One hanger to rule them all? These magnetic, modular Angie hangers, by Milan-based industrial designer Giulio Iacchetti, use a single form that can handle shirts, pants and skirts.
The idea is that you swap in (or remove altogether) one of two crossbar styles, depending on the need. The hook can also be replaced with a closed loop, for anti-theft retail or hospitality applications.
They also make a wall unit that comes with four hangers.
These are now in production by Toscanini, an Italian manufacturer of clothes hangers (who have been in business for over a century!).
Renowned artist Nina Chanel Abney has teamed up with Ledger for a limited edition Nano X, the company’s pocket-sized cryptocurrency wallet, that’s been adorned with her cheerful, colorful design. It’s available through a raffle that’s open to Super Cool World NFT holders, and entering takes only a few steps. Rather than waiting for a draw, participants will know immediately if they have won. Find out more at Ledger.
Mobile World Congress (MWC) is a platform for the biggest of brands to unveil their cutting-edge tech innovation that’ll set the way forward for the years to come. Taking the stage to reveal an AR headset, Xiaomi has sent ripples in the industry, dotted with bulky headsets for wireless AR consumption. The Chinese OEM launched a sleek, lightweight pair of AR glasses that you wouldn’t mind wearing in public.
Designed to herald an “ear of wireless AR,” this compact headset called Wireless AR Glass Discover Edition is designed to connect to user’s smartphone. Though it is a prototype for now, Yanko Design managed a hands-on with wireless eyewear at MWC, and we believe Xiaomi has done a great job with the design and feel: the glasses seem almost ready for the market, but we suggest you don’t start setting assigned your fortune for this one just yet.
Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition weighs only 126g or 4.4 ounces on the nose, which is insignificant compared to the chunkier AR/VR headsets we have seen in our day. This lightweight yet sturdy design is made possible with the use of a magnesium-lithium alloy and carbon fiber construction.
You can trim the design, use lightweight materials in construction, but the most weight on such a wearable device is its battery. Xiaomi has carefully installed an in-house developed silicon-oxygen anode battery that reduces the physical load, translating into a minimum weight increase on the device.
The Xiaomi AR Glass Discovery Edition is powered by a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 processor under the hood, and packs a pair of micro OLED displays boasting retina-revel resolution and brightness of up to 1200nit. Xiaomi says its AR glasses feature 58 pixels per degree (PPD) which is more than twice the PPD on the Meta’s Quest Pro that runs on the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1.
Courtesy of the retina-level display, these AR glasses deliver a truly immersive visual experience. The glasses allow a user to blend the virtual and real worlds, seamlessly accessing either with a single click. For this, the front lenses are electrochromic that adjust to light conditions, depending on the user’s preference. They can blackout when the user wants to focus on the virtual world.
Xiaomi has released a video presentation of the AR Glass Discovery Edition showcasing several features that the glasses have to offer. This includes specially developed hand gestures in addition to smartphone-based touch controls. The hand-tracking feature allows user to open apps, drag and drop virtual objects in the physical world, swipe through pages with a finger, and do a lot more.
However, exciting Xiaomi’s AR glasses concept may seem; there’s no word on price or availability as of yet so we will only have to live by the video presentation and the images below.
Well, this doesn’t seem real: A company called Car Capsule‘s eponymous product is a bubble-like alternative to a car cover, which protects your vehicle from dust and light debris but is transparent, allowing you to still admire your ride.
The system consists of a base mat that you drive your car onto, and a 10-mil PVC bubble that you loosely pull over your car and attach to the mat with a zipper. You then plug in an included fan, which inflates the bubble. Finally you install an included filter into the air intake flap.
“The fan exchanges the air by volume three to four times an hour,” the company writes, and “eliminates condensation and keeps the vehicle completely dry no matter what the temperature or humidity level.”
The company also says the bubble will dissuade rats from getting in there and chewing stuff up, though it’s not clear how that works; perhaps they’re intimidated by the fan?
As far as maintenance costs, the company says the electricity required to run the fan is just $1.50 a month, though they do not cite the region for which they generated that figure. If the bubble becomes torn, they say you can simply repair it with PVC tape.
Prices vary according to the bubble height and length you choose, but you’re looking at $460 to $640 for an indoor model. (They sell more durable and expensive outdoor models too, but those are not transparent and just look like a gigantic loaf of bread sitting in your yard.)
