Month: May 2020

An overview of the architectural changes and developments in Turkey

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     This article describes the development and changes in the field of architecture in Turkey. It is a research and review article that connects social, cultural, political and economic reasons and concludes these reasons with examples in order to understand these contexts more easily.

     Firstly, as in the 20th century, many countries in the world, Turkey also for social, economic and political areas, exchanges, transformations; there has been an age of breakthroughs, especially in the path of science, technology and art. The reflection of these rapid developments has also been seen in the architecture of our country. In the first change in the sense of architecture in Turkey. We can say that the second Constitutional Monarchy began when it was announced. Because close political relations with the West started to be established in that period, and these established political relations also accelerated the interaction in the architectural sense. The first interaction in Turkey, we have the First National Architecture Movement and predominantly prevalent between 1908 and 1930s led to the emergence of an architectural style. The most important representatives of the First National Architecture Movement are primarily Architect Kemalettin and Vedat Tek, and Giulio Mongeri, an architect of Italian origin. This style, although it began during the Ottoman Empire period, though, showed the main effect of the Republic of Turkey. This architectural style aimed to create a Turkish national style. While doing so, the goal of being a nationalist was aimed, but architectural elements and ornaments in classical Ottoman buildings were frequently used. Although Ottoman architectural elements were frequently used, unlike that trend, architectural elements such as domes and eaves, which were used only in religious buildings, were used more frequently in other public buildings during the First National Architecture Movement period. The effect of this trend was limited to public buildings only. One of the important examples of this trend, the Great Post Office building in Istanbul Sirkeci was built by Architect Vedat Tek. The building has an entrance dominated by the symmetrical understanding raised by the stairs, where the entrance sections are particularly emphasized. The two corners on the facade were brought to the fore and these were covered with domes. Tiles suitable for Classical Ottoman ornaments were used in the building. Failure to keep up with technology is one of the most common criticisms towards this trend; a selective and formal trend is shown.

     Secondly, not only between the West and Turkey in political, social, economic or cultural relations are not limited to, those relationships at the same time greatly affect their architecture I mentioned in my previous paragraph of both sides. Turkey in the First National Architecture while the current effects, emerged a new movement called the International Style in the West, and this style has more technological progress than the other. In particular, a great simplification of the current applied in the material did not take long come from the West to Turkey. Some architects have observed and researched the International Style closely in the 1930s and started building buildings that were mainly influenced by this style. After the proclamation of the republic, the need for new and modern buildings in the country started to increase. The government thought that in order to meet this need of the country, it was necessary to work with Turkish architects together with foreign architects. As a result, Turkey began working with foreign architects like Jensen, Holzmeister. These architects, Turkish architecture during the time they lived in Turkey began to affect their own knowledge and experience. Symmetrical design, a rhythmic arrangement of windows, flat or concealed curved roofs, monumental stairs, direct access to the facades of buildings or columns are some of the main features of this period. The Ministry of National Defense, which shows most of the features of this period, was the first building built in Ankara by Holzmeister between 1927 and 1931. In this structure, there is an oval entrance, symmetrical facades and rhythmically placed windows on these facades in order to give movement to the facade.

     Another important factor affecting the sense of architecture in Turkey is the Second National Architectural Movement. This current, between the years of 1940 and showed the effect in the 1950s and the period of the Republic of Turkey is influenced by the nationalist thought and style. Stylistic features one of the most important turning points in the Republic of Turkey is the start of the Second World War. The demand for returning to national values ​​in the field of architecture has emerged due to the economic negativities brought by the war, the fact that the necessary building materials could not be brought from abroad due to the war, and the increase in reactions to foreign architects in parallel with the extremist nationalist environment of the period. The most important representatives of the Second National Architecture Movement are Sedat Hakkı Eldem and Emin Onat. In this period, as in the First National Architecture Movement, we can say that the architectural features of the Ottoman architecture and especially the Seljuk buildings were seen. In this trend, it is noteworthy that the elements of modern architecture are widely used. An easy-to-build lightweight structural system and wooden architectural elements that allow more comfortable use of sunlight in spaces are examples of the modern architecture that this trend wants to apply. One of the examples that best reflect the characteristics of this trend is the Faculty of Arts and Science building (1944-1952) of Istanbul University, built by Sedat Hakkı Eldem and Emin Onat. One of the most distinctive features of Istanbul University Faculty of Arts and Sciences is that it gives importance to symmetry and monumental. In this respect, although it carries Nazi architecture elements especially as a result of the interaction brought by the war, we see that it gives reference to the Ottoman residential architecture with some architectural elements such as fringes.

