The question of how form emerges in architecture has always been one of the most fundamental debate topics of computational design. When I was a graduate student, we used to examine how abstract language structures made of words and rules turned into spatial and geometric systems. In this post, starting from the reflection of linguistic theories on architecture, we will talk about the logic of discrete aggregation that we study in the first year Design Computing courses. At the same…

You are seeing the last of the interlocking system trials that I have previously tested in two exercises. If you remember, in our first trial, we were drawing interlocking joinery details on cross-sections using closed curves, without any solid modeling. And here is the most advanced one, I guess. In this exercise, however, we are creating a solid model that incorporates these interlocking details. This time, we will look at how to construct the same system using Boolean operations. Boolean…

Three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP) is an innovative digital fabrication and automation technique based on additive manufacturing that enables the creation of complex and customized structures in the architecture and construction industry. Its most notable advantages include eliminating formwork costs and labor (Buswell et al., 2020; Lyu et al., 2021; Kaliyavaradhan et al., 2022) and facilitating the fabrication of structural elements with complex curvatures, particularly in printing systems utilizing industrial robotic arms (Alabbasi et al., 2023; De Soto et al., 2018)….

This project aims to promote the widespread use of earthen architecture in new urban and rural developments, in line with the overarching goal of sustainable cities. The potential solutions earthen architecture offers across various dimensions, such as human health, efficient resource utilization, locality, economic viability, and cultural continuity, can only be realized to the extent that they are integrated into the construction sector. When the vernacular knowledge embedded in local architectural solutions is enhanced through modern design-to-production technologies, earthen architecture…

I previously shared the Grasshopper definition for terrain generation that we used in last year’s Basic Design studio. One of the goals of this project was to take the first step toward developing students’ skills in understanding, processing, and utilizing terrain data as a design input. To support this objective, we provided them with small supplementary tools. One of these tools was the slope map. As you can see, this is quite a simple Grasshopper definition. It computes the slope…

We would like to share that our collaborative research on earthen architecture was featured at the Pavilion of Türkiye at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia. Curated by Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa around the theme “Grounded” (Yerebasan), the exhibition reimagines earth as a living archive, natural intelligence, and a dynamic laboratory for contemporary spatial practices. Together with Fulya Akipek and our interdisciplinary teams, we contributed to the pavilion with three architectural prototypes: Digital design and fabrication…

We continued the previous week’s experiments with Efecan. Using the sandblasting tool, we started performing point and line tests. The Grasshopper script I developed for this process is below. It allows us to move the gun along defined paths or execute target shots at specific points. To mount the IBIX pressurized gun onto the Kuka KR-20 model robot, I 3D-printed a custom adapter using PETG. Although it required a bit of force, the gun fits tightly into the adapter; it…

I have been coordinating the Graduate Program in Architectural Design at Istanbul Bilgi University since last year. I would also like to note down some information about the program here. The Graduate Program in Architectural Design at İstanbul Bilgi University is positioned at the intersection of design, technology, production, and sustainability. It aims to equip designers and architects with advanced skills in computational design, coding, material research, robotics, and digital prototyping. Additionally, it introduces the fundamental principles and concepts of…

The group exhibition 2 Years 10 Meters, curated by Natalia Schmidt, opened on April 24, 2024, at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. My name was also included in the exhibition due to the projection graphics in Didem Yalınay’s artwork Intra)/value. This was another step in Didem’s long-term project. She hated being called a “Digital Artist.” She produced wonderful works with Seçkin Maden. I was fortunate enough to accompany her as a modest collaborator on one of her pieces….

Last month, we completed the third edition of the Robotic Earthcrafts workshop series, which I co-organized with Fulya Akipek, following the first in 2018 and the second in 2023. An earthen mixture composed of clayey soil, lime, fibers, and cement was rammed into molds produced via robotic hot-wire cutting. The geometry of the fabricated wall is based on a hexagonal grid and features a Truchet-like variation. Constructed using four different block types, the wall was completed within 5 days and…