SECOND PRIZE WINNER!
Seymanur Isler
Turkey
Şeymanur İşler was accepted into the Faculty of Architecture at Gazi University in 2020 and is currently in her final year.
Interview with the Winner
Introduction
I have always known that I wanted to be an architect. From a young age, I found myself constantly drawing and creating simple models of the things I imagined. Design has always been a part of my life, and when I was accepted into the Faculty of Architecture at Gazi University in 2020, I naturally pursued this passion. Now, I am in my fourth year of university, and my love for architecture has deepened even further.
In my third year, I participated in a design competition and won second place. The reason I chose this competition was its potential to create a new living space within the uncertainty of the next century. This experience was a significant turning point for me and reinforced my belief in the power of creativity and hard work.
Design Concept
I based my concept on a disaster scenario set in the next century. Over the course of a hundred years, advancements in technology and industrialization caused immense destruction in nature; the atmosphere became unbreathable for humans, and as life began to go extinct, protection houses were built in the year 2124 as a result of these developments. Since humans cannot live disconnected from their environment and nature, I envisioned that in these houses, the embryos of all living organisms in the ecosystem would be stored in criyo tubes and revived within a large tube to ensure the continuity of life. In this way, within a system where humans and their surroundings once again began to coexist, people spread into the empty spaces of their environment and enveloped nature, taking control to revive it.
Adaptability and Sustainability
The design is conducive to the expansion of society through systems that can be interconnected. At the same time, since it houses nature and living creatures alongside humans, it provides the environment that people need within itself. Humans interact with nature, and they mutually benefit from each other. While humans meet their needs such as food, oxygen, and fertilizer from the environment, other living creatures gain a habitat for themselves. In this way, both the continuity of human life and the sustainability of ecosystems are ensured.
Innovation and Technology
I aimed for maximum efficiency in minimal space to preserve life. In this way, the system can serve more people while providing a functional living space. To achieve this, I designed technological units that families can choose based on their needs. These units can be increased in number to create customized, expanded modules according to the needs of a family, or standard pre-made modules can be used.
When reviewing the previous winning projects while applying to the competition, I noticed that none of them focused on living creatures in nature. In my opinion, human life cannot be considered separate from nature and its surroundings. For this reason, I developed a concept that centers on nature and aims to sustain it alongside humans. While storing embryos and seeds using cryo systems, I wondered, "Why shouldn't life itself take place within a tube?" As a result, I developed this tube system. This allowed me to create interconnected spaces while also designing an expandable and adaptable system.
Environmental Considerations
Even today, when climate change is a major issue, species are going extinct, and seed vaults are being built, it is impossible to imagine that the consequences won’t be more severe a century from now. For this reason, ecosystems that can provide a living environment in the future must be preserved and sustained.
The Vision of the Future
Developing various scenarios for the next century and creating designs that respond to those scenarios can form the foundation of future architecture. This way, solutions for different needs and problems can be prepared a century in advance.
Contributing to a Lasting Legacy
Thinking about and designing for the next century is very exciting because you are operating within a realm of complete uncertainty and assumptions. It allows you to create a scenario in your own imagination and bring it to life. For me, bringing Noahome to life was incredibly thrilling; I believe highlighting the importance of nature and living beings is a crucial topic, and seeing that I could incorporate this into my design made me very happy.
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