     Thirdly, we can say the 1950s as a complete turning point in Turkish architecture during the republic period. Although the First National Architectural Movement and the Second National Architectural Movement Period can always be determined with precise lines, many insights, styles and thoughts occurred simultaneously after 1950. One of the most important benefits of the 1950s in terms of architectural thought is to organize project competitions. The result of organizing project competitions is the establishment of a large number of longer-lasting freelance architecture offices. In a sense, we can say that this is a period of “freelance architecture offices” and “architectural competitions”. Competitions played a pioneering role in spreading the thought of bringing solutions with free forms in architecture. Between 1950 and 1960, it was a period when Turkish architects tried to apply the currents in the west, sometimes limited only by formal imitations. Another point of criticism of some architects is that social issues are not included to the required extent. In the 1960s and after, in the 1950s, the critical points started to come up slowly. One of the most obvious reasons for this is the changes in the political and social sphere. The 1960 revolution, it started a new era in Turkey and architects began to work on social issues. As a result of which architects and urbanists have been able to raise issues that were not considered before. Also, in this period, noticeable studies and applications were carried out on university planning on the one hand, and on mass housing and industrial structures on the other.

     Three main architectural approaches can be mentioned in the post-1950 period. The first is to adopt architectural approaches in developed countries. According to the new century in Europe, as a result of the rational approach emerged in Turkey, creating new architecture and a number of political and economic events occur. In the 1950s, the western sense did not show under the technical competence and financial resources to activities have been implemented by Turkey adapted Rationalism limited conditions. The Hilton Hotel (1953), co-designed by the American SOM group and Sedat Hakkı Eldem, is an example of the Rationalist attitude.

     At the end of the 1950s, especially Brutalism, which appears with Le Corbusier’s work it is seen as widespread in Turkey after 1960. Brutalism is to be concurrent with the implementation of applications in Turkey in Europe is also important. The main feature of the current is to ensure that the structure is recognizable by exaggerating one or more of the functions (carrier system-material, etc.) in the structure, and the materials and functions can reflect themselves in their most original form, without being dependent on patterns, certain geometric forms, as in Rationalism. This attitude is very common in our architecture, especially in traditional residential architecture. For example, there is no need to hide the carrier system in Safranbolu houses, it is common in Bursa houses that buttresses are used only to carry closet rooms. This situation has created the infrastructure to be Brutalism spread rapidly in Turkey. Another reason for this rapid spread is that Brutalism is much easier, faster and more economical than the Rationalist attitude that requires advanced techniques. Istanbul Orduevi and Ankara Stad Hotel are one of the first examples of Brutalist conscious practices in Turkey.

     The speed of migration to cities that started in the 1950s and accelerated in the 1960s increased even more in the 1970s. Illegal structures and slums became widespread in the cities during these periods due to the housing shortage in the metropolitan areas where long-term planning was not made and the competent institutions and organizations and local administrations did not take adequate measures. In this way, crooked urbanization marked the 1970s more. The buildings that were built with modern and different understandings in the first years in the state buildings left themselves to the monotonous, mediocre and architectural development of the period since the 1960s and 1970s. The Atatürk Library, designed by Sedad Hakkı Eldem and financed by the Vehbi Koç Foundation, is one of the well-known architectural works of the period. Built between 1973 and 1975 in the Taksim, Istanbul, this building was originally designed as a cultural building where library, museum and exhibition halls will be located, but only its library was built. One of the most prominent visual features of the structure is the use of hexagonal geometry with triangular grids.

