HİLMİ GÜNER / HG ARCHITECTURE

Could you brieﬂy introduce yourself? From which school have graduated, and how did you start off your career?

After my education at TED Ankara College, I was admitted to the Department of Architecture at METU, from which I graduated at the end of four years. I started working immediately after I gradu-ated. I worked as a tour guide for two – three months at ﬁrst. Then I worked at various offices. First, I worked alongside Bülent Altay at Altay & Altay that provides interior architecture services, and then with Toğrul Devrez and Behruz Çinidi. I cooperated with Behruz at Mosque of the Grand National Assembly and various urban design projects. I also had the chance to work with Toğrul Devrez within the scope of different projects. He was a true artisan who was a very talented gentle-man in hand-drawing.
Then I went abroad with a sudden decision. I went to Gama and Mecca. I worked at a construction site of a hotel in Mecca. Thus, I was involved in the execution process of the job there.
After returning to Turkey, we established the ﬁrst project office with Hüseyin Bütüner and Ali Osman Öztürk. Ali Osman Öztürk went his sepa-rate way after 4 – 5 years and established A Tasarım. Our ways with Hüseyin Bütüner parted in 2008, after which I founded Hilmi Güner Mimarlık.

What do you do at Hilmi Güner Mimarlık (Architecture) Office? Which type of projects do you develop?

We conduct business in various ﬁelds such urban design, architectural design, interior design and landscape design. We have a team of approximately 32 people. Of course, this number does not include our solution partners and consultants. We have two mentors we consult to in various ﬁelds, who share their wisdom with us when required.
We review the structures with the interior space and lighting design in the projects. While the interior deigns are developed at the office, we have interior architects outside the office we cooperate with for lighting. Moreover, I try to attend the events at the universities as much as possible as sharing my knowledge with the students makes me happy. We are planning to give lectures regarding lighting to the students of the Department of Interior Design at Başkent University.
What would you say about the advantages and disadvantages of this profession
One disadvantage I may mention is that it is a job that is subject to a number of revisions. It can be difficult to synchronize the relation between the man hour and production. For instance; while a work that is put in little effort might end in success, we can ﬁnd it difficult to succeed in another work even if we put in too much effort. This is caused by relativity of the design. One advantage of the profes-sion is that we embark on a new adventure with every new project. This improves our creativity, and we enjoy the joy on our customers’ faces when they are told of what was done and why.
How signiﬁcant is your profession in your life?
Our entire life is actually based on the job. As in every other profession performed fondly, it is possible to have fun and make yourself happy at this profession as well. I consider my job as a hobby, meaning that architecture is some sort of a hobby when there are not technical problems. We build models. We have a workshop with 3D printers, which can be used for 2 and 3-dimensional printing. We also have and R&D department.

How important you consider the lighting to be in your life?

The light is the most important thing both in our profession and in our lives as it is impossible to see without light. It is important to the keep the intensity and color temperature of the interior and exterior lighting parallel. I have started to think about it recently. I think that this lighting system soothes people. We do not recommend working in dark, and the interi-or lighting can wipe off any unhappiness when adjusted correctly. This is how it is generally done; the quality of the interior space is checked independently from the exterior. We can use software to perform and monitor many things now.
What should be taken into account when carrying out lighting design
We must get rid off the ﬁxed light temperature; we cannot change the light temperature, which is something we should be able to do. The light affects every aspect of our lives, which is why there is nothing more important than the light. This must be taken into consideration while performing lighting design. Problems regarding the lighting preferences in the retailing sector come up, in particular. This must have happened to all of us; the color of a bag or t-shirt we love and buy can turn out very different when arrived at home. There-fore, the correct lighting is very important for the correct color. Dramatic lighting can be exhausting for people, it can cause the pupils to constrict and headaches. I think dramatic decora-tions must be used on the walls and the lighting of the space must be ﬁxed. The space must have a certain light quality, which should not exhaust people.

Could you compare the past and present of lighting for us?

We might say that lighting have been more at the forefront in the last 6 years. We used to worry about consuming less for cheaper price. Now the energy is important, and we are looking for the answer to how it can run more efficiently.

What should be prioritized in lighting: aesthetics or functionality?
The air quality and light quality must be as ﬁne
as the outdoor. Therefore, I think there should be lighting scenarios. For example; the morning sun is very good for people, and you wake up happy if your bedroom is facing the east. I believe the same applies for the office, thus the light quality at the office is made on a single constant. For instance, we have a laboratory where we can change the colors. We can work
on them to ﬁnd the answer to this question.
What is the place and signiﬁcance of lighting in architectural and urban design?
The ﬁrst item of the architecture is lighting because the ambience of the space changes com-pletely with lighting. Natural lighting is usually more important. Lighting is essential for us to bring out the most important material and the most practical area in a space. Aesthetics and functionality can be emphasized with lighting.

What would you say about the past and present of lighting?
We used to draw architectural projects while the lighting projects used to be drawn by electrical engineers.

Are there any ﬁnal words you would liketo add?
You develop the product after we discover the requirement and perpetuity. I would like to note that it is very important for the manufacturer and design-er to cooperate, and I would also like to thank you for ensuring such cooperation.