Bilbao, Spain’s Guggenheim museum, the Delta Works visitor centre…none of these structures could’ve been built without the help of informatics, which is fundamental to the entire building process and also plays an increasingly important role in architecture and urbanism.
Delen
Professor Sevil Sariyildiz, born in Turkey (1957), holds a chair in Technical Design & Informatics at the TU’s Architecture Faculty.
“Informatics, woman and Turkish, this combination seems to be so interesting for the media that nine out of ten times it’s the reason to approach me. But I prefer to talk about the content of my daily work . research and education,” Professor Sevil Sariyildiz says straightforwardly at the start of the interview. Having said this, she quickly moves the conversation on to the era of multidisciplinary and cross- disciplinary research: “The questions we’re facing are rather complex and not easy to handle. Think only of the rapidly growing number of different actors with different interests who get more say in shaping today’s processes.”
Here is where one can feel Sariyildiz’s passion: informatics as the bridge between data and design creativity, and as the interface between the potentials and possibilities of different disciplines, which for her occurs within the domain of architecture, urbanism and building technology.
For Sariyildiz, the computer isn’t just a tool or a separate party in the game, but rather an active interface, a catalyst and sometimes a crucial connector or even partner on the road to knowledge and wisdom. She herself speaks about IKCT: “We used to talk about Information Technology (IT). Then we discovered the importance of Communication, so it became ICT. Now I claim that processed data and information . Knowledge – has become a keyword. Therefore, ICKT.”
Pyramid
The building industry surely must pay attention to ICKT developments, according to Sariyildiz. On top of the increasing complexity in planning and building processes, this field is facing fundamental bottlenecks, such as fragmentation of disciplines, high costs compared to other sectors, a powerful and stubborn market of traditional building techniques, high failure costs and fraud.
Sariyildiz defines an ICKT pyramid and explains that she not only deals with data and information, but also with knowledge: “At the bottom level we find collecting, storing and exchanging data or rough information without any interpretation. A bit more advanced but still rather basic is the use of 3D design, modelling and prototyping. Programs like CAD, Maya, 3Dmax and InDesign have already become commonly used tools for the new generation of designers. At the next step of the pyramid, information becomes a powerful medium. Examples of this are, communication and information processing, modelling this information for design and materialisation, collaborative project engineering through Internet technology, and e-learning.” At the third level, Sariyildiz explains, ICKT starts acting as a true partner in the decision-making and design process. Here we enter the domain of so-called ‘soft computing techniques’, such as neural networks, fuzzy logic and agent technology for modelling and processing knowledge.
Research-based
Among the numerous education and research projects, she and her staff have also been working on the ICTO Infobase project, which is a web-based e-learning environment for students. Under the umbrella title ‘Intelligent Modelling for Co-operative Engineering Environment’, Sariyildiz combines her research and education projects within the framework of a web-based open social software environment. Including embedded soft computing techniques for information ordering and reasoning. In the end it’s all about replacing repetitive and time consuming tasks and offering a dynamic and flexible environment to support creativity in architectural and urban design to the maximum. Sariyildiz: “Everything what we develop in terms of research is being implemented in the education on the BSc and MSc levels.” They are also running virtual design studios with international partners where students from all over the world can work on the same project from a distance, exchange their knowledge and experience. The research outcome is also being continuously tested in the architecture practice.
Uphill road
Sariyildiz, however, is definitely not some nerd sitting behind her computer all day. Even just a quick look at her resume makes you realise she’s very active in different fields. Sariyildiz’s an advisor to the Dutch Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment (VROM), a member of the TU Executive Board’s “Dagindeling”, a board member of SKOR Foundation (Art & Open Space), and a ‘Vertrouwensperson’ (Trusted Representative) of her faculty. Also, her sensitivity about issues relating to women and technology is clear: she’s an advisor to the ‘Technika 10’ organisation and has recently been appointed as an ambassador for stimulating women in academia.
Although Sariyildiz doesn’t want to profile herself as a woman in a male-dominated domain or a Turkish professor in the Netherlands, our conversation ends up there. She admits that it was a rather uphill road from studying in Istanbul and Darmstadt (Germany) to a professorship, despite the fact that she has a cum laude PhD degree in technical sciences from TU Delft. “At that time, TU Delft’s international community was rather small, and things weren’t always easy for us in terms of acceptance in the academic environment.” But her passion and dedication kept her going. And yes, there is one more passion: her son Okan, who is now 10-years-old. “He was raised bi-lingual, learning both Turkish and Dutch, and he has already taught himself English,” says the proud mother.