IMG_0905

     Lastly, the process from the 1990s to the present has been a period when different architects started to experiment in different styles due to globalization and with the spread of the internet. These new searches showed themselves mainly on the facades as they are narrow and compacted constructions in a certain area. In this period, mass housing practices started to become widespread. A majority of the mass housing constructed were built with repetitive façade and plan schemes. In addition, another form of construction that started in the 1990s and accelerated in the 2000s was high-rise buildings with parks, landscape arrangements, terraces and pools. Especially since the 2000s influenced the architecture in Turkey, including Istanbul to increase the flow of capital together with the spread of the Internet. These changes had more impact on the physical and social fabric of Istanbul, where capital was concentrated. This process is still ongoing, developments in the field of architecture in Turkey in recent years can be summarized as follows: One of the examples brought by globalization is that the architects of foreign origin are in parallel with the developments in countries around the world in designing structures for different purposes.

REFERENCES:

A general evaluation of the First National Architectural Style and the First International Architectural Style.

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This article is a research-evaluation article that contains the first national architectural style and first international architectural style and as a result of these researches, the effects of these movements on the two important cities for our nation, Istanbul and Ankara. It also talks about the reasons why these two cities were capitalized for different states.

First of all, The First National Architecture, which was an architectural style created to meet the need for a new building that was born with the Westernization movements in the last period of the Ottoman Empire, then it continued to create the identity of the new nation after the proclamation of the Republic. It started with the declaration of the second Constitutional Monarchy in 1908 and ended in the 1930s. Especially during the reconstruction of the cities that were devastated during the War of Independence, many structures with different functions were needed and these had to be produced rapidly under limited economic conditions. Government support and need for new buildings.

The buildings constructed in the First National Architecture Style are not only located in Istanbul and Ankara, but also in İzmir, Konya, Kastamonu, etc. in many cities of Anatolia as well. This movement, which was created based on the Ottoman Classical Period and Anatolian Seljuk Architecture, was also known by names such as the National Architectural Style and Early Republican Period Architecture. The most important representatives of the First National Architectural Movement are Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu, primarily Architect Kemalettin and Vedat Tek, and Giulio Mongeri, an architect of Italian origin. Also in this architectural process, many public buildings, hotels, bank buildings, ministerial structures, educational buildings and residences were built. In these architectural products, stylistic unity is remarkable. If we pay particular attention to public buildings, it is seen that asymmetrical design with a rectangular plan scheme is dominant, and the buildings have middle axis entrance and monumental features. There is an exaggerated monumentality on the main facades of the buildings, it is seen that Ottoman and Seljuk architectural elements are located on the facades. Arched windows, domes, Turkish star embroideries, tile decorations, fine stonework have been frequently used in the facade design of public buildings. Building and infrastructure cities have been created according to the needs of the city, however, social life has changed and developed, and structures that serve this changing life have been built. Neoclassical architecture has come to life as elements of historical origin appear. The entrances are raised from the basement level, and the entrances are often emphasized by a balcony, portal arranged doors and domes. Floor separations were made in horizontal planes, corner towers were erected high and flood in the corners. In some buildings, the hillocks are exaggerated and the entrances are designed as triple openings. Kamer Hatun Mosque in İstanbul, which is one of the most significant examples showing almost all the features of this style; It was reconstructed by Architect Kemalettin and a mostly cut stone was used as material. From the main entrance, entrance to space with three openings is provided. After this place, a transition to another place is made with a two-door entrance. The mosque has a three-part view. On this facade, the windows are covered with turquoise tiles. There are three pointed arched windows on the upper floor. On the lower floors, there are three rectangular windows. The minaret is on this front. The minaret is a flat minaret with a single stone made of cut stone. There is a muqarnas fringe hiding the roof of the building. The altar is made of plaster. The sermon chair and pulpit are made of wood.

