DESIGN STUDIO TEACHING at Istanbul Bilgi University - 2016-2022
MATERIAL SYSTEMS III - 1:1 Scale Pavilions & Prototype Studies
Material research and pavilion design were developed simultaneously, encouraging students to explore how material properties inform architectural form. Through physical experimentation and digital fabrication using CNC routers, laser cutters and workshop tools, students investigated cutting, bending and assembly techniques. Mechanical connection details were developed as architectural interfaces, with structural performance tested through mock-ups and scaled prototypes before full-scale construction. The completed 1:1 pavilions were installed across the campus and presented as part of the annual end-of-year exhibition.
Instructors: Salih Küçüktuna - Gamze Gündüz - Ece Çakır Aidan
MATERIAL SYSTEMS II - Designing with Biomaterials
Students developed bio-based materials using everyday ingredients, investigating how changes in composition influenced material properties such as transparency, elasticity, strength and density. Through systematic testing, documentation and visual analysis, they created a bioplastic library that compared the performance of different material recipes. The resulting materials were then explored through a series of 10 × 10 cm design studies, encouraging students to understand material behaviour as a driver of architectural thinking and sustainable design.
Instructors: Canan Erten - Serkan Uysal - Ece Çakır Aidan
Students: Yade Sıla Kahraman, Fatih Karabudak
MATERIAL SYSTEMS I - Material, Structure & Light
Students designed and constructed 1:1 illuminated lanterns by integrating material research, structural systems and lighting design. Through investigations into polyhedral geometries, repetitive modular systems and mechanical connection strategies, they explored how material behaviour informed structural performance and architectural expression. The integration of light sources and fixtures formed an essential part of the design process, encouraging students to resolve material, structural and environmental considerations within a single architectural system.
Instructors: Salih Küçüktuna - Gamze Gündüz - Ece Çakır Aidan
SPATIAL SYSTEMS - Solid and Void
Students explored the relationship between solid and void through mould-making and casting techniques. Beginning with the design of modular cubic components, they investigated how repetition, aggregation and subtraction could generate inhabitable spatial systems at an architectural scale. Mould design formed an integral part of the design process, encouraging students to consider fabrication constraints as creative inputs. The final cast compositions demonstrated how structural systems, spatial organisation and construction methodology could be developed simultaneously through iterative prototyping.
Instructors: Tuğrul Yazar - Nur Gürbüz - Ece Çakır Aidan
Students: Berkan Kaya, Mustafa Banzaroğlu, Gözde Akkoyun, İlker Yetik. Students: Yaren Şirin, Gözde Ergül, Duru Kalınoğlu, Bengisu Yüksel