Here’s a closer look at the system, which has been sold for over 20 years, so apparently it works:
Resins for SLA 3D printers can be expensive, and specialist designers tend to buy resins tweaked with properties specific to their needs: Overall strength for engineering applications, high precision for dental or medical applications, excellent finish straight-out-of-the-printer for jewelry or presentation-model applications, et cetera.
But for the designer who may be working on a variety of project types, Formlabs reckons their excitingly-named Grey Resin is a good catch-all. The neutral grey tone is great for evaluating forms, the matte finish takes paint or other finishing processes well, and the resolutions it can support (from 160 down to 25 microns) can accurately produce small details.
Formlabs says Grey Resin requires minimal post-processing, coming out of the machine with a smooth matte surface “rivaling injection-molded plastics” without you needing to sand, polish or prime before painting or finishing. The overall strength is a little trickier to measure, as it will obviously depend on the specific geometry of your part, the print settings and orientation, the temperature etc., and they have a data sheet here with some figures you can throw at your engineer.
Grey Resin runs $149 a liter. To get you on the hook, Formlabs is offering to send you this free rotating arm part (below) printed in Grey Resin for you to evaluate, if you fill out this form.
And no, we’re not getting paid to run this, nor receiving resin kickbacks; this is simply what I came across in my daily search to find things that might interest a practicing industrial designer. If you’ve got experience with a competing resin you recommend, please feel free to share it in the comments.
2020 was a life-altering and drastic year, and 2023 is the year we get to redeem all our careless mistakes of the past and start living more consciously and sustainably. We cannot ignore the needs of our planet anymore, we need to take the environment into consideration, and what better way to start doing that than from our own homes? Sustainable furniture is taking the design industry by storm, they’re a step towards making our homes and our daily lives more eco-friendly and sustainable. They’re an attempt to cast aside toxic materials, and instead, add furniture designs to our home that won’t rot away on Earth for years once we’re done with them. We’ve curated a collection of furniture products created from cork, bamboo, and rattan! The options are endless, and the end result is the same – a greener, healthier, and happier Mother Earth!
1. 3D-printed Seats
Designed by Johannes Steinbauer Office For Design, these 3D-printed chairs are produced using additive manufacturing and are created without using fabrics, springs, and foam! And they still manage to be super functional and comfortable. These chairs utilize rigid parts, instead of the typical racks from chairs.
Why is it noteworthy?
The design is simple enough with four legs, a round seat, and a single bar at the back. But if you want to add other components like more racks or textiles, these can be added through 3D printing. The different parts are easy to assemble and disassemble and once it reaches the end of life, you can dispose of the different parts separately and recycle them accordingly.
What we like
Super easy to assemble and disassemble
Sustainable design
What we dislike
No instruction on having a space-saving version of this design
2. The 4PM Chaise Longue Chair
Comprised of flat and curved features, the 4PM Chaise Longue Chair is designed to create comfort out of hard material. Constructed in either Douglas fir or cherry wood, the only upholstered component of the 4PM Chaise Longue Chair is the leather headrest. Balanced on top of the backrest, Massproductions held the headrest in place with a steel weight.
Why is it noteworthy?
Massproductions is a slow furniture company, don’t let the name fool you. Since the furniture company only develops a few pieces every year, the ones that go into production guarantee a top-quality build and durable life span. Boasting an efficient, sustainable, and high-quality industrial production process, the company’s designers ensure the integrity of Massproductions’s vision. The company’s founder, Chris Martin, developed the 4PM Chaise Longue Chair to reinforce the company’s commitment to quality and produce an ergonomic, long-lasting chair for much-needed R&R.
What we like
Sustainable production and design process
Ergonomically designed
What we dislike
It doesn’t seem very comfortable to sit on
Space consuming
3. Vis-à-vis and Rendez-vous
I’ve realized that filling up your bathroom with thoughtful designs, only makes your time in it much more comfortable and smooth. And this collection of bathroom seating by Italian bathroom brand Agape strives to be exactly that! Designed by Marco Carini for Agape, the collection includes two seating designs created from recycled cork.
Why is it noteworthy?
The first design is called Vis-à-vis, and it is a light and sturdy stool that also doubles up as a tiny side table. The second design is Rendez-vous, and it’s a bench that serves as an extensive seating option for bathroom users. Both designs function as comfortable spots to sit and relax in the bathroom.
