Student Collaboration

Revitalization of Life University of Tehran In February 2023, a catastrophic earthquake devastated Gaziantep, a historic city in Turkey, demolishing buildings, shattering infrastructure, and burying tens of thousands of people under tons of rubble. Out of the wreckage and grief, this project proposes to rebuild in ways that encourage a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable future. Nature-based infrastructure forms the central concept for an 8,830-square-mile temporary settlement site, addressing such challenges as infrastructure damage, environmental degradation, and socioeconomic disruption. Four key strategies inform the settlement design: “Coexistence with nature” deploys local materials, low-tech methods, traditional ecological knowledge, and volunteers of all ages in building both structures and a sense of belonging. “Continuity of life” incorporates recovery from grief and the revival of social ties as design principles for clustered, multifunctional facilities that…