This was one of the most precious moments of my (international) scholarly endeavor (in the US): I learned what PhD dissertation means, how to conduct it, how to clarify "essential research problem", "hypothesis, theoretical foundations, research method" of a Ph.D. with generous and kind support by Kenneth Frampton and wonderful architecture historians, critics and professors at the Columbia University, GSAPP, Ph.D. Program. When I came from Istanbul to the Columbia University, GSAPP, Ph.D. Program as a visiting scholar -for my PhD dissertation research-, there were lots of unclear issues in my mind. However, all essential principles, structure and content of my Ph.D. were clarified after a few appointments and discussions with Kenneth Frampton: "Design practitioner's creativity and different profiles/characteristics of client in (postwar) architecture (and the private sector) and critical history/historiography of architecture design "practice" (in postwar Turkish) architecture. With inspiring scholarly essays, Ph.D. dissertation by Reinhold Martin, my appointments with him were another threshold for that process; and Janet Parks' amazing help to bring some collections from Princeton to the Avery for my scholarly examination on "design architect - client" interaction completed the picture in my mind. Finally, the SOM-NYC Office's support to study "four significant SOM buildings" designed under Gordon Bunshaft's leadership with changing profiles of the client in the private sector in the 1960s-1970s opened up a new page in my PhD dissertation to understand how to analyze interaction between design architect's creativity and clients' economic and commercial expectation. With all of those supports and knowledge sharing, I went back to Istanbul Technical University-Faculty of Architecture with my English Ph.D. draft including research problem, hypothesis, method, case (Tekeli-Sisa-Hepguler Architecture Practice with an emphasis on "the client") and submitted it to the university and founder partner of the case for the "final" of my Ph.D. (in 2009).
I am deeply thankful to the Columbia University, GSAPP, Ph.D. Program, all architecture historians, professors, critics, theoreticians and design practitioners who helped me for my Ph.D. dissertation research in the US.
A funny thing: It is impossible for me to forget Kenneth Frampton's reaction when he learned that my Ph.D. dissertation research was a comparative study between Turkish and the US architecture during my first appointment with him (2008). When he asked me "why?" with a strong tone and a smiling face, I felt that there was "something" in my Ph.D. (I was within its 4th! year) and then, my Ph.D. began to progress on the "right" path -without the US architecture- in the US...