Why Architecture?

I visit Istanbul often, and whenever I need space I duck into the insides of the Hagia Sofia with such frequency that the guardian recognizes and greets me. Then, after greeting the mosque myself, I pass through the third column on the right and take my usual place. Looking closely, I see figures carved into the mosaics there, figures that Mimar Sinan, out of courtesy, did not scrape off when the Greek Basilica was being transformed into a mosque. He kept the mosaics created by artists of the past in his renewal of the structure because he knew that history would bridge his perception and the culture of Turks. His vision was to mold the past into the present.

Great architecture is not just the meticulous flow of space and harmony of light, but the ability to frame a vision. It is the struggle between the duality of culture and utility as my life has been, and the inept sagacity to form an indelible perception. I know that for the rest of my life I want to create visions.

I live with a passion to expand perceptions of the past into the present, and create buildings of modernistic and historical appeal. As if Mies Van der Roche met Mimar Sinan and decided to build a structure, or Richard Meier met with Sedad Hakkı Eldem, and by doing so opened up a new peep hole for the 21st century’s architectural vision. I want to be the architect to form this vision, to be able to speak within the past and the present.

Musicians hear music, writers acquire a pen, painters become their paintings and I have a bent for creating visions. That is precisely why I want to become an architect.