Colors of the Aegean Dr. Arda BESET To me, "Architectural design" is the thrilling fluctuation between excitement and pleasure every second of life; the indescribable mix of anxieties during revisions and final project processes. Everyone experiences life with different intensities of emotions. I believe our genes determine the intensity of these emotions, influenced by the culture we belong to: I am a child of an Aegean and Cretan family. Since childhood, every story I heard from my family included colors specific to either Izmir, Crete, or the entire Aegean. Everything Aegean had such strong colors that even in imagination, colors defined objects. The vast yellow-green marbles of Bornova, olive groves that seem like an endless sea with their velvety green shimmering in the wind, dark green semi-glossy tangerine gardens that are unseen from above, maquis formed by thyme and bushes' matte green with grey anthracite rocks, and the enchanting Aegean Sea ranging from turquoise to navy blue, embracing thousands of hidden coves with nature. And of course, it is the Aegean Sun, the hidden magician of this geography, that brings this nature to life, coloring it from yellow to red throughout the day, painting it with different emotions. This blend of all these colors creates the Aegean and its culture. Myself, my father, my mother, their parents, our grandparents, regardless of the century they lived in, they laughed, they were happy, they cried, they danced, they dreamed with the harmony of these colors. They lived life to the fullest... And even after they passed away, they became part of the pigments in the Aegean's color palette within these lands. While determining the location of my architectural design office in Izmir, this culture that shaped me subconsciously was certainly influencing my decisions. Primarily, I wanted to be in the heart of Izmir at Cumhuriyet Square. Because on one side, there could be Izmir and its crowds, and on the other side, there could be the Gulf and all the colors of the Aegean. When I looked out the window, I had the square in front of me, the silhouette of Izmir on my left, and throughout the day, the Aegean Sun illuminating and coloring that silhouette on my right. The main criterion for the design of my office is to create a simple and pure white environment where I can comfortably design, free from crowds. Because when I place a white sheet of paper on my desk for design, it blends into the environment, allowing me to vividly imagine with my colorful pencils on pure white. However, there are moments when I feel overwhelmed and stuck in a design. At that moment, I turn around at my desk and look out to the Aegean Sea from the window. Then, I lift my head and bring the tranquility and peace of the Aegean, encompassing all its colors, into the office with a tensioned ceiling illuminated from behind. The pattern I design merges with the colors created by the Aegean Sun on the horizon during sunset. Because sunset encompasses all the colors of the Aegean. Let's not forget that in the Aegean, the Sun always sets over the sea.

• Year of Construction 2018
• Place of Construction Alsancak