From Civil Architecture to Cultureless ‘Structure-only’ Designs

 written by: Rebwar siwayli

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The Romans built many great cities, and the Greeks are considered the founders of modern architecture and city-building. In contemporary times, capitalism begins with rational consciousness and, in the pursuit of profit, creates culture from money. Historically, glory and prosperity preceded money, while in the modern world, money and wealth form the foundation of wisdom and science. Thus, in the capitalist world, architectural projects transcend mere material capital; they must also be regarded as works of art. This highlights Pierre Bourdieu's argument that within capitalism, the significance of money extends beyond mere financial capital; it must be capable of transitioning into symbolic capital to hold true value. Symbolic capital is often converted into money and holds more value than money because it enhances the intrinsic value of products without changing their essence. Thus, a museum, hotel, restaurant, children's playground, new village, mall, equestrian club, and more are not merely constructions of buildings; they transcend the architectural framework to create unique spaces. This spatialization is evident even in foreign subways, train stations, towers, artificial lakes, streets, and decorated walls. Architectural elements are not recognized solely for their size but for their artistic and symbolic value, with the latter often enhancing the former. Most churches, aquaparks, and now some airports embody this identity.

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Therefore, material wealth and financial resources can influence wisdom, leading to various accomplishments, including the development of architectural culture. Architecture plays a vital role in civilization, significantly shaping and reflecting national identity. It serves as a distinguishing feature of different nations and regions. When exploring a country, its architecture is often the initial focal point, drawing immediate attention due to its diversity and significance in defining cultural identity.

For example, during my ten-day visit to Tórshavn, Faroe Islands in the 1990s, I encountered a range of cultural colors and shapes unique to the area. The structure, color, and harmony of the city's architecture were so pronounced that they overshadowed the sheer size of the buildings, enveloping me in a wave of serene colors.

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In the Kurdistan Region, capitalism may not be prevalent, but there are wealthy individuals. However, this wealth has led to the emergence of a parasitic form of capitalism over the past thirty years, which has failed to foster cultural development. Despite the construction of tall buildings, their architectural integrity is often compromised, leading to safety concerns. An expert revealed on a television program that "ninety percent of the elevator parachutes in the region's apartments have expired and could fail at any moment."

Due to the mindset of our financiers, who do not adhere to capitalist principles, they have influenced the government to prioritize superficial projects and ‘structure-only’ designs over civil architecture. The government's approach to architecture also lacks foresight, often sacrificing architectural integrity and thoughtful design for slogans like "construction" and "achievement."

This disregard for architectural expertise has led to projects being entrusted solely to engineers and contractors, resulting in subpar cities and structures. Many of these individuals have either left the country due to corruption or have left us with cities and structures that resemble architectural ruins. We witness a landscape resembling a civilization of mere blocks, devoid of architectural or civilizational significance. Our architectural heritage has fallen victim to the whims of the uncultured wealthy, who prioritize superficial aspects such as size, appearance, and foreign influence. They only care about superficial qualities, like the number of floors, appearances, and the origin of materials, without recognizing its vital role in civilization and identity formation.

So, over these three decades, not only have we failed to achieve any noteworthy architectural progress, but the very concept of architecture has been disregarded within our universities. Our engineering, architectural, and urban consciousness has been stifled by the mechanisms of the reconstruction market and investment projects. It's been reduced to the understanding of contractors, retired engineers, and engineering units in offices, who excel at cost estimation!

An illustrative incident occurred in 2006 and 2007 when an estimate was sought for constructing the philosophy department. The estimate department of the ministry, along with the university presidency and other parties, allocated 500 square meters for the project with an exaggerated allocation budget. This unnecessary allocation hindered government spending. However, upon insistence to award the project to a company dedicated to the field, the cost decreased dramatically from IQD580 million to approximately IQD83 million, even with additional features. Despite this substantial cost reduction, the department has received minimal maintenance since its construction.

This image highlights a concerning reality: engineering estimation departments, commercial contractors, and even government architectural policies often prioritize scale over architectural principles, neglecting innovation and artistic production through architecture.

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As mentioned, our universities, which should be hubs of innovative architectural and urban ideas, have failed to instill these principles in our graduates. This trend extends beyond architecture and urban planning to impact fields like medicine. Instead of nurturing architects, doctors, and city builders, our educational institutions are churning out graduates who lack the perspective necessary for innovation in their fields. Our engineering and architecture graduates are awarded degrees influenced by market demand, controlled by the wealthy, and are often treated as mere tools by greedy contractors.

