Lecture series :
Day Three
21 October 2026
19:00 h
Birgül Çolakoğlu is Professor of Architectural Design and Computing at Istanbul Technical University (ITU). She received her PhD in Design and Computation from MIT in 2000 and was a postdoctoral researcher at MIT in 2001. From 2001 to 2015, she was affiliated with Yıldız Technical University, where she directed the Computational Design Graduate Program (2008–2015). At ITU, she served as Head of the Department of Architecture (2018–2021) and coordinated the Master’s in Architecture program (2016–2023). In 2020, she founded the Circularity in Built Environment Research Group at the ITU Advanced Studies in Architecture Center, where she serves as Director. Her research focuses on computational design, design education, circular design, and digital technologies. She served as eCAADe President from 2018 to 2020.
INTEGRATING CIRCULAR ECONOMY INTO ARCHITECTURE EDUCATION
The presentation explores how Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) can support the development of circular design competencies in architectural education. Using the Circular City design studio in Kadıköy, Istanbul as a case study, the research examines how students engage with real-world urban circularity challenges through the CBL framework of Engage–Investigate–Act. Students investigate local challenges using data analysis, spatial mapping, material-flow analysis, systems thinking, and stakeholder engagement, and translate their findings into spatial and systemic design interventions. The presentation argues that CBL can provide a pedagogical pathway from circular economy awareness to circular design competence and agency, enabling students not only to understand circularity but also to formulate actionable responses to complex urban systems.