Discussing Disposition in Architectural Education: The Dispositional Design Approach of Atelier 1

This paper aims to discuss the concept of disposition within the dispositional approach of Atelier 1, which is a design studio in Gazi University Department of Architecture located in Ankara, the capital city of Turkiye. It is a conceptual and contextual discussion on the dispositional effects of the recent earthquakes in Hatay, one of the cities disposed, disrupted and destructed in the south eastern district of the country. The students of Atelier 1 focus on the disposed urban pattern of Hatay to design a new architectural project serving for the rehabilitation process of the city. The disposed urban pattern paves the way for the students to conceive disposition as the tendency of disruption and destruction. This tendency is not only related to the spatial destruction but also the social destruction of the daily life routines and practices after the earthquakes in the city. Atelier 1 develops an unconventional design approach distinguishing the atelier from the other design practices and educational environments, which conventionally focus on problem-solving methodologies, and structural technologies of earthquake-resistant buildings. However, Atelier 1 deals with the structural (spatial, technological, environmental, etc.) and non-structural (social, cultural, functional, etc.) dispositions in the city of Hatay, by considering them as the dispositional patterns, possibilities or potentialities, to design a new urban space inviting and rehabilitating people from all ages.