About Us
Our principles guide us.
With housing prices rising rapidly across the world and especially in Turkey, many people are forced to live their lives in debt, either through rent or mortgage loans. The lack of affordable housing options leads individuals to take out high-interest loans, putting them in an almost lifelong cycle of debt. According to research, Millennials will be the first generation that will not be able to surpass the financial status of their predecessors, and not only in Turkey but all over the world, it is now close to impossible for a Millennial to buy a house without support from their family. Moreover, the fact that the houses bought with these lifelong debts are not planned well enough against natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods puts the individuals living in them in danger, while the fact that these houses, which are demolished and rebuilt every fifty years, have no sustainable side, is slowly dragging the whole humanity towards a disaster.
The “World Overshoot Date”, which marks the date each year when humanity begins to consume more resources than nature can replenish, fell from August 2 in 2022 to July 30 in 2024. In other words, in just half of the year, we have reached the point of exceeding the limits of the global ecosystem and consuming natural resources to the point where we start taking credit for the rights of future generations. This trajectory shows that a generation is coming that will go into huge loan debts in order to have a roof over their heads, that will struggle with daily financial problems for the rest of their lives, that will be aware that they will never realize their full potential in life, that we have already used up the oxygen, water and natural resources that they are entitled to, and that they will live in fear. It’s a dystopia, is this really going to be our legacy for the next generation? It is clear that something has to change. We are at a turning point.
While technology and science are expected to contribute to the development of humankind with each passing year, the fact that the “World Overshoot” date keeps coming forward clearly tells us this: The problem is not in technology, but in culture, in our perspective. We already have the technology and science to play a very effective role in mitigating the environmental impacts of global warming and finding solutions for sustainability. However, in addition to these developments, conscious consumption habits and lifestyles in harmony with nature must be internalized at the individual and societal level. Humankind must take steps to build a more sustainable future by using the opportunities offered by technology in harmony with nature, giving up excessive consumption habits and not exceeding the limits of our planet. We have to leave a healthy world where future generations will feel safe and secure. The right to housing is a universal fundamental right. We do not look at housing as a commercial instrument that can be bought and sold for profit, but as a product that people can live in peace and that everyone has a right to. We are aware that a world where every individual can own a house where they can live in peace, where they can feel safe and secure in their future is a reality, just as it was in the not too distant past. People throughout history have designed and built their own homes before the capitalist system we live in went off the rails, history shows us that everyone can have a home of their own, it is not a dream and we know it can happen now.
As a design studio focused on social and sustainable housing, we don’t believe that there is only one solution. Especially when it comes to architecture, many parameters such as different times, places and people come into play, and we think that a complicated problem like social housing has more than one solution and solution path. In this way, we prioritize our achievements in the process, not the solutions. It can be combining old materials with new technologies, using or introducing a brand new technology, sometimes even social or physical experiments or their documentation. Architecture, industrial design, graphics, film, installations; with an interdisciplinary perspective, our ultimate goal is to explore different ways of building and living in housing, to offer affordable, affordable and intelligently planned housing solutions that embrace minimal living using natural energy sources, where people feel comfortable and valued, and to create alternatives to today’s traditional housing sector. In this way, it is our job to try many different alternatives, to think, analyze, reapply, document our conclusions and inform the society. As a research and practice studio that combines theory and practice, we are in an unknown process that may never end. The only thing we know for sure is that something has to change.
Belen Toker
Architect with a focus on social housing, sustainabilility and renewable energy.
Esatcan Torun
Agriculture and nature enthusiast, geological engineer and entrepreneur.
Ece Turlin
Marketing expert and entrepreneur with an interest in sustainability.