Research output per year
Research output per year
Dr
Room 0G.332 - David Keir Building
United Kingdom
Accepting PhD Students
PhD projects
Cinema and Architecture in the City
Architecture and (Forced) Migration
Architectural Media and Representation
Architecture and Design Education
Interdisciplinary Practices
Research activity per year
I am the Subject Lead for Architecture and Planning, and Senior Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, UK. I have received BArch and MArch degrees at Middle East Technical University, and PhD degree at Istanbul Technical University in Turkiye. I have worked professionally as a licensed architect in the Netherlands and Turkiye (Is Bank Headquarters Construction, Atelier T Architects, among others) and researched at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, University College Dublin, Ireland and ZK/U Center for Art and Urbanism in Berlin, Germany. I have conducted several urban filmmaking workshops, attended international conferences, published widely, and taught at Philadelphia (Thomas Jefferson) University, USA, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands and Izmir University of Economics, Turkiye, before joining Queen's in 2011.
I have been conducting interdisciplinary research at the intersection of architecture and cinema in the USA, the Netherlands, Turkey, Ireland and the UK for 30 years. Using film as a representation of urban space and/or architectural space, I study the relationship between the two disciplines to better evaluate and interact with the built environment and urban landscapes. So the question that is worth exploring for me is: How can film create 'a new way of seeing' to understand and develop cities, buildings, spaces and places better? In this context, I run a collaborative reseach group, CACity (Cinema and Architecture in the City, www.cacity.org) open to all. My reseach interests include:
Cinema and Sustainable Cities
Architecture and Film Locations
Cinematic Architecture/Cinematic Cities
Urban Space/Architectural Space/Film Space/Sci-Fi Space
Architectural Media and Representation
Architecture and New Media/Generative AI/Game Design/AR-VR
Virtual Museum Design
Digital Mapping in the Humanities/Digital Heritage
Architecture and Design Education
Interdisciplinary Learning Practices
Design and Spatial Thinking
Walled Cities and Divided Communities
Architecture and Forced Migration
Minorities/Refugees and Future Cities
Archirecture for Climate Migrants
Architecture and migration is relatively a new area of research for me. As a migrant who has lived/worked in eight cities in five countries, I have always been interested in the public and private spaces occupied by newcomers and minorities in a city. My research on Fatih Akin's films that tell the stories of ethnic minorities in urban Germany is a result of this interest. I have been working on the architectural consequences of forced migration in developing countries since 2017, and I use film analysis and filmmaking in my methodology. I also have a Master dissertation group who work on this topic.
I enjoy teaching as much as research and have taught in five countries in the areas of Architectural Design, and History, Theory and Criticism both part-time and full-time after working as a practicing architect for several years. I have taught the following to students of Architecture, Interior Architecture, Industrial Design, Fashion Design, and Visual Communication Design in various universities:
Design Studio (1st year)
Architectural Design Studio (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year)
Architectural History (1st, 2nd and 3rd year)
Architectural Theory (2nd year and masters)
Architecture and Film (3rd and 4th year)
Architectural Media and Communication (2nd and 3rd year and masters)
Thesis Project (masters)
Dissertation (masters)/Thesis (PhD)
I have been teaching at Queen's for almost 15 years. Since 2024, I am honoured to be the Subject Lead of two departments, Architecture and Planning. Queen's is a Russel Group (research) university, and, since 2020, I have also been the Programme Director of MSc Applied Architecture and Design, a yearlong masters course, as well as DfE-funded PgCert Cinematic Architecture, a yearlong certificate programme open to all creative backgrounds. Between 2016 and 2019, I was the Programme Director of the BSc Architecture course. BSc is a professionally accredited Architecture Part 1 programme (by ARB, RIBA and LAM) with 200 local and international students.
In Architecture at Queen's, I have coordinated and/or tutored these modules:
Architectural Design and Communication Studio (1st, 2nd, 3rd year) (2011- )
CineArch Studio (2nd and 3rd year and masters) (2017- )
History and Theory of Architecture (2nd year) (2011- )
Humanities Dissertation, themes: Cinema, Forced Migration and Metaverse (masters) (2011- )
Thesis Project (masters) (2022- )
PhD Thesis (2011- )
My current and previous academic leadership roles at Queen's include the following:
Subject Lead for Architecture and Planning
MSc Applied Architecture and Design Programme Director
PgCert Cinematic Architecture Programme Director
BSc Architecture Programme Director
Senator George Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice Associate Fellow
Education Committee (Qualities and Standards) Faculty Member
School Management Board Member
CACity Cinema and Architecture in the City Research Group Leader
BSc Architecture, MSc AAD and PgCer CA Admissions Coordinator
Advisor of Studies for Year 1, MSc AAD and PgCer CA
Architecture Year 1 Leader
SNBE Education Committee Member
Student Liaison Officer
Erasmus and IAESTE Coordinator
External Examination Coordinator
Lead Personal Tutor
Prizes and Awards Coordinator
Welcome Week Coordinator
Staff Student Consultative Committee/Student Voice Member
School Postgraduate Research Committee Member
Culture and Society Research Cluster Member
Architecture Research Cluster Member
REF Unit 13 Contributor
I see myself as a promoter of learning. I am a passionate supporter of sustainable living, no waste, vegetarianism, physical/mental health and well-being, regular exercise, value of art and design, collaborative work, equality, diversity and inclusion, life-long curiousity and learning, optimism and kindness, second chances, and believing in young people. There is creativity in everything and everyone.
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research output: Book/Report › Book
Research output: Book/Report › Edited book › peer-review
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Kacmaz Erk, G. (Recipient), 2001
Prize: Appointment
Kacmaz Erk, G. (Recipient), 27 Feb 2018
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Kacmaz Erk, G. (Recipient), 2014
Prize: Other distinction
Kacmaz Erk, G. (Member)
Activity: Membership types › Membership of board
Kacmaz Erk, G. (Organiser)
Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
Kacmaz Erk, G. (Invited speaker)
Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
Kacmaz Erk, G. (Organiser) & Akser, M. (Contributor)
Activity: Other activity types › Other
Kacmaz Erk, G. (Participant)
Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
15/06/2017
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
01/01/2021
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
13/03/2020
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
10/05/2020
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
08/11/2020
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities