EMU Architecture Faculty Dean Prof. Dr. Şebnem Hoşkara Marks 5 October World Architecture Day

Eastern Mediterranean University Architecture Faculty Dean Prof. Dr. Şebnem Hoşkara released a message on the occasion of “5 October World Architecture Day”. Prof. Dr. Şebnem Hoşkara stated that World Architecture Day is celebrated annually by the International Union of Architects (UIA) on the first Monday of October and this year’s World Architecture Day will be celebrated under the theme of “ Architecture, Building and Climate” by around one million and three hundred thousand architects in 124 countries. Prof. Dr. Hoşkara added that Turkish Chamber of Architects will also be celebrating the said day with all its units and over 50,000 members.
Prof. Dr. Hoşkara added that as Eastern Mediterranean University, Architecture Faculty, they have been celebrating World Architecture Day through seminars organised in line with the themes specified annually by the UIA since 2011. This year’s “World Architecture Day” coincides with the first day of the 2015-2016 Academic Year and, hence, the Faculty is celebrating the event in a different format, as the “Welcoming Day”.
Prof. Dr. Hoşkara put forth that in order for us to understand the value given to architecture and the profession in Northern Cyprus, one has too look around the environment we currently live in and compare it with other countries in the world. Along with medicine and law, the European Union has included the Architecture profession as one of the three basic professions which have close connections with humanity. Performing architecture is not only designing buildings. In other words, architects do not only design buildings. Architecture is a lifestyle and an architect is actually the designer of the lifestyle of a person. Additionally, every building designed by an architect is a new contribution to the urban environment, either positive or negative depending on the success of the architectural quality of the design. Architecture-related disciplines including planning play an important role in this respect. Unfortunately, due to the lack or insufficiency of relevant laws and regulations, planning, awareness and sensitivity, the profession of architecture in Northern Cyprus is not valued and respected enough.
Many problems exist in our fastly emerging and developing environment. The concept of ‘climate’ specified in the theme of this year’s World Architecture Day is dealt together with global warming, loss of biological diversity, and the pollution of ecological environment. An extract from the press release of the Turkish Chamber of Architects on the occasion of World Architecture Day provides a to-the-point explanation of the issue and a recommendation:
‘The effects of climate change can be better observed in large areas experiencing fast urbanisation, population increase and transformatory effects of immigration. Fastly losing its natural resources, our cities’ resistance capacity against climate change and natural disasters to be brought by such change is rather low and decreasing every passing day. Concerning with the design of buildings and living spaces, the profession of architecture is responsible for the production and provision of a healthy, secure and liveable environment …….. During the stage of the formation of liveable environments, it is the joint responsibility of architects, local-central governments and all relevant institutions and profession groups to protect one of the most basic human rights, the right to live in a healthy and peaceful environment. In this respect, the struggle against global warming and climate change cannot, by any means, be slowed down, postponed or ignored.’
With this awareness, Architecture Faculty Dean Prof. Dr. Şebnem Hoşkara extends her best wishes and respect to all members of the society as well as architects, especially to those who perform their profession in line with professional ethics and environmental awareness.