Doğan Hasol / Saturday Gatherings

The "Architects Share Their Experiences" themed Saturday Meetings, organized by the Istanbul Metropolitan Branch of the Chamber of Architects since 2009, are now presented in a new publication. The new book in the series is a compilation of the meeting featuring Doğan Hasol as a guest... The Istanbul Metropolitan Branch of the Chamber of Architects, with its "Architects Share Their Experiences" themed Saturday Meetings, which began in January 2009, contributes to the mutual thinking-questioning process of architects, and aims to make this richness permanent by transforming these meetings, which enrich the architectural environment, into publications.

The Saturday Meetings, which allowed architects from different generations to share their experiences and professional knowledge, attracted not only young architects but also participants of all ages, and this series of conferences provided a productive platform for sharing and questioning, going beyond a one-sided transfer of experience and actively engaging the audience.

The effort to publish the conference series can also be considered as documentation work for Turkish architecture. The newest product of this effort is the publication compiled from the meeting held with the participation of Doğan Hasol in 2016.

About Doğan Hasol:
Doğan Hasol was born in 1937. He graduated from Galatasaray High School in 1956 and from Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Architecture in 1961. In 1961, he joined the group that published the Architecture and Art Magazine. In addition to his assistantship at Istanbul Technical University, he served as the Editor-in-Chief of Mimarlık, the magazine of the Chamber of Architects; he held various positions on the Executive Boards of the Chamber of Architects. In 1968, together with a group of friends, he founded the Building-Industry Center (Yapı-Endüstri Merkezi), which is an information center in the construction field. He was elected President of the International Union of Building Centres (UICB) twice (1989-1992, 1992-1995), and later became an Honorary Member.

Until April 2013, when he was at the head of the Building-Industry Center, in line with the institution's function as an information center, he pioneered the publication of professional catalogs, especially the Building Catalog, architectural and art books, in addition to YAPI Magazine, the organization of courses, conferences, seminars, and the establishment of the Virtual Architecture Museum. For his publishing activities, he was awarded the Press-Publication Award by the Turkish Association of Independent Architects for the 1994/95 period. Also, in line with the information center concept, he initiated and developed the YAPI fairs as Turkey's first specialized exhibition.

He won awards and honorable mentions in some architectural project competitions and served as a jury member in national and international competitions. Together with his wife, Architect Hayzuran Hasol, he won the Chamber of Architects' 1990 National Architecture Award in the building category. He continues his freelance architectural work within the Has Mimarlık group, which he established with his wife and daughter, both architects.

He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Istanbul Technical University in 1998, by Yıldız Technical University in 1999, and by Istanbul Kültür University in 2012; the Professional Contribution Achievement Award by the Chamber of Architects in 2000 and by the Istanbul Association of Independent Architects in 2014; the Honorary Award in architecture by Beykent University in 2007; and the Honorary Award within the scope of SotCA Awards by Hürriyet Newspaper in 2015.