Ethics and aesthetics are two subjects that should be central to every school curriculum, taught by specialists who can provide students with the necessary perspective. While these topics may be included in weekly plans and courses, they are not given the attention they deserve to truly broaden students' worldviews and enhance their commitment and quality of work. Without this perspective, practical considerations often override ethical and aesthetic principles, leading to situations where the contractor's views dominate over those of the engineer. Engineers may find themselves marginalized, treated as expendable, or even dismissed altogether.

Failure to study or consider the aesthetic principles of indigenous culture in all fields, particularly in indigenous housing, can result in imitation, copying, and the appropriation of ideas, as seen in the buildings scattered throughout the region. One of the benefits of studying architectural aesthetics and urbanism is that it allows opportunities for local cultures and brands to express themselves through engineering and architecture. The goal is not to subordinate architectural and engineering principles to indigenous cultural labels, but rather to incorporate indigenous cultural codes and signs into the standard language of architecture and engineering, enabling them to make a meaningful difference.

However, our current architectural culture in Kurdistan is more Western and Turkish than Kurdish. This discrepancy underscores a key difference between Western capitalism and local practices: in Western capitalism, foreigners may easily commission Kurdish artists to enhance their cities or municipal projects, recognizing the value of cultural diversity. Yet in Kurdistan, settlement projects often bear foreign names, neglecting to reflect the rich history of settlement in the region, which dates back thousands of years. Examples like Akrê, Amêdî, Mardin, Hewraman, Palangan, and Tewêla highlight the existence of settlement art in Kurdistan. Remarkably, several Kurdish artists, such as Niaz Bayati, Shwan Kamal, Shorsh Amin, and Hushyar Saeed, have been commissioned for projects abroad in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark, yet their talents remain underutilized in Kurdistan, where sculptural and architectural culture is virtually nonexistent. Additionally, I'm acquainted with two urban planners and urbanists, Asst. Prof. Dilan M. Rostam and Engineer Fuad Ahmad, who each boast a wealth of unique projects. However, despite their expertise and innovative ideas, bureaucratic hurdles and a lack of acceptance within government and private sector networks have held them back. As a result, they've had few chances to put their talents to use on projects.

Furthermore, ethical considerations play a significant role in shaping views on architecture and engineering, providing a filter to distinguish morally permissible practices that serve the country, the environment, and humanity from those that are immoral and do not contribute to the advancement of architecture and engineering in the country. The lack of emphasis on these areas is evident in the projects that have been produced, from streets to malls, parks, banks, and intercity checkpoints, all of which could serve as platforms for engaging with architecture and spatial design to create a national identity in a globally recognized standard language.

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Travel and exploration have significantly influenced capitalist development by facilitating dialogue between cultures and fostering relationships between civilizations. When Alexander the Great embarked on his conquests, he carried Greek/Macedonian culture with him, rebuilding it in new territories. After his death, the cultural and civilizational influences he introduced endured in the conquered regions, far more than the memory of his military exploits. Housing has always served as a symbol of civilizational prowess, reflecting the existence and dominance of a nation's culture.

If there is ignorance and inexperience in the local culture, it leads to poor assimilation of lessons from other cultures. Without a deep appreciation for the history and culture of one’s own nation, these elements are unlikely to be reflected in projects or restoration efforts.

Much of a culture and civilization is transferred to others through exploration and interaction. In the modern world, one need not invade other territories; instead, one can travel, learn, and exchange cultural insights. However, the wealthy in the Kurdistan Region, lacking a capitalist culture, fail to contribute or bring back meaningful insights from their travels. They purchase goods for themselves and their families, but they do not bring back knowledge or cultural wealth to their country.

The culture of the wealthy in the Kurdistan Region remains confined to family loyalty and has not expanded to embrace architecture as a culture-building and civilization-building activity. Ignorance and inexperience in the local culture hinder effective learning from other cultures. Without an understanding of their own nation's valuable history and culture, these aspects are neither reflected in their projects nor prioritized in their restoration efforts.

