The Turkish Historical Society building
The THS building houses the offices of the THS as well as a library, which is quite good in terms of its holdings in Anatolian and Turkish history.
What I find most interesting about this library is its architecture. I usually come here a couple of days a week to study on my dissertation. Despite the fact that the chairs and the desks are not modern and usable enough--especially when I compare it to the Regenstein Library at UofC---the building is inspiring. It tries to be modern yet it draws from the classical Ottoman architecture. The atrium in the centre of the building is three-stories high and it gets a lot of sunlight through the ceiling, which I find to be reminiscent of Ottoman---and Mamluk, mind you---madrasas. In some ways, I can think of the central atrium, covered by the offices, the library and the auditorium on three sides, a modern interpretation of a khan, or the Sultan Hasan Madrasa in Cairo. The major difference is of course the fact that the atrium in THS building is covered, albeit with mostly glass.
The use of the materials also reflects careful thought. Wood is used extensively in windows as screens, in desks and bookshelves. At the same time concrete, aluminum and modern cylindrical lamps are used, without conflicting the traditional-looking wooden materials.
The atrium and the library gets a lot of natural sunlight thanks to the design of the ceilings. The main study hall in the library is two-stories high, which gives the place a more spacious and unobtrusive feel. I actually find the interior design much more impressive than the way the building looks from the outside.
Last but not least, I should mention that the building, which was designed by Turgut Cansever, received a prestigious Agha Khan Award for Architecture in 1980. Here is a link to the page.
I thought this should be my first (quick) post. I may add pictures to this post later.
What I find most interesting about this library is its architecture. I usually come here a couple of days a week to study on my dissertation. Despite the fact that the chairs and the desks are not modern and usable enough--especially when I compare it to the Regenstein Library at UofC---the building is inspiring. It tries to be modern yet it draws from the classical Ottoman architecture. The atrium in the centre of the building is three-stories high and it gets a lot of sunlight through the ceiling, which I find to be reminiscent of Ottoman---and Mamluk, mind you---madrasas. In some ways, I can think of the central atrium, covered by the offices, the library and the auditorium on three sides, a modern interpretation of a khan, or the Sultan Hasan Madrasa in Cairo. The major difference is of course the fact that the atrium in THS building is covered, albeit with mostly glass.
The use of the materials also reflects careful thought. Wood is used extensively in windows as screens, in desks and bookshelves. At the same time concrete, aluminum and modern cylindrical lamps are used, without conflicting the traditional-looking wooden materials.
The atrium and the library gets a lot of natural sunlight thanks to the design of the ceilings. The main study hall in the library is two-stories high, which gives the place a more spacious and unobtrusive feel. I actually find the interior design much more impressive than the way the building looks from the outside.
Last but not least, I should mention that the building, which was designed by Turgut Cansever, received a prestigious Agha Khan Award for Architecture in 1980. Here is a link to the page.
I thought this should be my first (quick) post. I may add pictures to this post later.
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