Disseminating the use of sustainable design principles through architectural competitions

Abstract

Sustainable architectural designs have become current issue, as in other disciplines, in architecture since 1970s because of these reasons, oil shock, global warming, to be consumed natural resources, get further away from the nature. Putting into practice and increase of awareness of sustainable architectural designs become a important topic 2000s in Turkey. It’s hard to reach clear information about how much designs are carried into practice. Obtaining energy efficiency certificate for new buildings has become obligatory since 1 January 2011 and it’s determined that 450,815 buildings have this certificate. But this certificate evaluates energy performance of buildings only. In fact, process of sustainable design cannot be evaluated by just energy performance analysis. Efficiently use of energy, water, building land and environment, relationship with environment and buildings, benefit/damage analysis in urban area, increase of user comfort in building come into prominence. 425 buildings obtained LEED certificate that make a comprehensive investigation. As it seen, the numbers, used above, show us, it’s necessary that sustainable design principles must be disseminated and the methods, are been used, must be evaluated. This work tackles architectural competitions as a method for developing and disseminating sustainable design principles. Architectural competitions are not only didactic but also developer and independent design platform which all architects can join. The results are reached the large masses over draw up a contract, design process, evaluating the projects and discussion platform, colloquium. So that the establishment, designers, the jury and the other participants are involved in an interaction. Architectural competitions can used for development, evaluation, discussion and dissemination of sustainable design principles. The aim of this work is that evaluating how to tackle “sustainability” as a term in competitions, in 2010s and in accordance with the results, offering suggestions for disseminating the use of sustainable design principles with competitions also.