Gecekondu: hotels and nomadism as seen by DUS Architects

An unofficial form of architecture, built overnight without a permit by the person who then becomes its owner. This is Gecekondu, the informal system that has shaped Turkey’s big cities.
The unofficial, unregulated nature of the system may have its problems, but it also offers a number of benefits: Gecekondu neighbourhoods are places where people have very strong relationships with one another, intense social networks which are rare farther north in Europe.

The Gecekondu concept provided DUS Architects of the Netherlands with inspiration for a temporary travelling hotel based on a simple modular element, the “China Bag”. People travelling from city to city are allowed to stay in the hotel in exchange for a cultural contribution. The initiative has been a great success, with a boom in both bookings and contributions: gardening and music, cooking and entertainment, films, parties and exhibitions. The Gecekondu hotel disappears after it has been through town, leaving behind it only the noblest of sentiments: sharing.

Francesco Cibati

Blog: http://www.dusarchitects.com/gecekondu/
Youtube: DUS - Gecekondu
Photos: DUS Architects

www.dusarchitects.com

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