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Another difference between the wealthy and the capitalists is in their sense of patriotism. Capitalists often express this feeling in many ways: promoting their language through advertising, writing, product descriptions, and official documents in their mother tongue. They also buy works by their country's artists and decorate their offices, hotels, and workplaces with these local artworks.

In contrast, our wealthy individuals lag significantly in using the Kurdish language, often excusing themselves by citing their upbringing in Baghdad or education in Arabic. They neglect the Kurdish language, claiming their lack of proficiency as a justification. This disregard extends to a preference for foreign languages, particularly Arabic and English, which are seen as languages of commerce and profit. In many schools, universities, and private institutions, the Kurdish language has been disregarded. This isn't because Kurdish is unfit for business, education, or technology, but because the employers themselves are not proficient in their mother tongue.

Even if the government lacks a robust and supportive language policy for Kurdish, the wealthy could have stepped in to bridge this gap. Unfortunately, the national consciousness among the Kurdish wealthy is weak not only in language but also in culture. They have the potential to promote Kurdish art, language, and culture through their city developments, hotel and office decorations, and by supporting local artists and linguists. However, their lack of national sense and citizenship drives them towards imitating the West and learning foreign languages. This is evident in the market signs (mostly Chinese and Iranian), the use of plastic flowers, and the foreign names for their hotels, towns, and villages (e.g., American, Lebanese, German, Korean, French, and Italian villages). Such actions undermine Kurdish identity and pride.

The lack of a strong national sense has also weakened the commitment to place among Kurdistan's wealthy individuals. They view land and place as mere means to promote their projects, rather than as goals to create a distinctive life in the region. This perspective leads to environmental neglect, with waste being carelessly discarded in the country. Additionally, they disregard domestic raw materials, favoring imported Turkish and Iranian materials instead.

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What has happened to our architecture in this situation? First, the concept of architecture—defined by placement, positioning, and thoughtful design of so-called investment projects and residential units—has been discarded. None of these projects contribute to identity-building. A poor alliance between financiers, contractors, and businessmen with the investment departments (government, party, and city administration) has resulted in architecture, in its true sense, being eliminated from our world. This exclusion has marginalized aesthetics, ethics, environmental protection, domestic labor force, and the concept of the future. Instead, architecture has been replaced by mere "structure building."

This absence of a future-oriented perspective has neglected any consideration for future generations. These so-called architectural projects are destined for expiration, leaving future generations at the mercy of successive housing failures. Structures constructed solely for the sake of scale lack sustainability and are vulnerable to future collapse, whether due to natural disasters such as earthquakes or gradual decay over time. Building a future requires lasting foundations, just like identity and civilization need enduring values.

Second, two of the most crucial lessons in university education, which form the core of our engineers and architects, have been neglected. Until these subjects are given their due importance and taught in a way that relates to the environment and conditions of our country, rather than copying imported curricula, the fate of architecture and engineering in our country will remain uncertain. The work will continue to be dominated by contractors and financiers who prioritize short-term gains over long-term sustainability and cultural significance.

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The wealthy need to embrace a capitalist culture so that their wealth can foster innovation and symbolic capital. Currently, money in the hands of the wealthy is solely viewed as financial capital, limiting its potential role in societal development, including the building of civilization and identity. Money can facilitate actions like charitable acts, zakat payments, or offering bribes. However, it cannot foster the wisdom needed for societal development, especially in cultural and identity-building efforts.

The solution lies in the courage and initiatives of our young engineers, urban planners, and architects. Their awareness of their responsibilities, expertise, and loyalty to their country can enable them to engage with the wealthy in a transformative manner. By helping the wealthy understand the value of investing in projects that contribute to civilization, culture, and identity, they can elevate structural projects beyond mere financial endeavors to become symbols of societal progress.

References:

1- Siwayli, R. (2013). Pierre Bourdieu û Komellnasîy Felsefî (2nd ed.). Zaryab Organization for Cultural Services.

2- https://g.co/kgs/V6TnH4.

3- Rudaw: Legel Ranj.

4- Rostam, D. M. (2017). Evolved sustainable building engineering in vernacular architecture of Kurdistan. ARO Journal: A Scientific Periodical Open Access Journal and has no APC & ASC, 5(1), Issue Eight.

5- https://parametric-architecture.com/an-overview-of-antoni-gaudi-philosophy-and-work/.

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Rebwar Siwayli. (2015). Diyardenasîy Şwên û Şunas. Xazalnus Center.