2024-04-30T21:26:43-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/22255650/short-essay-thank-you-esther-mccoy Orhan Ayyüce 2011-09-30T11:52:00-04:00 >2022-03-16T09:16:08-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/7w/7wvd8wpk323gy9rj.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p> I met Esther McCoy in1978 AIA Regional Conference, Newport Beach, California. I was there as a young wonderer hoping to find information on architecture and study it.<br> Unknowingly and randomly I walked into one of the conference rooms and listened an inspired young architect, Eric Moss, showing kind of buildings I have never seen before.<br> After the presentation to roughly twenty people, the audience moved to a small patio area outside the room. This is when I lit the cigarette of this silver haired elegant and youthful lady who asked for a match and we start to talk. I responded to her curiosity and in few minutes I told her my story about wanting to go to architecture school. This was right around time I was rejected by "American citizens and California residents only" Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo for being a foreign student. I described her my birthplace Izmir and the Aegean architecture of Turkey. She was taking a great delight of my story, description of architecture I grew up wit...</p> https://archinect.com/news/article/12088712/short-essay-empty-halls-of-summer Orhan Ayyüce 2011-07-03T14:42:00-04:00 >2022-03-16T09:10:02-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/r3/r3dzi7eg8x6cib4f.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p> I was always attracted to the emptiness of architecture schools during summer break. In fact when I was a student, that was the time I set up my shop in a choice place in&nbsp;school&nbsp;and worked on my projects. The whole place was wide open, I could pick and choose from furniture, equipment, and even found forgotten cash and recreational drugs here and there. Scavenging with few other friends who also enjoyed the summer like this, grilling fine dinners, drinking cheap wine and occasional sex with people who wanted to hang out with the urban campers. We could do whatever we wanted to and even invited out of town guests to stay and take advantage of free lodging.</p> <p> The first day of school in Fall was always a sad day when the places we made friends with and used for many things all of a sudden were&nbsp;occupied by strangers who didn't sense their gravity and give their love like we did. The stories developed around particular spaces quickly&nbsp;evaporated&nbsp;and days start to get shorter. No more ba...</p>