{"product_id":"yalin-seyler-banu-ucak","title":"SIMPLE THINGS – Ömer Selçuk Baz, Okan Bal, Yalın Mimarlık (2005-2025)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSIMPLE THINGS\u003c\/em\u003e, a book written by architect, editor, and design manager Banu Uçak, which examines the intellectual infrastructure, design, and construction processes of Yalın Mimarlık's architectural production from a broad perspective, mostly on-site, has been published by YEM Yayın.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book chronicles the twenty-year-long production of Yalın Mimarlık, a firm established by architect Ömer Selçuk Baz upon his return to Turkey from Vienna, together with urban planner Okan Bal. In \u003cem\u003eSimple Things\u003c\/em\u003e, this production is not merely approached through the buildings themselves; it is also explored as a way of thinking and a design reflex.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough Banu Uçak's personal interpretation, the book discusses the team's projects under the headings of \u003cstrong\u003e\"Archetypes,\" \"Narratives: Spatial Storytelling,\" \"Patterns,\" \"Commons,\" \"Dialogue with Nature,\" \"Tectonic Narratives,\" and \"Collaboration: Learning by Doing.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e The book concludes with Ömer Selçuk Baz's text titled \u003cstrong\u003e\"Open Wound,\"\u003c\/strong\u003e which describes how the earthquake on February 6, which razed his birthplace Antakya to the ground, transformed both his self-perception and his view of architecture.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith its flexible structure, \u003cem\u003eSimple Things\u003c\/em\u003e allows for different readings, enabling readers to trace a single project across various chapters or to evaluate works with similar approaches together. \u003cem\u003eSimple Things\u003c\/em\u003e highlights the work of a team striving for original production amidst the harsh realities of the geography and the points where these works intersect with fundamental architectural issues.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBanu Uçak states that she began writing believing it would be valuable to delve into the public emphasis, originality, and continuity of Yalın Mimarlık's work. She describes \u003cem\u003eSimple Things\u003c\/em\u003e and its content as follows:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Undoubtedly, \u003cem\u003eSimple Things\u003c\/em\u003e is a deeply personal interpretation. In our geography, there is a harsh architectural environment shaped by the challenging conditions of daily life, politics, and economics. In \u003cem\u003eSimple Things\u003c\/em\u003e, I tried to open a discussion about the work of a team striving to create original architecture within this environment, by connecting their projects with fundamental architectural issues. The book's chapters, on one hand, form my personal dictionary of Yalın Mimarlık's design reflexes, and on the other hand, relate the projects to core architectural concepts beyond their geographical context.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSome buildings, which are strong examples for more than one of the themes identified in the book, appear in different chapters with their various characteristics and states. For instance, the Troy Museum is an archetype in one place, a narrative space in another; sometimes it is read through its relationship with nature, and sometimes through its collaborative practice. While reading \u003cem\u003eSimple Things\u003c\/em\u003e, you can trace a single project through different chapters or evaluate works with similar approaches together. I hope that this winding, subjective, and even speculative reading style, which allows for alternative readings and has a flexible structure, will resonate with the reader...\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRegarding the book, which examines many award-winning, notable projects of recent times such as the Troy Museum, Central Bank Bursa Branch, Manisa Liberation Museum, Zonguldak Caves Visitor Center, and Hatay Archaeology Museum, Ömer Selçuk Baz says:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"This book is like architecture, like partnership, like an office, and like our collaborations... Like us... From our very first conversations with Banu, I knew this couldn't be a normal book. With her initial idea for the book, Banu secretly did something against us that we often do in many of our projects. She turned the subject, the approach, the structure, the problem upside down. What she proposed was a book, but not a portfolio with projects listed one after another. It was like a history book, like an article on nature literacy, like a fascicle on building knowledge, like a construction site diary. But it wasn't exactly any of them, and it was all of them! It was a whole brought together by 'strange' speculative pieces. In this sense, the book was the author's unique, one-time reading, composed of fascicles and chapters. And it was also like a puzzle, open for readers to combine in other ways in their own minds...