“Informatics, woman and Turkish, this combination seems to be so interesting for the media that nine out of ten times it’s the reason to approach me. But I prefer to talk about the content of my daily work . research and education,” Professor Sevil Sariyildiz says straightforwardly at the start of the interview. Having said this, she quickly moves the conversation on to the era of multidisciplinary and cross- disciplinary research: “The questions we’re facing are rather complex and not easy to handle. Think only of the rapidly growing number of different actors with different interests who get more say in shaping today’s processes.”
Here is where one can feel Sariyildiz’s passion: informatics as the bridge between data and design creativity, and as the interface between the potentials and possibilities of different disciplines, which for her occurs within the domain of architecture, urbanism and building technology.
For Sariyildiz, the computer isn’t just a tool or a separate party in the game, but rather an active interface, a catalyst and sometimes a crucial connector or even partner on the road to knowledge and wisdom. She herself speaks about IKCT: “We used to talk about Information Technology (IT). Then we discovered the importance of Communication, so it became ICT. Now I claim that processed data and information . Knowledge – has become a keyword. Therefore, ICKT.”
Pyramid
The building industry surely must pay attention to ICKT developments, according to Sariyildiz. On top of the increasing complexity in planning and building processes, this field is facing fundamental bottlenecks, such as fragmentation of disciplines, high costs compared to other sectors, a powerful and stubborn market of traditional building techniques, high failure costs and fraud.
Sariyildiz defines an ICKT pyramid and explains that she not only deals with data and information, but also with knowledge: “At the bottom level we find collecting, storing and exchanging data or rough information without any interpretation. A bit more advanced but still rather basic is the use of 3D design, modelling and prototyping. Programs like CAD, Maya, 3Dmax and InDesign have already become commonly used tools for the new generation of designers. At the next step of the pyramid, information becomes a powerful medium. Examples of this are, communication and information processing, modelling this information for design and materialisation, collaborative project engineering through Internet technology, and e-learning.” At the third level, Sariyildiz explains, ICKT starts acting as a true partner in the decision-making and design process. Here we enter the domain of so-called ‘soft computing techniques’, such as neural networks, fuzzy logic and agent technology for modelling and processing knowledge.
Research-based
Among the numerous education and research projects, she and her staff have also been working on the ICTO Infobase project, which is a web-based e-learning environment for students. Under the umbrella title ‘Intelligent Modelling for Co-operative Engineering Environment’, Sariyildiz combines her research and education projects within the framework of a web-based open social software environment. Including embedded soft computing techniques for information ordering and reasoning. In the end it’s all about replacing repetitive and time consuming tasks and offering a dynamic and flexible environment to support creativity in architectural and urban design to the maximum. Sariyildiz: “Everything what we develop in terms of research is being implemented in the education on the BSc and MSc levels.” They are also running virtual design studios with international partners where students from all over the world can work on the same project from a distance, exchange their knowledge and experience. The research outcome is also being continuously tested in the architecture practice.
Uphill road
Sariyildiz, however, is definitely not some nerd sitting behind her computer all day. Even just a quick look at her resume makes you realise she’s very active in different fields. Sariyildiz’s an advisor to the Dutch Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment (VROM), a member of the TU Executive Board’s “Dagindeling”, a board member of SKOR Foundation (Art & Open Space), and a ‘Vertrouwensperson’ (Trusted Representative) of her faculty. Also, her sensitivity about issues relating to women and technology is clear: she’s an advisor to the ‘Technika 10’ organisation and has recently been appointed as an ambassador for stimulating women in academia.
Although Sariyildiz doesn’t want to profile herself as a woman in a male-dominated domain or a Turkish professor in the Netherlands, our conversation ends up there. She admits that it was a rather uphill road from studying in Istanbul and Darmstadt (Germany) to a professorship, despite the fact that she has a cum laude PhD degree in technical sciences from TU Delft. “At that time, TU Delft’s international community was rather small, and things weren’t always easy for us in terms of acceptance in the academic environment.” But her passion and dedication kept her going. And yes, there is one more passion: her son Okan, who is now 10-years-old. “He was raised bi-lingual, learning both Turkish and Dutch, and he has already taught himself English,” says the proud mother.
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