Prof. Namık Günay Erkal

Biography

Namık Erkal received the bachelor degree of architecture in 1992 from the Middle East Technical University (METU) Department of Architecture. He graduated from the program of History of Architecture METU in 1995 with the thesis entitled "Constantinopolis: a Study on the City of Constantinople as the Artifice of Constantine the Great’s Imperial Project" that was granted the METU Mustafa Parlar thesis award. In 1996 he became research assistant at the Department of Architecture METU; the same year he attended the international graduate program of "Culture of the Metropolis" at the Department of Architecture, University of Catalonia Barcelona. He received PhD degree of architecture from METU Department of Architecture in 2001 with the thesis entitled "Haliç Extra-mural Zone: a Spatio-temporal Framework for Understanding the Architecture of Istanbul City Frontier". He was assigned as instructor in METU Department of Architecture in 2002. In 2005 his post-doctoral research project "Excavating the Visual Sources Depicting Istanbul’s Maritime Frontier" was awarded with the Ilse and George Hanfmann Fellowship of American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) by means of which he found the opportunity to work in the major visual archives and libraries of London, Paris, Vienna and Venice for two semesters. He continued the instructorship in METU Department of Architecture until 2016 receiving respectively the positions of assistant professor (2009) and associate professor (2013). He has given courses at the undergraduate level in Architectural Design (2nd, 4th and specifically 3rd year) and Architectural History, at the graduate level in Architectural Design and the program of History of Architecture. In addition he has organized study abroad trips under courses entitled "architecture in situ"

His academic research has been based on two major topics that are architectural design and history of architecture. Concerning the topic of architectural design he has realized research projects (as consultant to different teams) some of which have been constructed, specifically focusing on issues like new buildings and urban design in complex environmental and historical contexts, annexes to old buildings, museum and exhibition design. Some of his proposals to the national architectural competitions have been awarded. He has also been jury member of several national architectural competitions.

His academic research in history of architecture is mainly on the military, economic and ceremonial structures of the city frontiers; market places, customhouses and maritime ports; and the architecture of the everyday life with a specific focus on the Early Modern Mediterranean and Ottoman cities. Architectural and urban history of Istanbul has been a case study topic since the graduate studies resulting in a number of publications. The writing of the architectural history of now vanished buildings in reference to the original sources of multi-layered cities has been a major interest. His major academic aim has been to search various possible means to relate the disciplines of history of architecture and architectural design -concerning the autonomy and the different outputs of each field- as well as to reflect this dialogue to the benefit of architectural education.