23 June 2025 – In celebration of International Women in Engineering Day, REHVA interviewed Gülsu Ulukavak Harputlugil, Professor and Researcher at Çankaya University, to highlight her inspiring contributions to sustainable building design.
Gülsu Ulukavak Harputlugil was born in Ankara-Türkiye. Since 1998, she has been working as an academic researcher. Recently, she became a full time Professor at Çankaya University Faculty of Architecture and responsible of several under-graduate and graduate courses including Architectural Design Studio, Building Science and Construction Systems.
Tell us about your background
My scholarly interests cover energy-efficient building design, net zero energy/carbon/water buildings, performance evaluation, and building simulation. I have a substantial track record in improving the energy performance of buildings, and deep knowledge of performance assessment strategies that may be used in the building process. Since 2010, my research has also explored the impact of occupant behavior on the energy consumptionof dwellings, renovation strategies for the current building stock, and climate change adaptation strategies for buildings and communities.
Most of my research has been funded/granted by TÜBİTAK and the British Council Newton Fund. I have participated in many national and international research projects as a "senior expert" in the relevant field. Between 2020–2025, I was the Chair of the Department of Architecture at Çankaya University. Besides, I serve as an executive committee member of the IEA EBC TCP (IEA Energy in Buildings and Communities Technology Collaboration Program) since 2020 and a board member of TTMD (Turkish Society of HVAC and Sanitary Engineers) between 2023–2025. I am also a member of IBPSA (International Building Performance Simulation Association) and a corresponding member of the Technical Research Committee (TRC) of REHVA.
What sparked your initial interest in the STEM field applied to the built environment?
Between 1993 and 1997, during my undergraduate education in Architecture, I was deeply influenced not only by the design and creative aspects of the discipline but also by its technical dimension. In fact, what intrigued me even more than designing a building was developing solutions that would make its construction feasible and ensure that users could inhabit it comfortably. Undoubtedly, this phase requires the integration of engineering services within the building delivery process. This is precisely why, upon graduation, I chose to focus my academic work on building physics. During my master’s studies, I worked on software used for system integration in buildings (building simulations) and came to understand the simultaneous importance of design and system efficiency in a building’s energy consumption. Throughout this period, I had the opportunity to collaborate with engineering firms on HVAC system solutions, which further convinced me of the necessity for a holistic perspective in architectural design decisions and the significance of the technical dimension. Motivated by this, I pursued my doctoral research on the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration starting from the early stages of the design process, and the need for software tools to support this integration.
During this time, I was awarded a scholarship from Türkiye to join the Building Simulation Group led by Prof. Jan Hensen at Eindhoven University of Technology. Working with Prof. Hensen and my fellow researchers in this group taught me a great deal and inspired me to pursue my career in this field. This experience also allowed me to gain a solid understanding of the engineering perspective. Continuing along this path, I have been able to build my current career.
How has your role or perspective evolved over time in response to emerging challenges like climate change, digitalization, or health & well-being in buildings?
During my master’s and doctoral studies, my research primarily focused on energy-efficient building design strategies, system integrations, and the modeling and analysis of these solutions through building simulations. By the time I completed my PhD in 2009, the focus had already begun to shift from energy efficiency alone to encompass environmental impact and renewable energy integration. Although the concept of a zero-energy building had not yet been fully defined, it was clear that no solution could be viable without prioritizing the health and comfort of building occupants. Therefore, in my postdoctoral research, I directed my studies towards exploring the relationship between user comfort and energy efficiency.
In particular, my work over the past decade has focused on climate change and adaptation strategies. This is because it is now evident that, both individually and collectively, all professionals responsible for the built environment must urgently and seriously address the measures necessary to ensure the sustainability of a livable world. I emphasize this imperative in the undergraduate and graduate courses I teach at the university and continue to shape the focus of my research around the requirements of this responsibility.
Whereas in the past discussions revolved mainly around achieving energy efficiency at the individual building level, today the discourse has expanded beyond single buildings to the urban scale. It is no longer sufficient to have energy-consuming, high-carbon buildings; instead, we now speak of the necessity for building communities that can collectively generate energy and achieve net-zero carbon emissions over their entire lifespan. Consequently, my perspective has evolved towards designing zero-carbon building communities at the urban scale and exploring feasible strategies for transforming the existing building stock accordingly.
What roles do interdisciplinary collaboration and diversity play in advancing solutions for a sustainable built environment?
Throughout my entire academic career, my central focus has been on the importance of teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration. I firmly believe that involving every area of expertise that contributes to the building delivery process simultaneously is not an option but an absolute necessity. It is now widely acknowledged that incorporating each discipline’s unique perspective into the design process transforms it towards a collectively improved outcome, ultimately resulting in a high-performance building with minimal environmental impact that provides the healthiest and most comfortable conditions for its users.
In forming such a design team, there should be no room for discriminatory labels based on gender, race, religion, or similar distinctions. The only relevant criterion for structuring an effective interdisciplinary team should be the diversity of expertise. Any other approach is simply unacceptable. For instance, I find it misguided to argue that someone should be included in a team solely because they are a woman or belong to a minority group.
Do you think the visibility of women in engineering has improved? What more can be done to support young professionals entering the field?
Until a few decades ago, when it came to providing engineering and architectural services, the fact that the professional delivering the service was a “woman” was often emphasized as a distinct characteristic. For example, when an architect achieved significant success, it was frequently highlighted that she was a “female architect.” Similarly, a system designed by a “female engineer” would often be evaluated not for the technical qualities of the system itself, but rather through the lens of the designer’s gender. One key reason for this was the existence of occupational categorizations in many societies, distinguishing between so-called male and female professions.
However, I believe that this distinction has been gradually diminishing in recent years. Thanks to women’s determination and competence to handle any task, perceptions about their place in professional life are changing significantly across societies. As a reflection of this, I believe that women are becoming increasingly visible within the engineering disciplines.
I think that today’s young generation of professionals, even if they still encounter gender-biased perceptions within their societies, should first believe in their own ability to succeed in whatever field they choose, without being constrained by such stereotypes. I also believe that the so-called “glass ceiling syndrome” women often face in their professional lives is, in part, self-imposed, and that the power and determination to break through it lie in their own hands.
Women possess the potential to revolutionize the field of engineering thanks to their multitasking mindset and their ability to develop multifaceted solutions to complex problems. Recognizing and harnessing these unique capabilities empowers them to contribute to transformative change within their societies.
