope, it is used and worked on with more awareness.
ARİF SUYABATMAZ
Year 2015 excites us as it will be a year in which many projects we have designed will be under construction
or completed. We were stating that we wanted to be engaged in public projects on every occasion for
a long time and we see ourself to be lucky for having designed public projects in 2014. We expect to cover
more distance on our projects in 2015.
I believe that the most important reason why natural stone which we like to use in our projects we opt for,
as it is a long-lasting, unique and sustainable material is the cost concerns of contractors in the building
stock constructed under the build-and-sell model.
SELÇUK AVCI
I hope to create projects which will raise the bar one step in the name of sustainable in Turkey in 2015 and to
see that this happens.
We are truly very lucky in terms of resources. It is a big advantage for us that local natural materials are so diverse
from the perspective of both quality and also sustainability, and we’re lucky as architects. But what we see in
many projects is that local materials are not given enough support. As Avcı Architects, we would like to remind
as always once again that we have to make use of the wealth presented by our local resources in 2015, too.
EMRE ÖZER VE TAYFUN TULGAN
It appears that the first half of 2015 that it will again be full of hesitations because of the elections in summer. We
think that once the ambiguity goes away, investments will start and continue, also depending on the world economic
situation. Since the locomotive of our economy is construction which also affects us directly; the first half should
be stagnant in terms of new projects but the second half more lively, depending on the developments in the world.
We think that it is not used sufficiently as manmade technological material production is growing. Especially on
building façades, it’s not used considering cleaning aspects. We believe that this is not right because when they get
dirty, natural materials reflect the naturalness of having lived in.
As özer + tulgan; we try to use natural stones as much as possible both in architecture and also in interior design.
GÜRHAN BAKIRKÜRE
A Turkey where there is more peace, where there is more emphasis on design…
Unfortunately we can’t make use of our local resources as much as we want; most quarries export blocks
abroad, which makes us re-import our own processed stone back.
EMRE ERKAL
We hope that steps are taken towards a higher quality building culture compared to the one we are in for
2015.
I don’t believe that natural stone resources are used well enough architecturally. Many aspects may be
discussed but what concerns us directly is the expectations of the environment from the designer. On
this topic, I believe that use of material is not diversified enough in design, but this is not attributable to
the designers. I think that this result comes from the preference of easy and fast solutions in the building
culture we work in
SİNAN KAFADAR
I understand your question as expectations relating to business life. First of all, I expect a contraction
in the business volume of Turkey. This would be because of the market saturation and the economic
and social fluctuations in neighboring countries. Looking at the neighboring countries Turkish contractors
and architects work in, turmoil in Russia and Ukraine, Turkic Republics affected a lot from Russia;
the Middle East internal turmoils and ongoing war, significant stagnation in Europe and therefore,
financial problems of the Balkans; I’m not very optimistic in the short term.
As Metex, we support use of our natural stones. But another reality is that ceramic derivatives are
practical and economical. In architecture, use especially on the façade should increase but to do that,
producers should take the risk of producing materials in more diverse thicknesses…
GÖKHAN AVCIOĞLU
We completed the 15 years of a new century and these are just the starting years of our age; “digital
age”. We’re still using our artificial intelligence for archiving, storage and games. Let artificial intelligence
sleep, grow, play ball, get hungry. Because there are still things left over from the past century
(we couldn’t join, make peace, we couldn’t share products, we’re still at war with each other…) The
easiest way for us, architects of this period, to do their job smoothly, should be putting on the table
how old colleagues in previous centuries built, and their formula; and picking between them for today.
Ecology, greener, more natural, more stony, more earthy…
I admire buildings made of stone and I’m interested in building with single stones or at least surrounded
with stone. What impresses me is the cleanness and beauty, even during construction of stones cut
into sizes, ranging from a sugar cube to tons… The profound sentiment of building a civilization from
day to day. A stone structure looks great even half-built, half forlorn. The delight of using a million
years old material which gets better as it ages. You can do everything with it. Even a roof, even a door.
Finely cut, coarsely cut, horizontally, vertically, to the vein.
Anatolia is rich; it has hundreds of kinds of stones. Red, green, yellow, bright yellow, white, bright
white… We need more stone buildings, roads, cities. Stone breathes in and breathes out. We need
more breaths.
HASAN HÜSNÜ AYVACI, VEZİR MERMER
Those to do business in China in 2015 have to be very careful, I believe that research on other country
markets will be useful. I think that block sellers should not have too much expectations for next year. For
China, this will drop by 50 %.
Our natural stone resources are actually very rich but we don’t know how good they are. We still call
marble stone, depreciating its value. Everyone will not be able to do this job with this latest Mining Act
and costs will rise. I hope stones from now on will be marble.
RÜSTEM ÇETİNKAYA, TEMMER
The stagnation in China last year, the inner conflicts in Gulf countries and political turmoil caused an economic
recession which will go into the first half of 2015 it looks. But we’re hopeful about the second half of 2015. We
think that the recession in China will decrease. The liveliness in American economy will get the mining sector
moving.
The growth expected in the construction and housing industry in our country, developments like urban transformation
projects will create demand in the domestic market. To that end, we have a growth target of 5 % in
the new year. Our new quarry investments may keep going. Our search for new quarries is ongoing. If our R&D
work gives the results we want, there will be quarry investments we will be involved in.
AKIN GÖLÇÜK, ARCENT MIMARLIK VE MADEN
Unfortunately, I’m not that optimistic about block marble exports for 2015. It won’t be much different
than 2014. The problems in Chinese and Taiwanese markets appear to be continuing in 2015. I think that
processed natural stone market will be partially better. Especially, the rapid start of local urban transformation
projects, which will continue for at least a decade, will increase the demand for natural stone. In
recent years, preference of natural stone in our country in buildings, once again, as an original material;
will enhance the demand for processed natural stones. I think that exports of processed natural stone will
increase with new markets.
There are rich deposits but I don’t think these deposits are used in a planned manner. Production should
be made according to supply-demand analyses. Various reserve deposits in every area should be carried to
future generations through serious planning. Production should be allowed as a result of comprehensive
studies on which reserves may be used on what dates.
HASAN ÖZER, PROVİN MERMER
I don’t have much of an expectation from 2015 due to the serious problems in the domestic market
until before the elections and also global problems and the ones in our geography.
Naturally, the worries of the investors because of these problems also create problems of the same
scale for us as well.
Presently, we are able to process only 29% of our marble deposits in Turkey. My belief is that these
natural resources are used quite adequately in terms of architecture. In both local and also international
projects, our architects and applicable firms have gained the position of having a say in use of
marble in the global marble industry.
MEHMET EMİN ÇAKIRKAYA
My expectation from 2015 is formation in Turkey, of a field of architectural endeavor in which professional efforts of the architect
are respected and relied upon, allowing the architect to contribute positively to the city and the environment. I hope that the
driving force for the fast and uncontrolled buildup emerging in the urban transformation projects in large cities, instead of building
factors and increase in density, are values brought about by formation of planned, sustainable and high quality settings.
Today, natural stone is an indispensible building element for architecture, but like all materials, it has to be used at the correct place
and with diligence in architecture, too. In Turkish architecture, as projects developed in right settings and with right expectations
increase, the craftsmanship and the architectural value in use of natural stone will also increase.
ORAL GÖKTAŞ
What I expect from 2015 is an agenda of intensity where one hour in Turkey does not correspond to seven
yearsin the world.
I don’t think that any natural resource/material is used adequately well in Turkey.