The second feature that if we focus on the West at the same time, the International Style that developed here was an architectural style that began in Europe and the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, and became the dominant style in Western architecture in the mid-20th century. When the characteristics of the First National Architectural movement and International Style are started to be compared, we see that in the International Style, completely light materials are used in the decoration and ornamentation applied to the facades of the buildings. In the National Architectural movement, ornamentation and tile decoration were more common on the facades. In addition, glass and steel were used together with concrete as new materials in the International style. In other words, it is seen that this style is preferred by more modern materials instead of traditional materials (stone, wood etc.) seen in the First National Architectural style. The term International Style was first used in his article, International Style: Architecture, which served as a catalogue for an architectural exhibition organized by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson in the Museum of Modern Art in 1932.[1]

This reform movement did not take long to come to Turkey in the West in the 1930s, Turkey neoclassicism of the release of the original sample “First National Architecture Period” began to be criticized heavily and there have been new movements in architecture. The Old Court of Accounts, which was designed and built in accordance with the First National Architecture style, was demolished and a more modern building was replaced by a sign that a period is over.

Some architects have closely observed and researched the contemporary international style in the 1930s and started building buildings that were mainly under the influence of reinforced concrete effects. As the New Republic progresses, the need for buildings has increased in the new capital, Ankara. The government thought that in order to meet this need of the country, it was necessary to work with foreign architects along with Turkish architects. As a result, Turkey began working with foreign architects like Clemens Holzmeister, Hermann Jansen. These architects began to influence Turkish architecture with their own knowledge and experience during their time in Turkey. Symmetrical design, a rhythmic arrangement of windows, flat or concealed curved roofs, monumental stairs, direct access to the facades of buildings or columns are some of the main features of this period. The Ministry of National Defense Building, which shows most of the features of this period, was the first building built in Ankara by Holzmeister between 1927 and 1931. In this structure, an oval entrance, symmetrical facades and windows placed rhythmically on these facades are seen in order to give movement to the facade.

GAn analysis showing the main themes about The First National Style and International Style.

One of the third and last important issues are the reason why these architectural styles were especially common in Istanbul and Ankara was that these two cities were capital cities. Istanbul was once the capital of the Ottoman Empire. In Istanbul, which has lost its importance in the last period of Byzantium, primarily the old buildings and walls started to be repaired. The buildings of the Ottoman State began to rise instead of the structures of the Byzantine State that used to be here. Conservation of large water cisterns was also ensured, and for the minority people it still accommodated, the construction of churches and synagogues was widespread in order to respect their cultures and religions. This movement of the Ottoman Empire led to the development of different cultural structures in the state. The city went through many modernizations during the

18th century. There are many renewal movements in the field of communication, transportation and health. However, with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the War of Independence, a capital was required for the new state to be established. This new capital would be Ankara. Planning a capital Ankara from scratch was an important issue in every way. If I want to give examples from these issues, for example, the election of Ankara as the capital has been effective in the country. If we examine Ankara geographically, it was at a point to be considered as the center of the country. In addition, thanks to the planning of a capital Ankara from scratch, a ground was created here to transform the republican ideals of modern urban life and a new political culture into action. However, the inadequate economic, political and strategic resources in Ankara made it difficult for the city to become a capital city.  In order for Ankara to become an exemplary city, the planning of this place was given to Carl Lörcher, a German planner who previously worked for the Ottoman government in Istanbul. In this plan, Lörcher wanted to expand both north and south of Ankara. The reason for this was to indicate the partial areas not shown in Ankara during the planning in the Ottoman period.  The inadequate urban planning of the Old Ankara, skew fields, misaligned structures and all the missing issues are accelerated off the reconstruction of the city, we can interpret as physical clues that illuminate the process of establishing a modern state in Turkey. We can define this spatiality as “an ongoing dynamic, a changing set of goals, interacting with other social forces”[2]. Ankara was changed in this way, it was changed in the newly established republic in the same way, and it was a sign that it would develop in the future.

REFERENCES:

  1. https://www.britannica.com/art/International-Style-architecture
  2. Kezer, Z. (2015), “Building Modern Turkey.”, ch: 1, University of Pittsburg, USA

A general evaluation of “Skyscraper Architecture”

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This article is a research-evaluation article that contains technical information about the structures of skyscrapers, material and structure information about these structures, as well as the development of these skyscrapers from time to time in the world history and general information about some skyscrapers that will be an example for these developments.

