Architecture Beyond Borders, the international architecture and cultural dialogue program developed by the Turkish Association of Independent Architects, TürkSMD, continued with its Switzerland edition. Held in Ankara on October 21 with contributions from the Embassy of Switzerland and Geberit, the program brought Swiss architects Stéphanie Bender and Philippe Béboux together with Türkiye’s architectural community under the theme “Sustainability and Baukultur.”
Architecture Beyond Borders aims to strengthen professional dialogue by bringing together the architectural cultures and experiences of different countries. Coordinated by TürkSMD, in cooperation with the Embassy of Switzerland and with the support of Swissnex and Geberit, the Ankara program hosted Stéphanie Bender and Philippe Béboux, founders of 2b architectes, an architectural practice active in Switzerland and internationally.
Held under the title “Sustainability and Baukultur,” the event explored sustainability and the quality of the built environment through different architectural approaches.
“We Value Knowledge Sharing and a Long-Term Approach for a Sustainable Built Environment”
Speaking at the opening of the event, Ufuk Algıer, General Manager of Geberit Türkiye and Central Asia, emphasized the program’s importance for architectural culture:
“Architecture is not limited to the design and construction of buildings. It is a broad field shaped by cultural knowledge, local context and social needs. For this reason, we find it highly valuable that Architecture Beyond Borders brings together architects and experiences from different countries.
At Geberit, we believe that contributing to a sustainable built environment is not limited to products and technologies. It is also strengthened through knowledge sharing, professional dialogue and cooperation across different disciplines.
In line with more than 150 years of engineering expertise, efficient use of resources, long-lasting solutions and quality are among our core areas of focus. We hope that this program, coordinated by TürkSMD in cooperation with the Embassy of Switzerland and supported by Geberit, will contribute to the development of new ideas and future collaborations within the architectural community.”
Strengthening Links Between the Innovation Ecosystems of Switzerland and Türkiye
Speaking at the opening, H.E. Guillaume Scheurer, Ambassador of Switzerland to Ankara, said:
“I am very pleased to host the Switzerland edition of Architecture Beyond Borders, organized in cooperation with the Turkish Association of Independent Architects, with the support of Swissnex and sponsorship of Geberit.
Under the theme ‘Sustainability and Baukultur,’ we will approach architecture as a long-term cultural practice shaped by environmental responsibility, spatial quality and social value.
I am particularly pleased to welcome Stéphanie Bender and Philippe Béboux of 2b architectes, who have travelled from Lausanne to Ankara. Their work in Switzerland and abroad responds to contemporary urban challenges through context-sensitive and lasting solutions, combining design quality with practical feasibility and a long-term perspective.
This approach strongly aligns with the principles of Baukultur, which regard architectural quality, social responsibility and environmental awareness as interconnected elements.
Today’s event also aligns perfectly with the priorities of the Embassy of Switzerland’s Swissnex activities in Türkiye. We have been part of the Swissnex network since 2025. Swissnex is Switzerland’s global network for education, research and innovation.
As Swissnex Türkiye, our aim is to strengthen the links between the innovation ecosystems of Switzerland and Türkiye. Architecture Beyond Borders is an excellent practical example of this objective.
By providing a platform for interaction between Switzerland and Türkiye, it brings together different perspectives and experiences, encourages knowledge sharing, enables us to explore common challenges and helps establish new connections between our architectural communities.”
TürkSMD: Rethinking Architecture in the Face of the Climate Crisis
Gamze İlalan, Chair of the Executive Board of the TSMD Architecture Center, stated:
“The strong interest shown in the second event of our Architecture Beyond Borders program demonstrates the need to discuss new approaches in architecture together.
Our program aims to reconsider the role of architecture in the face of the climate crisis and focuses on concrete topics such as adaptive reuse, preserving existing buildings while giving them new functions, retrofitting, improving the energy performance and service life of buildings and regenerative architecture, developing design approaches that make a positive contribution to nature, resources and society.
At the same time, we aim to promote the Baukultur approach, which recognizes that the built environment is not composed only of buildings but must be considered together with cultural heritage, public life, environmental responsibility and social values.
By bringing examples of international architectural practice to Ankara, we support our colleagues and especially young architects in learning about this transformation, exchanging experiences and developing new ideas for the future of a sustainable built environment.”
Architectural and Urban Design Experience Shared
The program created a platform for sharing different experiences and approaches to the sustainable built environment.
Alongside sustainable architecture and environmental performance, the discussion addressed architectural quality, material use, social responsibility and spatial values.
Bender and Béboux, whose work places particular emphasis on local context, long-lasting solutions and implementation processes, shared their experiences in architecture and urban design through examples from their projects.
“We Approach Architecture at Different Scales as an Interconnected Whole”
Stéphanie Bender and Philippe Béboux said:
“As 2b architectes, we do not approach architecture, urban planning and landscape as separate disciplines but as an interconnected whole operating across different scales.
During our presentation for Architecture Beyond Borders: Switzerland x Türkiye under the theme ‘Sustainability and Baukultur,’ we asked ourselves the following question: What are the fundamental principles underlying our architectural practice?
We define the approach shaping our work around seven key principles:
‘The Omnipresence of the Urban Landscape,’
‘Strategy Before Form,’
‘A Holistic and Sustainable Approach,’
‘A Multidisciplinary Approach,’
‘The Necessary Dialectical Relationship Between Architecture and Landscape,’
‘Construction-Oriented Thinking’ and
‘The Necessity of Poetry and Meaning.’
These seven principles demonstrate that architecture is not simply about designing buildings. It develops through a continuous relationship with geography, landscape, culture and social life.
For us, sustainability does not simply mean producing new technologies and technical solutions. It means understanding the specific conditions of each place, preserving existing values and making long-term, meaningful contributions through architecture.”
Following the open seminar and discussion held at the TSMD Architecture Center, the second part of the program continued with a discussion and reception hosted by Guillaume Scheurer, Ambassador of Switzerland to Türkiye, at the Embassy of Switzerland.
International Dialogue Through Architectural Culture
Coordinated by TürkSMD, Architecture Beyond Borders creates space for international architectural dialogue through partnerships with diplomatic missions and industry stakeholders from different countries.
The Switzerland edition, held in Ankara on October 21, began with an open seminar and discussion at the TSMD Architecture Center.
During the meeting with architecture students and Swiss architects Stéphanie Bender and Philippe Béboux, topics including sustainable architecture, the quality of the built environment and different design approaches were discussed, creating an environment for the exchange of knowledge and experience within the architectural community.
The program continued with a discussion and cocktail reception hosted at the Embassy by Guillaume Scheurer, Ambassador of Switzerland to Türkiye.
Organized under the coordination of TürkSMD, in cooperation with the Embassy of Switzerland and with the main support of Geberit, the event aims to contribute to the development of architectural culture, encourage collective thinking around a sustainable built environment and support future collaborations among architectural communities.