\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book, which stands out with its structure, narrative language, as well as its original interior page, cover, and binding design, was designed by Okay Karadayılar. The pre-publication preparations were carried out by Ece Toprak, Okan Bal, and Ömer Selçuk Baz, and the cover photo is by Yalın Baz.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWHO IS BANU UÇAK?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eBanu Uçak completed her undergraduate studies in architecture at Yıldız Technical University and her master's degree at Istanbul Technical University. For ten years, she contributed to the development of architectural culture through conferences, competitions, and events she organized at Yapı-Endüstri Merkezi. She then served as Assistant General Manager at Seranit and General Manager at Ferko İnşaat. Afterward, as a freelance consultant, she supported investors in concept development, author selection, design management, marketing, and brand collaborations. She served as a studio instructor at Özyeğin University Faculty of Architecture for five continuous years. For ten years, she has been a jury member for the World Architecture Festival, and for 15 years, she has been among the nominators for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. In 2017, she prepared and presented a two-part architectural documentary titled \"Izdüşüm\" for TRT, and in 2022, a seven-part series titled \"Ustalara Saygı\" (Homage to Masters). She writes articles, gives speeches, and produces documentaries on architecture and the city. She loves her son Can, Istanbul, cities, discovering and sharing man-made beauties; the sea and ferries.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWHO IS ÖMER SELÇUK BAZ?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1978. He completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in Antakya. After graduating from Bursa Uludağ University, Faculty of Architecture in 2002, he began his master's studies at Vienna University of Technology. During his studies, he won awards in various national and international competitions. Parallel to his master's studies in Vienna, he worked at Atelier Stelzhammer for four years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2005, he began actively practicing architecture in Turkey after winning first prize in the T.C. Central Bank Bursa Branch Competition. He led studios in the master's programs at Istanbul Kültür University and Bilgi University. He served as a jury member in various national competitions and award organizations. T.C. Central Bank Bursa Branch (1st Prize), Troy Museum (1st Prize), Riyadh Mosque (1st Prize), Cappadocia Museum, Zonguldak Caves Visitor Center, Korean War Memorial and Visitor Center (1st Prize) are among the main projects produced with the Yalın Mimarlık team.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe won the National Architecture Award three times in the \"Building\" category. He won the \"European 40 under 40\" award. He was also awarded the International Sustainable Architecture Award by the Paris Architecture Center with the support of UNESCO in 2022. Since 2011, he has continued his work under the umbrella of Yalın Mimarlık, which he co-founded with urban planner Okan Bal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWHO IS OKAN BAL?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorn in Adana in 1967. He completed his primary education in İznik, and his secondary and high school education in Düziçi and Adana. He began his university education at ODTÜ (METU) Mechanical Engineering in 1983 and graduated from the ODTÜ Department of City and Regional Planning in 1990.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe spent his youth in Ankara between 1983 and 2005. He always considered his childhood in İznik, his education at Adana Motor Vocational High School, and his years at ODTÜ and in Ankara as a great fortune in shaping his life. After his university education, he opened his own planning office in 1990. For the first few years, he worked as an urban planner. He later served as project and investment coordinator and director of corporate relations. In addition to his planning work, mostly in organized industrial zones and tourism areas, he also carried out zoning plans and urban design studies for entire cities. In 2005, he settled in Istanbul and co-founded Rota Proje with Deniz Ünsal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince 2007, Okan Bal has won national and international awards in competitions with his partner Ömer Selçuk Baz, and he continues his work under the Yalın Mimarlık umbrella today. As he always longed for a life facing the sea, his hobbies are mostly related to the sea. He enjoys being underwater, on the water, or by the shore. He is also interested in mechanisms, especially motorcycles and boats.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"YEM Yayın","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48384297369843,"sku":"9786259393155","price":1960.0,"currency_code":"TRY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/3950\/7395\/files\/yalinseyler_onkapak.png?v=1765140741","url":"https:\/\/yemkitabevi.com\/en-us\/products\/yalin-seyler-banu-ucak","provider":"YEM Kitabevi","version":"1.0","type":"link"}