What we like
Crafted from recycled cork
The curving form resembles someone smiling
What we dislike
Not suited for bathrooms with a smaller footprint
4. The Chatpod 700
There are quite a few versatile options on the market when it comes to office booths, but have you come across the most sustainable one yet? Yup, called the Chatpod 700, this sleek and minimal office booth claims to be “the most sustainable office booth on the market”.
Why is it noteworthy?
Made entirely from recycled materials such as post-consumer cardboard, sawdust, rubber, and plastic bottle, the Chatpod 700 is quite proud of its sustainable composition, and with reason. Designed by Jeffrey Ibañez for Impact Acoustic, the office booth was ideally created for team meetings.
What we like
Built using recycled materials
Great space to hold casual informal meetings
What we dislike
Large space-consuming design
5. Listón
Listón is a modular shelving unit that uses a system of cable ties and wooden slats to form an endlessly re-configurable and sustainable furniture piece. The cable tie system allows users to create infinite configurations of varying sizes and shapes for essentialist shelving units that will look good in any room. Replacing hardware and tools, the cable ties systems provide secure fastening for each module that comes with Listón.
Why is it noteworthy?
With this in mind, many designers are approaching new furniture and appliance designs with sustainability being the driving force. Adding his design to the mix, architect, and designer Guille Cameron Mac Lean developed Listón, a new type of furniture system that uses cable ties and wooden slats to configure modular storage units.
What we like
The system of cable ties and wooden slats significantly reduces the amount of packing goods needed to ship the furniture system by 18 times in comparison to other flatpack furniture
What we dislike
The wooden slats and cable ties could break
Not the most aesthetic furniture design to add to your living space
6. The Plastic Translation Stool
The Plastic Translation Stool design tries to reinterpret the lines of the plastic stool instead, resulting in a form that is somewhat similar yet also unique, giving the wooden stool its own character.
Why is it noteworthy?
Those legs alone, however, won’t be enough to offer the same stability as the plastic counterpart, so an additional element had to be added. Birch plywood buttresses distribute some of the force evenly across the beechwood legs, which, in turn, hold the buttresses together. These interlocking parts provide not only architectural stability but also visual accents to what would otherwise be a plain-looking stool.
What we like
Doesn’t require screws or nails to be assembled
A more sustainable option to the plastic stool
What we dislike
Options to customize the stool are currently missing
7. Stackabl
More than just a collection of designer furniture in the form of chairs, lounges, and benches, Stackabl is actually a new system that mixes machine precision with human creativity. In a nutshell, a specialized configurator software analyzes choices made by a user or a designer, like colors or dimensions, and selects high-quality felt offcuts that are then cut by robots for use in making furniture.
Why is it noteworthy?
The demand for clothing and furniture upholstery has probably gone up in the past few years, as more people become more attuned to well-designed products. That means more materials are used for production, which unfortunately also means more scraps are left on the cutting room floor, quite literally. While some of these materials are biodegradable or at least recyclable, one design firm is putting them to good use to create furniture that not only looks comfortable but artistically striking as well.
What we like
Reduces carbon footprint while also enriching and empowering local economies
What we dislike
May not suit modern contemporary homes
8. The TAKEoSEAT
Folding stools are nothing new, but few actually try to hide the fact that people are carrying something meant to be sat on. In contrast, the TAKEoSEAT flattens down to something that looks like a large portfolio, or at least a stylish bag made of felt. You won’t look odd carrying it around, nor would the seat look out of place in an office space. Designer KRETHO positions this portable stool as a perfect part of an agile arsenal, allowing people to just pick up their seats and move around as needed. No more rearranging furniture or sweating over a heavy chair.
Why is noteworthy?
This folding design is admittedly not exactly novel, but what TAKEoSEAT adds to the table is a bit of environmental focus. Each stool is made from PET felt, which is felt comes from those plastic bottles that we use and throw away without giving a second thought about where they end up. PET bottles undergo a special process (that does, unfortunately, use up water and energy) that results in a material that feels familiar to the touch while also strong enough to support a load of 130 kg. Plus, the TAKEoSEAT itself is recyclable, too!
What we like
Created from PET felt
Extremely portable
What we dislike
Folding designs are quite common these days
9. The Stair Cubby
The Stair Cubby, as it was christened, can be assembled without the use of tools, with tabs simply going into slots and held down with pegs. The cubby is designed to sit on two steps of stairs, but the panel on the back can slide up and down to adjust to different stair heights. The storage has five open-access cubbies for shoes, books, and any other item that can fit inside, keeping things organized and out of harm’s way.