First of all, I would like to talk about structural and material information along with general information about skyscrapers. Multi-storey buildings above a certain height are called “skyscrapers”. This name was first used in the USA shortly after the first tall buildings were built. The development of skyscrapers emerged as a reflection of various technological and social developments. The term skyscraper was originally applied to buildings of 10 to 20 floors, but in the late 20th century this term was used to describe unusually high-rise buildings, usually more than 40 or 50 floors.[1]

At the end of the nineteenth century, various technological advances occurred that came together to create skyscraper design and construction. These included the use of steel produced as a result of the Industrial Revolution, the invention of functional lifts in all respects, and techniques developed to measure and analyze structural loads and stresses. In traditional building design, the walls of the building supported the building and the longer the building had to be thicker. But this has changed in skyscraper buildings. Instead of the very hard walls needed by tall buildings, a rigid steel frame was asked to bear the weight of the building. Besides this steel frame, it is also an important component of reinforced concrete skyscrapers. Thanks to concrete, the skyscrapers were strengthened structurally by pouring them around steel bars against the twisting motion caused by the wind. Another important material for the construction of skyscrapers is steel, which is iron and carbon alloy. They are often used together in skyscraper construction to maximize the best properties of concrete and steel. For example, as I just mentioned, concrete can be poured around a steel beam to form a support column, and this support column can make the skyscraper to be built stronger. Various materials are used to cover the skyscraper frame. The boards that make up the outer walls known as “cladding” can consist of metals such as glass, aluminium or stainless steel, or wall materials such as marble, limestone.

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The second feature that is considered in skyscraper designs is to calculate the effects of weather events on the skyscraper. The most important of these weather events is the wind, in my opinion, because the power of the wind affects the building more than the weight and content of the building. The designer of the building should ensure that the building is not overturned by a strong wind and that it is not shaken enough to cause discomfort to the people who will be there. Each skyscraper design is unique. The main structural elements used in the construction of skyscrapers are a non-load-bearing steel frame, a reinforced concrete frame to form the outer walls, and a series of support columns connecting the beams and other structural elements in the building. Since each design is innovative, models of tall buildings are first tested to determine the effect of wind on wind tunnels and their impact on surrounding buildings. The tests show whether the building is strong against the wind and tells if there will be a change in their structure accordingly.

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After general information about skyscrapers, I would like to give information about skyscrapers built in different periods. The skyscrapers, built in these different periods, differ from each other as structural and materials used, along with the current that the architecture of the period was affected. The first tall building, now called the skyscraper, was built in the United States in the 19th century. The big fire in the center of Chicago, which broke out at the time, made people look for ways to develop new building technology and construction techniques. Under the leadership of the famous architects of that time, William Le Baron Jenney, Louis Sullivan, Dankmar Adler, Daniel H. Burnham and Martin Roche, a new school was born under the name “Chicago School” and the first tall buildings were built by developing a steel frame system. The “Home Insurance” building, built-in 1885 in Chicago by William Le Baron Jenney, was considered the world’s first tallest building by the “High Buildings and Urban Living Area Council”. The high-rise buildings with frame systems built in the 20th century are called the high-rise building and the first phase of Chicago period buildings. In addition, the invention and use of the elevator began during this period. During this period, Chicago was rebuilt at an unprecedented pace.[2]

At the beginning of the 20th century, with the development of technology, aesthetic examples came to the fore in material design and accordingly building design and facade decoration. The Flariton Building and the Metropolitan Tower of Life were important examples of this period. One of the tallest buildings and most important examples of this period until the First World War was the Woolworth Building, which was built in New York in 1913. The facade of this building was 241 meters high, decorated with Gothic motifs and covered with terracotta. The first example of cathedral-style office buildings, the building shed light on the future skyscraper architecture with its tower form and had a system carried by steel columns and beams, which were considered a commercial cathedral.

