Mehmet Kalyoncu: Rebuilding Hatay Is One of the World’s Most Complex Urban Challenges
In an interview with Dezeen, the international architecture and design platform, Türkiye Design Foundation President Mehmet Kalyoncu discussed the reconstruction of Hatay following the February 6 earthquakes. Highlighting the scale of the challenge, Kalyoncu described the rebuilding of Hatay as “one of the most complex urban problems in the world.”
Noting that collaboration in architecture and urban planning has become increasingly important at a time when earthquakes and natural disasters are ever more prominent, Kalyoncu stressed that problems of this scale cannot be solved by a single person or institution.
“We Need to Work Together”
Stating that the problems facing today’s cities have become far more complex than in the past, Mehmet Kalyoncu said that the fundamental approach of the new era must be working together.
According to Kalyoncu, the idea that architects alone determine how cities are redesigned is no longer sufficient. Different disciplines, such as architecture, engineering, sustainability, cultural heritage and urban design, need to work toward the same goal.
The reconstruction of Hatay is regarded as a key example of this approach. The Türkiye Design Foundation is bringing together local and international teams from different fields of expertise to restore the city, which was severely affected by the earthquake.
The World’s Leading Teams Came Together for Hatay
As part of Hatay’s reconstruction process, the Türkiye Design Foundation formed a broad working group made up of Turkish and international firms.
Teams specializing in fields such as design, engineering, sustainability and cultural heritage joined the work to plan Hatay’s future together. Kalyoncu described this structure as a significant collaboration bringing together leading experts from around the world.
International firms such as the Danish architecture office BIG, the British engineering firm Buro Happold and the British architecture office Foster + Partners are also involved. Foster + Partners is one of the leading teams in the master planning work prepared for Hatay.
An Interdisciplinary Reconstruction Model for Hatay
The work in Hatay is not limited to replacing destroyed buildings with new ones. The city’s historical identity, cultural heritage, social structure and the disaster risks it may face in the future are also core parts of the planning process.
For this reason, the reconstruction process aims to bring together expertise in engineering, urban planning, sustainability and cultural heritage alongside architecture.
The collaborative approach emphasized by Mehmet Kalyoncu is one of the fundamental principles of Hatay’s reconstruction. By having experts from different disciplines and countries work toward a common goal, the aim is to create an urban model that preserves the city’s connection with its past and is more resilient to future risks.
The work, carried out under the coordination of the Türkiye Design Foundation, aims not only to restore Hatay but also to establish a model that can serve as an international example for the replanning of cities after disasters.