Why is it noteworthy?
Staircase bins need to take into account the particular shape of stairs, but not all stairs are made equal, so they have to be a bit more flexible or at least configurable. Given how in-demand these storage solutions might be, they also need to be durable and sustainable. These two product design students from Nottingham Trent University in the UK hit both birds with one sheet of plywood.
What we like
Can be assembled without the use of tools
Great for homes with space constraints
What we dislike
We’re not sure how well it would hold heavier objects
10. Rattan Stool
First impressions really quickly – did you think this was a whisk or folded spaghetti? I thought spaghetti but maybe I am just hungry. This rattan stool stood out to me because of its visually curiosity-evoking design. Is it comfortable? Probably. Is it cool? Absolutely.
Why is it noteworthy?
This stool explores the malleability of rattan as a material in furniture design, we are so used to seeing it in a checkered woven form that the noodle-like seating of this piece becomes a testament to how we can use often overlooked materials unconventionally to push boundaries. As the world moves towards a sustainable future, so must design.
What we like
Innovative use of Rattan
Quirky spaghetti-inspired aesthetics
What we dislike
It may not be comfortable to sit on for long periods of time
We speak with the motorbike brand’s Global Design Director, Andrea Ferraresi
Stare long enough at Ducati‘s new Diavel V4 and it starts looking like something other than a motorcycle. Its exhaust twists into a metallic organ. From the side, a distinct visible bend cuts from the tail to the nose—a sort of curved stress line, with its highest point at the apex of the gas tank. From the rear, the taillight twinkles into a firmament of red stars.
This is the third version of the Diavel (the V4 in its name indicates the number of cylinders in the engine as well as the motor’s shape). The first Diavel debuted in 2011, but the bike has changed significantly from that time, with each iteration helmed by the brand’s Global Design Director, Andrea Ferraresi, who has been with Ducati since 2006. Ferraresi’s emotional connection may be a primary draw of the Diavel’s 12-year success (it has sold approximately 45,000 units worldwide) and he is most proud of the V4 for fusing the visual philosophy of three bikes into the ultimate single-quiver motorcycle.
The new motor, which doubles its cylinder count even while shrinking in size, provided Ferraresi and the design team more room to work around the motor while also revealing more of its structure. Displacement also drops from 1260cc down to 1158cc, even as peak horsepower jumps 7% from 157hp to 168hp.
Further, Ferraresi says this latest version isn’t purely a sport or naked bike, with all of that mechanical bravado, or a superbike meant for the track (with attendant back pain everywhere else) or even a cruiser. Sit on one and you immediately feel like you’re on a different motorcycle than what you were eyeballing. The V4 allows a more upright riding position than you’d guess thanks to its swept back bars, and even though visually it pulls some lines from a superbike, with the peeled-back flavor revealing the machinery beneath, it’s something else.
We asked Ferraresi for a deeper visual walk-around, to better understand how individual elements define the complete machine.
What’s important about the right blend of all three kinds of motorcycles—what did you have to emphasize and maybe tell us why?
On every sports bike, you immediately recognize this character line that goes from the tip of the tail to the nose of the motorcycle, and here we have that but we break it, because we want to emphasize that this is a mix of sports and naked [styles]. You want the DNA to also have some of the look-at-me stance too of a naked one. And you can see that the athletic line, like a sprinter in a crouch, creates this illusion of the performance of a sports bike. When you ride it and start going on a twisty road you’ll recognize that there is the performance of a sport bike but you can ride it relaxed, too.
The seat seems carved into the chassis, like on a sports bike—even though the riding position is more relaxed. What’s the visual trick with this geometry?
Actually when you look at the tank, you recognize something more shapely and sculpted than a cruiser. That and the fully exposed, naked engine signal a performance point of view.
Tell us about the “grenade launcher” muffler.
This tells you a lot about the bike. This is not just the device to reduce noise; it gives you an emotion. You look at the exhaust and you immediately feel that the bike has power.
The air intakes at the front echo the LED running light that rings the headlamp. These are also almost Ducati shield shaped, but what else are we seeing?
