This year, 14th BETONART Architecture School is organized between January 30-February 6. It’s curated by Seçil Yaylalı and Giorgio Caione, coordinated by Ferhat Yalçın, moderated by Başak Özden, Yelta Köm, Emre Gündoğdu and Hakan Yıldız with the theme “Well-known Lightness of Concrete”. Organized since 2002 for architecture students under the trademark “BETONART” by Turkish Cement Manufacturers’ Association (TÇMB), the practice-based workshop event was carried out with the support of OYAK Cement Group, Ünye Cement Plant.
Organized each year in a different city with the participations of students from various universities of Turkey, Betonart Architecture School includes the city in the environment of the experience which it offers. 21 students from 16 different universities (Avrasya University, Çukurova University, Mardin Artuklu University, Toros University, Yıldız Technical University, Kocaeli University, Istanbul Technical University, Gazi University, Istanbul Kültür University, Istanbul Bilgi University, Izmir Katip Çelebi University, Dokuz Eylül University, Nuh Naci Yazgan University, Akdeniz University, İzmir Gediz University and Erciyes University) participated in the workshop.
Presentations and interviews on technical and architectural topics have also been carried out as part of the workshop. Participants had the chance to attend the briefing seminars on work safety and presentations entitled “Concrete and Ready Mixed Concrete” by Bora Yağlı; “Use of Concrete in Contemporary Art” by Giorgio Caione; exposed concrete design and implementations by Semra Uygur and Özcan Uygur; “Object and Feeling” by Jacob de Baan; “Architecture for All” by Emre Gündoğdu, Yelta Köm and Efecan Soysal; “The Plankton Project” by Ezgi Çiftçi; “Design Village-Izmir” by Amine Sena Sezer.
Researching possible innovative approaches each year, Betonart Architecture Summer School hosted the first tryout of the metal molding system and benefited for the first time from the silicon molding technology for small objects. Colored concrete implementations have also been performed for tryouts of small objects. Binding short term design and implementations together, special products with increased strength and decreased setting time have been tried and succeeded in the summer school.
Aiming to leave a permanent mark of value in the city, participants have designed concrete sitting units to be used for watching the scenery in the city of Ünye, which is a seaward settlement.
14th Betonart Architecture Summer School came to an end on February 6, through awarding certificates to participants following the product overviews and presentations of the students.
