Following the devastating earthquake in February, Türkiye Design Council (TDC) has brought together the world’s best architects and designers to start the long-term process of revitalising the historic province of Hatay, situated in southeast Türkiye.

TDC has convened 13 design practices composed of leading experts in architecture, design, engineering, environmental sustainability, culture, heritage, and archaeology.

British design firm Foster + Partners will be the lead designer and planning head, while globally renowned New York City-based Bjarke Ingels Group has been signed up as architects, alongside Turkish practices DB Architects and KEYM.

Collectively they are working towards a vision for the next era of Hatay that ensures it is resilient, sustainable and liveable for generations to come, while preserving its 2,300-year-old cultural heritage and identity, said TDC.

Over the coming months and years, TDC aims to create a new global approach to rebuilding cities after natural disasters that brings together the world’s best architects whilst giving the local community of Hatay a voice in their city’s recovery.

Hatay will become a global exemplar for earthquake recovery, taking best practice principles from around the world and applying them to its truly unique context, it stated.

Mehmet Kalyoncu, Chairman of the TDC, said: “Following the earthquake, we experienced the biggest ever global co-operation for the relief effort. Now, we want this to be the biggest ever global collaboration of experts to shape the next era of Hatay.”

“This province, and its centre Antakya, are places of great significance to humanity, both culturally and historically. It is a centuries-old place, and we have an enormous responsibility to its people and to honour its rich past while ensuring its vitality as a modern city continues for generations to come,” he noted.

“At the heart of the initiative is a visionary new masterplan for the city of Antakya (known to antiquity as Antioch),  that will lay the foundation for its future,” said a spokesman for TDC. The masterplan is expected to be revealed fully in 2024, he added.