The headlight is the face of the bike and the air scoops give the impression of a kind of jet fighter, like an F16. The impression should be the idea that the engine needs a lot of air to breathe, to unleash its power. So even when the bike is standing, we wanted to show that it has this huge mouth—that gives the impression immediately that the bike is powerful and fast.
The front brake caliper has a unique design. It’s clearly not a part you just ordered and attached. Can you explain why that matters?
This is not a racing motorcycle, but our heritage—our DNA is racing. So whatever we have to make we look to that heritage. If you go on a racing motorcycle, you will see a bracket like this. This is a muscle cruiser. You don’t need it so light and thin but nevertheless, we decided to go with this type of solution because this is our DNA. We are a racing company. And so every solution must be the lightest, most functional possible.
The taillight comprises lots of red stars, with each LED in the shape of the Ducati shield. Tell us about developing that detail.
It took literally over 1,000 attempts to make this right. It’s the most complicated light we’ve ever done. Like many of the details, I look at it alone and I see it really as a work of art—a kind of magic.
There are hundreds of thousands of injuries that occur from motorcycle accidents, a lot of them involving the lower extremities including broken legs and broken hips. There have been several products out there that aim to protect riders and passengers, including helmets (which are of course, required), motorcycle jeans with pads for the knees and hips, padded vests, etc. But what if you could also add airbags, which have protected car drivers and passengers for years, to your regular outfit?
Designer: Mo’cycle
They say that the Motorcycle Airbag Jeans is the first to have an airbag mechanism within its fabric, therefore helping reduce the risk of injury in case of a motorcycle crash or accident. If you want full body protection, including that of the spinal column, there’s also an Airbag Vest that become part of the whole Airbag Clothes system. How it works is that you have to connect the clothes to your motorcycle through a mechanical trigger belt. When it detects that you’ve flown off the bike, the airbag will deploy and automatically inflate, protecting you from serious injury to your legs, hips, and ribs (the latter if you’re also sporting the vest).
The Airbag Jeans has two basic parts: the “stretchy and ventilated” jeans that you can wear comfortably, and the airbag module itself. When not activated, the airbag is flat and invisible within the fabric of the jeans, so you will not feel bulky or anything when wearing them. After it is triggered and used, it will self-deflate and later on can be re-used by reloading a CO2 cartridge. The jeans themselves can be washed of course but you’ll have to zip out the airbag module before doing so. The fabric is made with Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, which is greater than steel when it comes to strength-to-weight ratio and is also ultra-abrasion resistant.
Don’t worry about automatically triggering it as they say that it needs a force of 88 lbs to be deployed and will only be activated when you’ve fallen off the bike, not when you’re just getting off of it. For the fashion-conscious, the Airbag Jeans will be available in blue and black colors. They crowdfunded it through Indiegogo and have reached more than 4 times their goal so expect it to be delivered in the next few months if you decided to support it.
Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto explains how his stacked-cube learning centre in Switzerland is one of the most significant projects of his career in this instalment of Dezeen’s Concrete Icons series produced in collaboration with Holcim.
The concept was the winning design over eight other proposals for the learning facility.
Sou Fujimoto’s The Square, a learning centre for the University of St Gallen in Switzerland
Speaking to Dezeen in an exclusive video interview filmed at Fujimoto’s studio in Paris, the architect explained how the space was designed to create a new, flexible work environment in which teachers and students could collaborate in a new way.
“Our mission was to create a place for this special university where students and professors could feel they could open their mind to something new, not just following the classical way of learning and teaching,” Fujimoto said.
The Square’s interior features a grid of concrete beams
The exterior of the building comprises a series of stepping cubic volumes contained within a lattice of white frames.
The stacked cubes, which form both the facade and interior walls, were made from floor-to-ceiling glass, which were designed to blend in with the surrounding residential area.
“The location of The Square is on a hillside,” Fujimoto said.
“When you approach, you see a small, hill-like stepping building covered by a glass facade reflecting the colour of the skies and surroundings.”
The exterior of The Square comprises a series of stepping cubic volumes
The building’s exterior was formed from a framework of white metal beams typical of Fujimoto’s style, which is also reflected within the interior of the building with a grid of concrete beams, made using Holcim’s low-carbon ECOPact concrete.
“These grid frames really define the space,” Fujimoto said. “We found this eco-concrete by Holcim. I thought it was a nice challenge to use this new technology of reusing carbon in concrete structures.”
