You are cordially invited to the talk organized by Bilkent University Department of Architecture (BUDA).
Title: EMERGING LANDSCAPES | THE STORY OF TOPOLOGICAL GROUND OF BENGHAZI
Speaker: Nesli Naz Aksu
Date: 8 May 2025 Thursday
Time: 12:30-13:30
Place: FFB-22
Abstract:
Emerging landscapes—shaped by ecological and cultural crises, technological advancements, and shifting paradigms—are redefining architecture`s ground. In this evolving context, re-situating architecture by examining its disciplinary boundaries has become more crucial than ever. These extends encompass various disciplines, most notably landscape architecture.
Discussing both the literal Earth’s ground and the conceptual disciplinary ground of architecture seeks to overcome the dual stance between architecture and landscape architecture and its reflection in academia and practice. Topological ground is where these fields intersect, making their relationship more significant than their individual definitions.
Landscape, as augmented architecture, curates cities and creates new grounds. These grounds—referred to as topological grounds—are coordinated by uncovering their thicknesses and particularities, enabling the design of productive landscapes, where the shift from a single artifact to a system becomes evident.
The design of Benghazi Stadium and its surrounding sports city serves as a case study of a productive landscape shaped by the city’s and the region’s extensive history. Learning from topology—the continuities and connections of the ground and the ongoing transformations the area has undergone—ultimately breaks the ground and proposes a system that regulates the social and special recovery of the city.
Biography:
Nesli Naz Aksu is an architect and landscape architect. After receiving her dual degree in Architecture and Landscape Architecture from Istanbul Technical University, Aksu moved to New York City to work at Eisenman Architects and for her master’s studies in Advanced Archi¬tectural Design at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), Columbia University. Following her studies, she worked as a teaching assistant for architectural design studios and international workshops at GSAPP. She finished her PhD, titled Topological Ground: Land Form and Built Form, at METU and she coordinated design studios at TOBB ETU. Her research interests include emerging landscapes in relation to architec¬ture in academia and practice. As a second-generation architect, she is a partner of azaksu architects.