EMU Director Prof. Oktay was at Venice Biennale

Prof. Dr. Derya Oktay, Director of EMU-Urban Research & Development Center, took part at the international jury of a major design workshop and competition (Recycling Common Ground Workshop) at the Venice Architecture Biennale between 22 and 23 November 2012. At this important workshop organized by the Faculty of Architecture and Engineering of the University of Trento, Prof. Oktay was one of the eight international jury members, evaluated more than 30 urban regeneration and architecture projects, and delivered a speech on "Urban Regeneration and Place-Making for Sustainability" at the  round-table meeting. The workshop +competition were coordinated by Prof. Dr. arch. Claudio Lamanna, and the jury members included Prof. Dr. arch. Aldo Aymonino, Prof. Dr. arch. Pippo Ciorra, Prof. arch. Ferruccio Favaron, Prof. Dr. arch. Sara Marini, Prof. Dr. arch & urban designer Derya Oktay, Prof. Dr. arch. Sengül Öymen Gür, Prof. arch. Rosario Pavia, Prof. arch. Morpho Papanicolaou Pappa, and Prof. Antonio Pocas.

The projects, which aimed to re-use the abandoned airport and train hangars, industrial buildings and social housing complexes in five cities in Northern Italy (Trento, Padova, Venedik, Lecco ve Udine) and adopted them into mixed-use complexes, were remarkable examples of sustainable regeneration as they supported the theme of "re-cycling". The projects, in addition to adaptive re-uses, revealed a sensitive selection of building materials, and were exhibited in a perfect setting of exhibition created with re-cycled materials within the context of the historic Arsenale (the old docks) which was used as the milieu for the Venice Biennale 2012. All together, the event greatly contributed to the development of consciousness and awareness about environmental sustainability as well as providing ideas for sustainable urban regeneration in abandoned areas/buildings of cities.

*The Venice Biennale is a major international contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy, and has been ongoing for over a century. It includes both art and architecture biennales (events and exhibitions with the participation of the world's renown artists' and architects'), and is said to have more than 300,000 visitors within the 3 month period this year.