Fujimoto used Holcim’s low-carbon ECOPact concrete for the project. Photo by Chris Mansfield
The building features internal glass dividers that can be arranged to accommodate various room sizes and layouts to adapt to the changing needs of students and teachers.
“My philosophy as an architect is to create a place for the people,” Fujimoto said. “To create a place for diversity, in a sense, which could be a nice model of the future.”
“This project is really one of the important parts of my architecture career, because it is creating such a multidirectional, interactive space,” he continued.
Fujimoto founded his Tokyo- and Paris-based practice in 2000 after graduating from Tokyo University’s Department of Architecture.
Concrete Icons is a six-part video series created in partnership with building materials company Holcim, which profiles the most striking contemporary concrete buildings by the world’s leading architects.
Previous instalments in the series focus on MAD’s sinuous Cloudscape library in Haikou, China and The Broad museum by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The remaining videos in the series will profile projects including La Seine Musicale in Paris by Shigeru Ban and Striatus, a 3D-printed concrete bridge.
The photography is by Iwan Baan unless stated otherwise.
Partnership content
Concrete Icons is produced by Dezeen for Holcim as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen’s partnership content here.
Build the icons of the future with Holcim’s low-carbon ECOPact concrete, delivering up to 90 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions compared to standard concrete with no compromise on performance.
Find out more about how Holcim works with architects here.
Architects in Turkey believe that the scale of destruction caused by the earthquakes on 6 February was exacerbated by poor construction in the country caused, in part, by a disregard for legislation.
“Buildings built with competent architecture, competent engineering, competent construction and competent control mechanisms do not collapse even if they are directly on the fault line,” said Altinisik, who is director of Turkish studio Melike Altinisik Architects.
“The buildings that have not been demolished today are proof of this fact,” she told Dezeen.
“Earthquake-proof standards were not followed”
Architect Alper Deri̇nboğaz, the founder of the studio Salon Alper Derinboğaz, agreed, explaining that the earthquake’s destructiveness was “not attributable to numerical values”.
“[The damage] is due to the poor quality of the buildings in the affected region,” he told Dezeen. “The fact that some buildings with the same topography remained standing while others collapsed emphasised this issue.”
GEO_ID architect Asena Ak believes that this is due to “the roles of architects and civil engineers being undermined” in construction in the years leading up to the disaster.
“This earthquake was expected in Turkey and the main reasons for this catastrophic consequences are unplanned urbanisation, negligence and disregarding of experts’ opinions,” Ak told Dezeen.
“Besides the older buildings, some new apartment blocks in the affected areas have also been damaged and destroyed because they were not constructed properly and the earthquake-proof standards were not followed.”
Scale of disaster “could have been prevented”
The reason for the failing buildings in Turkey is currently the subject of much dispute, with blame being directed at the government, built environment figures and the public.
Many local architects, including Emre Arolat, believe that the government is at fault. In his view, if it had properly enforced building standards in the country, “the catastrophic situation today could have been prevented”.
Turkish building standards have been under scrutiny since the tragic 1999 Izmit Earthquake, which led to stricter construction regulations in the country.
However, it is widely believed that these have not been properly implemented due to so-called “construction amnesties” – legal exemptions for fees for structures that are built without the required safety certificates.
Architects believe that last month’s earthquake destruction was exacerbated by poor construction. Photo is by Doga Ayberk Demir via Shutterstock
“It was possible for the rulers of this country to learn from this earthquake [in 1999] and rehabilitate the precarious building stock, especially in regions where the fault lines are known to be active,” reflected Arolat, who is the founder of Emre Arolat Architects.
“This period could have been used more efficiently and in line with scientific truths,” he continued. “The laws passed could have been abided by.”
According to Salon Alper Derinboğaz‘s founder Deri̇nboğaz, in 2018 over seven million buildings were granted construction amnesties. Most of them were residential.
Architect Merih Feza Yıldırım said that this reflects a wider societal view of “houses as an investment tool rather than for meeting the need for shelter”, which he believes needs to change.
“Architectural usability and robustness do not determine the value of buildings, therefore, these values are not taken into consideration,” said Yıldırım, who is a partner at Not Architects.
To avoid this scale of disaster from happening again, he said “it is imperative for society to lower its expectations of income generation, speed and profitability in this sector”.
“Earthquakes do not kill”
Architects Altinisik and Nevzat Sayın echoed this sentiment, blaming “ignorance” in society for this attitude towards construction. They fear it will result in a similar disaster in the future.