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However, the high-rise building construction that stagnated during the First World War regained speed in the 1920s after the war. A competition was organized especially in 1922 to build the “most beautiful and diverse office building in the world”. More than 260 architects from 23 countries participated in this contest with their unique designs. Some designs were Gothic-inspired, while others reflected the Neoclassical style. Some designs had Art-Deco effects. As will be understood from here, this competition was a platform that allowed architects to present different styles that they were influenced by. The winners of this competition, Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells, now proposed the Gothic tower on the corner of Michigan Avenue in the north of the Chicago River. They wanted to add verticality to the horizontal of the United States and balance the change with Gothic touches from the French tradition. However, the works of other competitors were also to be discussed. The design of Adolf Loos, especially in the form of a large Dor column, officially challenged modern buildings designed by other contestants and winners for that period with their traditionalism.

“Less is more,” which emerged after the Second World War. The movement’s traces were also found in skyscrapers built at that time. In this period, simple designs expressing their materials and structures were used in the skyscrapers built, free from ornaments and motifs, functionality and rationality were prioritized. Normally applied to high-rise buildings, namely skyscrapers, its shape, base, body, heading shape was abandoned and glass and steel prism shapes with the same geometric shape were used from roof to floor. An example of this is, “Less is more.” The founder of the principle is the Seagram building, built-in 1958 in New York by world-renowned architect Mies Van Der Rohe.

After the Second World War, the negative effects of this war were left behind and new developments in technology-enabled another period to begin. In this period, the quality of concrete has been increased, heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting systems have been developed in the buildings and the floor areas of the building have started to be used more effectively. In addition, significant improvements have been made in the construction methods, construction and calculation techniques of the buildings and the first steps of computerized design have been taken. All this accelerated the development and change of tall buildings, namely skyscrapers. Less steel was used at the John Hancock Center, completed in Chicago in 1969, and the structure was made much more economical than the old examples. John Hancock Center has brought a new understanding of the concept of high-rise building functionally. Until then, the John Hancock Center has all of the various mixed functions such as offices, residences, towers, commercial areas, all of which are designed as offices or residences. Tall buildings made in the form of glass boxes ended in this period. Thanks to the development of technology, height is no longer a problem. With the opportunities offered by the developing technology, skyscrapers in different styles continued to rise.

In summary, although high-rise buildings, namely skyscrapers first appeared in America, in the late twentieth century, these structures started to be built frequently in the Far East and European countries and this height race was also carried out of America. Australia and the Middle East countries, especially the Far East countries, also participated in this altitude race. The winner of this height race is the Burj Khalifa structure, which was completed in 2009. The top floors of the tallest building in the world are made of steel and it is the first building in the world to be continued with a steel construction on reinforced concrete. In order to minimize the wind loads on the facades of the building, none of the facades of the building is designed flat and the corners are made in circular shapes.

REFERENCES:

  1. https://www.britannica.com/technology/skyscraper
  2. https://www.thoughtco.com/how-skyscrapers-became-possible-1991649http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Skyscraper.html

Two of the Iconic Legends: Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe

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This article is a research-review article where you can learn a little more about the key names of modern architecture, Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe. This article includes the architectural careers of these two important names, the projects and analysis they have produced throughout their careers, the ideas they have adopted, what they task on Bauhaus design school, which is the starting place of modern architecture, the similarities and differences of these two architects in terms of the architectural work.

Gropius, one of the first architects that come to mind when it comes to modern architecture, was born in 1983 in Berlin. After his architectural education in Munich and Berlin, he worked with architect Peter Behrens in 1908, along with other important names of the modern architecture movement, Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, Adolf Meyer and Le Corbusier. In 1910, Gropius left Behrens with Adolf Meyer and established his own architectural office in Berlin. After establishing their own offices, Fagus Factory, which is the first structure designed by these two architects together, reveals the main principles of modern architecture with its material preference and construction techniques. They designed the plugins of the dual main structure after working primarily the façade. The transportation, which is the facade of the world which is completely constructed with glass, showed that this structure shows what industrial production offers for architecture.

