In Februari of 2023, The south of Turkiye was struck by a devastating earthquake, taking the life of thousands and dispossessing the homes of millions. After having spent three months in Hatay in the wake of the earthquake I have seen how by means of their culture and getting together, the people are able to find comfort. The attention towards public spaces which could provide in this is however nihil, where the focus is mainly oriented towards housing. Moreover do many architects, NGOs and other aid organizations in similar postdisaster situations, offer solutions which do not meet the demand of the users. Lastly, is there in Türkiye a ‘Culture of forgetting’, which disables them from being shielded from future adversaries. All of these issues have led to the exploration on how Spaces of Gathering (S.o.G) can be produced, which offer relief on the short term but also generate more resilience on the long term. Within this research, this has been sought for through a combined methodology of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Research through Design (RtD). This took the shape of establishing a List of Requirements (L.o.R.), of which the ambiguous parts in that list have been defined through a Participatory Design (P.D.) strategy. This resulted in a preliminary attempt towards a checklist for the production of such Spaces of Gathering, in order for them to provide in providing relief and generating resilience. The final result is succoured with an advice for the improvement of the methodology and strategy to be adapted in future endeavours. The final checklist is furthermore provided. The idea however is that this will be revised and bettered continuously.

Ukiyo-e or “pictures of the floating world” is the woodblock printing tradition which dominated the Japanese art world throughout the Edo period in imperial Japan from the start of the 17th century until deep into the 19th century. The Ukiyo-e are generally characterized by its vibrant colours, dynamic compositions and depiction of everyday life and popular culture. The subjects where a mirage of the hedonistic lifestyle a new middle class sought. These included pornographic scenery, the kabuki theatre, courtesans of the brothels and landscapes. However not a main subject itself, architecture in its many forms and scales makes appearances in a considerable amount of prints. Yet when consulting the literature, which contains an abundancy on the mentioned print subjects, composition, and ways of working, little can be found about the direct role of the architectural depiction within the Ukiyo-e tradition. This paper serves as a first attempt to uncover this role of architecture. Through a combination of a literary study with a personal analysis, the depicted architecture is dissected in the work of the master Hiroshige Utagawa (1797-1858). The research showed two distinct ways architecture was deployed: directly used to explain a history, a place or as an amplifier of a series’ subject. This often goes together with an insurance of recognizable architectural structures. Then there is the more indirect and subtle way in which architecture is utilized by Hiroshige in which the architecture is a tool which helps transferring an emotion, feeling or bold composition. Throughout his work, it turned out it was more important that the architecture served as a tool to make a place readable and a print digestible for the public. It became clear Hiroshige understood the properties of architecture and adopted its characteristics to his needs or altered them when necessary. This research serves as a first foundation for further research on the specific relation between the Ukiyo-e and architectural depiction. Cross-analysis with other masters, and throughout different eras within the Edo period can perhaps offer more insight in the topic.