“Earthquakes do not kill,” Altinisik explained. “But actually unawareness, ignorance, unsystematic urbanisation and uncontrolled construction that has spread to the whole society causes such an extensive destruction.”
“In any region, this [scale of destruction] would happen,” added Sayın, who directs the studio Nevzat Sayın Mimarlık Hizmetleri. “Worst of all, it will happen again.”
Some residents of apartment buildings that collapsed have even been criticised for not ensuring their homes were safe, GEO_ID’s founder Ak told Dezeen.
“It’s said that the residents should have checked whether their buildings are safe enough or not and if not, they should have moved to a safer building,” explained Ak.
Yet according to the architects interviewed, this is unfair, as many people occupying unsafe buildings would not have been able to afford a seismic retrofit.
“This was not a rational expectation as many of the people in the region didn’t have enough economic welfare to move to another house,” Ak continued.
Motto Architecture partner Onur Özkoç agreed, adding: “residents may have ruled out any structural reinforcements due to insufficient financial power”.
Time to “question education in the building sector”
Some Turkish architects believe they and their colleagues must look inwards at the architecture industry following the quakes, and call for improvements to architectural education.
This includes Geomim’s founding partner Ali Çalışkan, who suggested that greater awareness and use of earthquake-proof construction techniques are critical.
“We are frustrated and angry, and we are frightened about the next earthquake because we are not ready for it,” said Çalışkan.
“In a country like Turkey where millions of people live on the fault line, my reaction from now on will be to question education in the building sector,” he continued.
Çalışkan thinks education must be improved in “all disciplines involved in engineering, from planning to construction” in order for architecture to withstand future disasters.
Architects in Turkey are calling for improvements to architecture education. Photo is by VOA
Melike Altinisik Architects‘ director agreed, telling fellow architects that “we should also hold the mirror to ourselves, rather than blaming the contractors, who are the last part of the chain”.
“In any circumstances, people who are not competent should not be given the right to be a part of this system,” Altinisik continued.
Motto Architecture partner Özkoç added that the public must also be educated on the importance of earthquake-proof architecture in order to create more demand for safe buildings.
“I believe it is evident that the real challenge ahead is not the update of building codes or structural system choices, but coming up with mechanisms that ensure proper following of [existing] codes and requirements,” he said.
“That of course begins with the governmental organisations, but should also be supported by the public.”
Supranational disaster organisation “must be established”
Several architects are calling for organisations that oversee how affected cities are reconstructed to be established quickly following the quakes.
For Derinboğaz, this will prevent hasty reconstruction efforts and ensure that building to withstand earthquakes becomes “a primary design parameter”.
“Currently, there is a discussion about initiating rapid reconstruction efforts to provide housing for those affected by the earthquake,” he said.
“However, constructing buildings of poor quality will only exacerbate the situation. Instead, the reconstruction area should be carefully planned and designed by a team of professionals.”
Arolat agreed, suggesting this could take the form of a team of scientists from various disciplines who are “above politics and away from shallow power grabs”.
“A group of people who might have ideas about how a city should be built should include geologists, experts in load-bearing systems, representatives of other engineering fields, sociologists and anthropologists, educators, experts from different walks of the culture industry, doctors, psychiatrists, and psychologists, as well as the previous and potential future users of those cities,” he said.
For Altinisik, the earthquake recovery plan must involve the creation of an even larger group – an international organisation dedicated to addressing natural disasters.
She believes the Turkey-Syria earthquake should serve as a reminder of the other natural disasters that could be coming as a result of climate change.
“Although the earthquake is a great disaster reality in front of Turkey today, on the other hand, climatic disasters that involve the whole world such as floods, fires and storms are increasing day by day,” Altinisik explained.
“In this context, considering the increasing climatic disasters in an earthquake country like Turkey, a supra-political Ministry of Disaster must be established.”
Since the first earthquakes last month, Turkey’s president Erdoğan has rejected claims that the scale of the disaster is the government’s fault, instead blaming it on fate.
“We will follow this up meticulously until the necessary judicial process is concluded, especially for buildings that suffered heavy damage and buildings that caused deaths and injuries,” Turkey’s vice-president Fuat Oktay said.
More than 100 people are understood to have received arrest warrants for their ties to buildings destroyed by the disaster, with at least 12 having already been taken into custody.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