While Gropius participated in the First World War, he witnessed the destructiveness of the war as a soldier at the front; in his writings, he included his thoughts on architectural education. Gropius took part as a member of many intellectual communities in the transforming political and social environment of Germany after the war and then the November 1918 Revolution[1]:

  • Deutscher Werkbund aiming at the development of the German industry.
  • Expressionist artists and architects community Novembergruppe (1928).
  • Arbeitsrat für Kunst (1918-1921), consisting of architects, artists and writers.
  • Die Gläserne Kette (1919-1920), a group of German expressionist architects founded by Bruno Taut.

After World War I, Gropius’s career moved in a different direction as he came to Grand-Ducal Saxon Design School as a teacher. Here he founded the Staatliches Bauhaus in 1919, and the experimental teachings at this school laid the foundations of modern architecture. The basic understanding of Bauhaus, where all the branches of art, including architecture, were brought together, was built on the idea of ​​the accessibility of a well-designed environment and products that put industrial production at its centre. Gropius explained his ideas with the 1919 Bauhaus Manifesto. Haus Sommerfeld, the first project of the Bauhaus training program, was designed with the workshops of the Bauhaus students. Built by the technique of wood-making, Haus Sommerfeld was completely destroyed in World War II.

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Haus Sommerfeld, the first project of the Bauhaus training program building

In 1923, Gropius developed the idea of ​​”a new unity for art and technology” for Bauhaus. The school, which turned to production with industrial methods, moved to Dessau in 1925. Dessau Bauhaus which reveals the more futuristic architectural style of Gropius at that time also contains traces of the neoclassical style. Bauhaus Dessau, consisting of three main sections, is connected by bridges. There are a workshop and a school on the two-storey sections. There are offices on the lower floors. Housing and school are connected to all three departments. The reason for this is that it is desired to facilitate access to the dining hall and meeting room from everywhere. Gropius also aimed to add technological innovations in this design. Some of those; innovations in the use of glass, reinforced concrete and brick, the use of asphalt roof that can be walked on and using a mushroom roof. Along with this, Gropius, who also worked to furniture design in Bauhaus, emphasized only the usability of the form. As it is understood, Gropius did not want beauty and creativity to be in front of his own design approach in his designs in general.

   Bauhaus building and its upper floor plan

After all these innovations, Gropius who transferred his duty to Hannes Meyer and Mies Van Der Rohe in 1928, moved to Berlin and focused on residential designs. Unfortunately, due to the increasing Nazi pressure, he first went to London and then settled in the United States in 1938, where he started living in his own house which name is Gropius House. He worked at Harvard Graduate School of Design for many years.  Gropius, who died at the age of 86 in 1969, became one of the building blocks of modernism with the teachings of Bauhaus and Bauhaus itself.

   Gropius House and its plan

Another important name of modern architecture is Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe’s architectural style, who lived between 1886 and 1969, was mainly influenced by the Russian constructivists and the Dutch “De Stijl” movement, he tried to process simple and functional form his works and he used new materials such as glass and steel. These situations show that he adopts modernism. Mies’s famous motto, “Less is more.” is the most successful definition for modernism. Also, Mies who has signed more than 50 architectural structures throughout its life, is also known for its furniture designs. Mies is one of the most important names in the world of architecture, with its structures designed according to the principle of lightness and famous words such as “God is hidden in detail.” that guides the world of design. Mies who rewrote the rules of the building world with the slogan of “Form follows function.” also worked as a manager at Bauhaus.

If I want to explain the “Less is more” principle, which I mentioned in the introduction, simplifying some of the things required while creating a structure according to him, that is, using it little, increases the functionality and flexibility of the created space. When we look at the Farnsworth House, where Mies has shown the effects of this principle abundantly, we see the simple coexistence of glass and steel on the facade, and the free plan design idea inside the space, free from bearing walls. Mies says, “If the internal arrangement of the structure is flexible enough to allow different functions, and its form has features that will not prevent this change, the problem will be solved.” Indeed, transformable spaces for different functions or the flexibility of space to meet multiple functions support its philosophy.

