AN ARCHITECT FOLLOWING THE LIGHT

Since 2008, the Chamber of Architects has started to organize a series of events under the name of "Sinan Award Winning Architects Program" to compile the works of architects who received the "Mimar Sinan Grand Prize" and to share them with the architectural public. The 2012-2014 period of this program was reserved for Erkut Şahinbaş, the winner of the "Mimar Sinan Grand Prize".
Within the scope of the program, an exhibition called “Adventure with Light: Erkut Şahinbaş Architecture”, a panel, and a book were published by the Chamber of Architects.

We talked with Erkut Şahinbaş, who has made significant contributions to the architectural environment in our country with his educator identity, architectural projects, and works in non-governmental organizations, and successfully represents Turkish architecture with the projects he has realized abroad, about his book "An Architect in Pursuit of the Light: Erkut Şahinbaş" and the adventure of light in architecture.

Nergiz Arifoğlu: Mr. Şahinbaş, we know you as an architect who gives the leading role to light in your designs. Did the vital importance of the light you experience in the Nordic countries have an impact on this?

Erkut Şahinbaş: During my education at METU Department of Architecture, Jakko Kaikonen and J.O. Spreckhelsen got me interested in Scandinavian architecture. In those years, there were not many buildings in Turkey. The biggest building is T.B.M.M. was the building. While I was continuing my architectural education, I started to go abroad from the second year. In 1960, I had the opportunity to work at Ahti Korhonen-Eric Krakstorn Architectural Office in Helsinki. Seeing the works of important architects abroad opened my horizons. After graduating from school, I worked at the Halldor Gunlogsson-Jorn Neilsen Architectural Firm in Copenhagen. Then I went to Scandinavia. Winter here is long, cold, dark and dreary. The sun was barely out, and at 10:00 in the morning the nightlights were still on. We used to cross dark roads on the way to work in the morning by bus. In winter, it would get bright for three to five hours and then it would be closed again. But on the other hand, the buildings were very bright. They were doing artificial lighting very well and as soon as natural light came out, it made itself felt in the buildings. Extreme climate and solar activity produced unique light situations. When I saw all these, I realized the importance of light.

N.A.: What is the importance of light in architecture?
E.Ş.: Light is the source of energy that ensures the development of all living things… Light plays an important role in understanding and comprehending architecture. Sometimes even an ordinary building can gain different dimensions thanks to the light used. Le Corbusier has a beautiful sentence: “Architecture is the union of correct, beautiful and smart spaces with light.”

“I believe that architecture is not just about building four walls, the natural light creates the feeling between those four walls, the shadows created by the quality of the space, the silence, that is, the metaphysical values ​​gained make the building valuable.”

Light is a very powerful thing… Throughout history, light has always been used as a power, as an expression of God. For centuries, it has both a scary side representing God and a comforting and peaceful side. The basic vision adopted by architects is to create spaces where light is perceptually fluid. Understanding that the quality of light is more important than its quantity has greatly influenced my understanding of architecture. I believe that architecture is not just about building four walls, natural light creates the feeling between those four walls, shadows created by the quality of the space, silence, that is, the metaphysical values ​​gained make the building valuable.

N.A.: Is it possible to give a periodical date for the buildings' relationship with light?
“The most extraordinary examples of dialogue with light since ancient times are religious buildings.”
E.Ş.: When you look at history, light has always been used, there is always the theme of light! After the artificial light came out, the control of the light and its correct use started to be done by architects.
Almost all over the world, the relationship between buildings and light has been perceived as an obligation to be overcome. The history of architecture is full of remarkable examples of different uses of light.
The most extraordinary examples of dialogue with light since ancient times are religious buildings. The Pantheon in Rome is a striking example of a very large volume. Dedicated to all the gods, the building receives light from a single point during the day and circulates inside the building. In mosques, light comes from everywhere. In Hindu caves, they place certain objects at certain points of the light, seek the ethereal light, and the light comes from one direction. When you look at the Middle Ages, there are big shutters in front of the windows in the north of the Netherlands, for example, and these shutters are fragmented. We see it in the paintings of great painters, they break the shutter in the huge window and get a different light.

N.A.: Could you tell us about your adventure with light in Doğramacızade Ali Sami Paşa Mosque, which you have designed outside of the traditional and which is described as a timeless work that pioneered contemporary Turkish architecture with an inclusive belief and cultural approach, and which I had the chance to experience with you?
E.Ş.: Although Doğramacızade Ali Sami Paşa Mosque looks like a heavy building, it has a form that tells a lot with less… The light was very important in this building. Light is a very cunning phenomenon, it doesn't like every place, it has to love its place. The project you make must also like the place of the building. We were lucky in this respect because he liked his place. We made it to a beautiful area.
Although we have discovered many artificial light sources, these man-made alternatives lack the tempo, wavelength, tone, and nuance that natural light offers. Although getting enough light inside is sufficient for the illumination of the interior spaces, the physical content is not the only thing expected in architecture. Our expectation is also emotional satisfaction….
The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said a very beautiful sentence on this subject: “Architecture is not the four walls and the roof over it, but the mood on it.” Look, the very interesting speeches you made are forgotten, and the works you did are also forgotten, but if you address a person's soul, he is not forgotten. If an architect can do that, it's a success! For example, I felt this in the Far East, they burn incense in Buddhist temples. When you enter, the smell of incense affects you in that temple… The light is like that.

“Light becomes more important for architects as they live and see.”

N.A.: What can you say about the role of light during architectural education in Turkey?
E.Ş.: There are not many courses on the importance of both natural and artificial light in architectural education in our country. There is talk of light, but the finer details, namely its technique, technology, perceptions, and its direct relationship with spaces, are perhaps almost nonexistent. I think the subject of light is not mentioned in the discipline of architecture because it is considered an electrical subject based in universities in our country. However, this is a subject that real architects should know because where there is light, there is space. If the architect is designing the space, then he/she should have a say in the light. Universities have a big role to play in this regard. Light is explained to architects during undergraduate education abroad, or there are undergraduate studies on the light. For us to live in quality spaces, these issues should be explained by experts like you in all faculties of architecture in our country.

N.A.: Thank you very much.