Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, received information about the work of Turkey's first 'recyclable housing system' project at Hacettepe University and met with students affected by the earthquake.
The Newton-Katip Çelebi Fund, which has been established by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) and the British Council since 2014 to support and expand academic collaborations in the field of science and technology between the United Kingdom and Turkey, continues to develop solutions to important problems with its groundbreaking projects. It does. Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, examined the fund's work carried out within the scope of the 'Lego System with Green Structural Components for Low-Cost Housing' project, which won the international Newton Prize in 2020 and was carried out at Hacettepe University, on Wednesday, September 27. The visit was made by the United Kingdom's Ambassador to Turkey, Jill Morris, and Hacettepe University Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cahit Güran, Hacettepe University Civil Engineering Department project manager Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şahmaran and British Council Country Director Gill Caldicott. During his visit, Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, had the opportunity to see a striking example of joint research between UK and Turkish higher education institutions. At the same time, he met with students from the earthquake region who were actively working in the project team. He received information from the project team about the innovative and environmentally friendly construction processes developed.
Dr. from Hacettepe University. Mustafa Şahmaran and Prof. from Bradford University. The method, developed in partnership with Ashraf Ashour with the support of the Newton-Katip Çelebi Fund before the earthquake disaster in Turkey on February 6, was applied in the construction of green, low-cost and reusable houses developed for the benefit of victims in earthquake zones. Graduate students from the cities affected by the earthquake also supported the project team and contributed to the construction of the first environmentally friendly building that will set an example in the earthquake region.
Hacettepe University Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cahit Güran said, “I would like to thank and express my gratitude to Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, for his visit to our university and the material and moral support he gave to science. The project visited today aims to recycle construction waste/rubble, which is an environmental problem and has reached very large volumes due to the earthquake in our country. Thanks to the new information developed and the project carried out, it is possible to protect the environment and gain significant advantages in terms of time and money. For his valuable work, our university faculty member Prof. Dr. I congratulate and thank Mustafa Şahmaran and the research team members. I would like to thank the esteemed Prince Edward for his interest and support in science, scientists and our university. "I hope that the cooperation and solidarity between the two countries will become even stronger in every field," he said.
The project manager is Prof. from Hacettepe University Civil Engineering Department. Dr. Mustafa Şahmaran said, “The aim of our project was to develop globally applicable solutions to counter the undeniable negative effects of construction and demolition waste on the environment, economy and society, and to derive possible benefits from waste through the development of 'green' construction materials. We also wanted to use our project to provide energy-efficient housing and shelter, especially in countries where refugees are concentrated or at risk of disaster. In this context, we are using the successful results from the project to build green, low-cost and reusable houses, specifically targeting fast and safe housing. “We have also designed and developed lego-like/detachable building elements that do not create additional waste, maximize the reduction in energy needs and promote circularity in new civil engineering materials/structures.” He talked about the benefits of the system implemented with his words.
British Council Turkey Director Gill Caldicott said, “We are proud that Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, visited this groundbreaking and award-winning project for Turkey at Hacettepe University today. This project, implemented with the support of the British Council and TÜBİTAK, is one of the best examples of international scientific cooperation that addresses global problems and leads to innovative solutions. Prof. Prof. Şahmaran from Bradford University. This project, which he developed with Ashour, is now preparing to support reconstruction in the earthquake zone. It is gratifying to see that master's and doctoral students from cities affected by the earthquake are working on this project. Their contributions are an example of great dedication and commitment to extend the benefits of this project to the reconstruction of the earthquake zone. We congratulate them on their success and are very pleased that this has been realized as a result of the support of the Newton-Katip Çelebi Fund.” said.
