Who are we?

“Design,” “architecture,” and “city” are three words, three concepts, three phenomena that fill every aspect of life without leaving any gaps. It is nearly impossible not to encounter a designed object, a thought-out architectural work, or an organized urban life and/or order. Our Research Center’s primary aim is to project the short and long-term projections of these three focal points, which have various sub-components, complex processes, and interrelationships, from the past to the present and the future.

The Design, Architecture, and Urban Studies Application and Research Center was established in 2021. Our center prioritizes practical application activities such as architectural projects, design projects, urban planning, city management, cultural heritage, etc. We believe that concrete, practical projects are the most valuable research in fields such as design, architecture, and the city. Each project is a research path.

In the center, the research projects will focus on the social, economic, historical, architectural, and spatial development and change of Samsun and the Black Sea region specifically, and urbanization movements in general, on a national and international scale. Processes will progress on an interdisciplinary route in collaboration with digital humanities and different knowledge systems, taking into account the phenomenon and methods of software-digitalization, which can be mentioned as new trends in scientific research. It is aimed that the research and applications to be conducted in the field of current design, architecture, and urban studies will contribute to debates in various fields, from geography to history, sociology to economics, policy making to psychology.

In accordance with the above general approaches, the activities of the center include

• preparing architectural projects and providing consultancy to public institutions, private institutions, and individuals;
• developing research projects through national and international organizations such as TÜBİTAK, Development Agencies, the European Union, etc.;
• organizing workshops on design and architecture, design weeks, seminar series, workshops on specific topics, symposiums;
• producing various printed and digital publications;
• designing and coordinating graduate programs in relevant fields;
• and implementing guest researcher and internship programs.

In our center, ??? architectural projects have been implemented in 2021, 2022, and 2023; 1 application workshop has been held; 12 TÜBİTAK 2209-A Research Projects have been accepted; Mayıs’TasarımSamsun 2021 design week event has been organized; 40 seminars have been held. Details can be accessed on our website and social media accounts.