  Farnsworth House and its plan

Mies, who makes words that will facilitate our interpretation on every structure, says “God is hidden in detail.” for the Barcelona Pavilion, which can be considered the symbol of modernism. In this structure, which is considered as one of the most important examples of the International Style, the carrier and divider structure elements take place in a separate and independent arrangement. The flat roof of the pavilion is carried by thin steel carriers. Also, thin walls of marble, whose function is only to divide, are placed between them. In this way, Mies created a brand new space layout and created a series of spaces that form a single whole under the roof of the building, flowing from one to the other with the partition walls independent of carriers. However, we see that even the material is loaded with function. In this pavilion, the marble which are thin walls used to divide the spaces both increase the aesthetics of the space and enable these walls to move easily. Another example is the Roman travertine surrounding the pool of the building, which acts as a secondary light source by absorbing and then reflecting light when exposed to the sun. In summary, the functions it places on the details of the structure are indicative of its view of the material. “An architect must know the people who will live in the house he designed, and after he fully grasps their needs, the rest will come.” This is a summary of one of Mies’s recommendations to his students. Mies, who shows that the designs made to meet the needs will be much more useful, is also the creator of the iconic design, the Barcelona Chair. This set, which was first introduced in the Barcelona Pavilion and consists of a sofa and beanbag, is a combination of simplicity, functionality and elegance.

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Barcelona Pavilion, its plan and Barcelona Chair

Another example of Mies’s design wonder is The Crown Hall which designed for ITT Faculty of Architecture between 1938 and 1958, is a structure designed with extraordinary simplicity using steel and glass materials. Mies is one of the architects who clearly stated that he put the functionality in front of the form with the words, “I do not want to be interesting, I want to be good”. According to Mies, function form compatibility is only valid for a certain period of time. This harmony will disappear with the change of functions. Therefore, a structure should be designed to accommodate various functions. The Crown Hall is a structure where it applies these thoughts. Consisting of a single space, the structure can be divided by steel carriers and movable partition walls according to the required functions.

  The Crown Hall and its plan

Mies Van Der Rohe, who was proposed by Gropius as a manager instead of Hannes Meyer, who left his office in 1930, gave importance to the institutional education of the school. He reorganized the strict rules of education of the school and tried to balance the education and students. In addition, he applied a different curriculum and reduced the number of applied ateliers so that the school could continue education.

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Neue National Gallery, Berlin (1968), Mies’s latest work

As a result of all these researches, if I summarize the ideas adopted by these two famous architects, I can say that the architectural theory of Mies Van Der Rohe is a big city for a country while Walter Gropius can build a comfortable home for people. The difference between them can be explained in this way. Still, there are some similarities between the two. First, both are in favour of innovation; secondly, all of them made the biggest contribution to the human race, the country and modernization. Meanwhile, they take a common attitude towards modern technology and pass on generations of thinking to the future. Walter Gropius prefers the functionality of the building, while Mies prefers an aesthetic design. Both have different structures located in different places.

REFERENCES:

  1. https://www.arkitera.com/haber/bauhausun-yoneticileri-walter-gropius-hannes-meyer-ve-ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/

Project: Unhygienix | Second Pre-Jury

~ bensuacarakcay ~ Leave a comment

First of all, with this structure I will build in Urla, my aim is creating a balance human densities in different parts of this shoreline.

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Here you can see some program diagrams about the structure I will build at the given border. For example in these diagrams, I wanted to show the connections of the inclined surface in the structure with the wind direction and the sea in the region.

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My design idea is to create a pedestrian movement on programs on the horizontal and vertical axis at certain points associated with the shore and city. Also on the vertical axis, with pedestrian mobility, I wanted to ensure that people can experience different levels of water.

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At the same time, I aimed to partially change the roles of the people who were there at the intersection of the programs. For example, when a fisherman selling fish there comes to the workshop area, they can help people who are here. For example, they can be a fish cleaner for customers. These issues are the same for customers there. For example, people who buy fish from here can clean or cook their fish or make them fishermen.

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