For whom: Earthquake survivors in Kahramanmaraş
With whom: Critical Craft, Kaf Kolektif, All Hands and Hearts, participants and earthquake survivors
When: 2023
After the 6 February Earthquakes, our first project under the name of ‘Post-Disaster Reconstruction Plan’ for the needs of communities was ‘Post-Disaster Community Spaces’. During the expedition to Kahramanmaraş on 20-22 February 2023, we met the Kaf Kolektif team, which voluntarily carried out post-disaster support and recovery activities in the tent area established in and around the garden of Sümer Secondary School in Dulkadiroğlu District, and decided to build the first centre here.
At the beginning of the design work of the project, which was realised with the support of the Support Foundation for Civil Society and Turkey Mozaik Foundation, we held an open call workshop at Design Workshop Kadıköy on 4-5 March. In the workshop, which received 410 applications, 45 selected people worked on six different tables. The materials thought to be affordable with the amount of funding received and the size of the area that the association members and participants could build within the duration of the funding were decisive in the design. Although the input of this workshop, which was determined as 6 m3 of wood and 25 plywood for approximately 100 m2, including open and closed spaces, was not strictly adhered to, these quantities, especially the area size, turned into research data on how the space can be used in different ways. In addition to thinking about the production and living habits in the region, the needs of children and women, especially in the newly formed situation, guided the design ideas. In addition to the work on the community center structure, ideas from different scales such as kitchen, toilet, play unit, animal shelter and vegetable bed were compiled and designed. Shading details have become an important issue, especially for the upcoming summer season. After the design workshop, we organised a forum with the participation of 150 people at Salt Galata on 7 March and shared the ideas from the workshop and received comments.
While the ideas from this workshop continued to be worked on in the following days, we realised that the details could not be clarified without being in the field, so we went to the field on 22 March and stayed on the field with the teams that transformed until 8 May. In the area where the community space could be located, there were olive trees planted by school students two months before the earthquake. The most suitable place among these trees was determined for the project, and the details of the design, which turned into a 60 m2 structure, were quickly completed. The final version of the center, formed by 5 wooden frames, included a 25 m2 closed event area, a 6 m2 closed storage area, a 6 m2 covered semi-open area and 23 m2 open areas. Critical Craft team, whose founders are also members of our association, undertook the detailing of the design.
All Hands and Hearts team, who met in the field before starting the construction work, volunteered to carry out the construction together. Thus, we implemented the Sümer Community Centre together with members and volunteers of the Architecture for All Association, Kaf Collective team, All Hands and Hearts staff and volunteers, and Sümer neighbourhood residents. In addition to the organizations funding the project, individual donors and All Hands and Hearts provided financial support. During the work, we stayed in the camping area of Kaf Kolektif and in the Mimkent area of Kahramanmaraş Chamber of Architects.
Apart from the limited materials purchased from Kayseri, all materials and tools required for construction were procured from Kahramanmaraş. Although they were not always the ones considered, equivalent ones were found. Despite the efforts of those looking at the disaster area from a distance to outsource everything with good intentions at first, we have experienced that working with local materials and local labor whenever possible fosters their intention to do it together and has a more positive contribution to the recovery of disaster victims.
Sümer Community Space could not be used as intended because the tents in the area were removed and Kaf Kolektif ended its activities because of this removal at the end of the summer for this reason. The space, which was freely used by children throughout the summer, hosted a weaving workshop by Critical Craft in August. The space, which the school administration decided to remove due to the opinion that it created a security problem, was removed in November. Due to the communication breakdown caused by the school’s reluctance, we saw the situation during our site visit in December and traced the story of its removal and learnt that it was disassembled and transported in three pieces after the Dulkadiroğlu Municipality masons who came to dismantle it noticed the special design and application of the building. The moved structure is reassembled at the Dulkadiroğlu Municipality’s construction site next to a container city and continues to be used as a construction site office. Although it was disappointing that it was not used for its original purpose, it was a consoling news that it came to life again, thanks to aware craftsmen and its design being suitable for disassembly.
For All Hands and Hearts, who shared their desire to build a second community centre with their own financial and labour resources, negotiations were held with Türkoğlu Municipality and it was decided to build the second centre in the container city in Kılılı neighbourhood. By adding another frame to the initial design, the small indoor area of the growing building increased to 12 m2 and provided a second event space. Additionally, the windows and door designs in the initial design were changed at the request of the All Hands and Hearts team. Changes were made to the materials on the floor, walls and roof in accordance with the budget, supply and application possibilities. The building, embraced by the principal of the neighboring school, who has also been the administrator of the container city since the first day it was opened, is actively used with the regular programs of the school and Public Education. The relations with our association and All Hands and Hearts that started during this period continued until their departure from Turkey at the end of September, and we took part in each other’s other work in the earthquake zone and showed solidarity in the processes.
You can review the design-build guide we prepared for the community centres here.
You can access the photo album of the projects here.
Sumer Community Space Design Workshop Participants:
Aleyna Kaya, Andaç Güney, Alp Arısoy, Arzu Feruz, Aylin Kanar, Ayça Kanbur, Bilge Sayarlıoğlu, Berna Göl, Betül Toy, Burak Aydın, Cansu Karaman, Ceyda Oskay, Ceyda Atay, Çağatay Özkardeşler, Demir İnhan, Dide Sevinçok, Eda Yandım, Ela Gök, Emre Gündoğdu, Erhan Yüce, Eycan Hüzmeli, Feyza Barca Şentürk, Gamze Ruken Dağaynası, Gülşah Özgen, Gülten Nur Bilgiç, Gizem Saka, Ilgın Bulak, Irmak Erdurak, Kadriye Sipahioğulları, Kutay Koçtekin, Mehmet Buğra Çavdar, Melis Naz Tanrıverdi, Merve Gül Özokcu, Merve Şanlı, Mustafa Zahid Akgül, Nil Dögerlioğlu, Özgenaz Özgür, Reyhan Naz Fındıkgil, Sam Price, Mehmet Sarper Takkeci, Selen Gürsoy, Selin Nazlı, Sıla Kelemen, Tayfun Parlak, Tuğçe Demirhan Kiriş, Yiğit Yolcu, Zeynep Rana Şirikçi, Zehra Sumeli, Sam Price, Sıla Bozdeveci
Sumer Community Space Construction Workshop Participants:
Alperen Aydın, Berna Göl, Dilara Atalay, Ela Gök, Emre Gündoğdu, Emrah Güllüoğlu, Erdem Üngür, Fırat Altundağ, Görkem Geyik, Kutay Koçtekin, Mehmet Gören, Merve Gül Özokcu, Ömer Keskin, Sam Price, Yağmur Kutlar, Yusuf Banlı, Zehiye Ünal, Zeynep Murat, Zeynep Seda Atlı, Kaf Kolektif ekibi All Hands And Hearts çalışan ve gönüllüleri Sümer Mahalleliler
* The project was included in the selection of Turkish Architecture Yearbook 2023.
