About My Work
As an architect, academic researcher, and heritage consultant based in Istanbul, my work directly intersects with GUHP’s mission by bridging theoretical research with hands-on architectural practice. My expertise spans from single-building architectural conservation to large-scale urban and rural heritage preservation, encompassing projects in adaptive reuse, historical renovation, and contemporary architectural design. I explore how cities act as creators and products of global phenomena, focusing specifically on post-conflict and post-disaster reconstruction across interconnected geographies such as Bosnia-Hercegovina, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey.
By examining these locales as nodes within global networks of migration, trauma, and spatial sovereignty, my work challenges Eurocentric frameworks in resilience studies. Furthermore, I integrate heritage management with international collaborative governance. Whether executing precise structural restorations or developing regional conservation strategies, my practice analyzes how multi-layered environments adapt to global crises. This comprehensive approach directly contributes to broader world-historical narratives regarding urban adaptability, cross-border professional knowledge networks, and the preservation of global cultural heritage under extreme conditions.
Citations
Bilgili, B., & Tanyeli, G. (2023). Post-Disaster Reconstruction Strategies and Their Effects on Historic Urban Texture in Beirut. In Change-Transformation and Critique of Urban Spaces: Policies and Practices.
Bilgili, B., & Tanyeli, G. (2021). Saraybosna’da Değişimin İzini Sürmek: Saraybosna’nın Tarihsel Gelişimi ve 1992-95 Savaşı Sonrası İyileşme Sürecinin Değerlendirilmesi [Tracing Change in Sarajevo: Historical Development of Sarajevo and Evaluation of the Post-1992-95 War Recovery Process]. İDEALKENT, 12(34), 1722-1756.
Bilgili, B., & Tanyeli, G. (2020). Askeri, politik ve stratejik bir araç olarak kültürel mirası silahlaştırmak [Weaponizing cultural heritage as a military, political and strategic tool]. Tarih ve Gelecek Dergisi, 6(3), 988-1011.
Bilgili, B. (2018). İstanbul’un Yeniden Yapımlarla “İhya (!)” Edilen Kültür Varlıkları [Cultural Properties of Istanbul "Revived (!)" through Reconstructions]. Serbest Mimar, 20-26.
Bilgili, B., & Nurhilal, Ş. (2017). XIX. Yüzyıl Kamu Yapılarının Üsküdar Mahallelerine Etkisi: Osmanlı Arşiv Belgeleri Işığında Bir Okuma [The Effect of 19th Century Public Buildings on Üsküdar Neighborhoods: A Reading in the Light of Ottoman Archive Documents]. Uluslararası Üsküdar Sempozyumu IX, 3, 391-410.
Sönmez Pulat, E., Bilgili, B., & Salman, Y. (2015). Tehdit Altındaki Modern Mimarlık Mirası: Bağdat Caddesi Örneği [Modern Architectural Heritage Under Threat: The Case of Bağdat Avenue]. 1st International Congress on Engineering Architecture and Design, 29-30.
Works in Progress & Professional Lectures:
Bilgili, B. (In Progress). Akıllı Şehir Ütopyasından Dijital Distopyaya Çatışma Sonrası Kentsel Alanların Yeniden İnşasında Yeni Dönem: Gazze’nin Yeniden İnşası, Tekno-Sömürgeci Kurgular ve Temel Hakların İhlali [From Smart City Utopia to Digital Dystopia: A New Era in the Reconstruction of Post-Conflict Urban Areas: The Reconstruction of Gaza, Techno-Colonial Constructs, and Violation of Fundamental Rights].
Bilgili, B. (In Progress). Reimagining Heritage: The Relocation of Hasankeyf’s Monuments and the Phenomenological Analysis of Visitor Experience.
Bilgili, B. (In Progress). Dayton’s Architectural Legacy: Law, Governance, and the Reconstruction of Memory in Postwar Bosnia.
Bilgili, B. (In Progress). The Political Economy of Destruction and Spatial Sovereignty: Shock, Exception, and Social Resistance in Post-Disaster Reconstruction Processes.
Bilgili, B. (In Progress). The Architectural and Legal Toolkit of Colonialism: From Archaeological Expropriation to Military Urbanism in the West Bank.
Bilgili, B. (2025). Rethinking Post-War/Conflict Historical Environment Between Destruction and Resilience. Lecture Series, Istanbul. (Comprehensive 16-hour theoretical training exploring cross-regional case studies).
Bilgili, B. (Organizer). (2025). Multidisciplinary Workshop on the Post-War Planning, Reconstruction, and Participatory Governance of Aleppo. [Workshop Proceedings / Working Paper in progress].