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ISTANBUL BILGI UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
Eyüp/İstanbul ︎ 2017 ︎ Construction Area: 2568 m2 ︎ Site: 540 m2 ︎ Education ︎ Aydın Meltem, Dilara Sezgin, Gaye Keskin Erol, Gülenay Erdem, Hakan Deniz Özdemir, Nevzat Sayın



Designed in 1948 by Seyfi Arkan, the most important name in Turkey’s modern architecture, within the former Silahtarağa Power Station and current Santral Istanbul campus, the building was vacant after its original function was terminated in 1986. Although we had initially designed it as a student center in the earlier drawings, it was later decided that the building would be used as the School of Law.

            Dealing with a design where there is a significant inconsistency between what is desired and what is possible is very challenging. In this building, there were substantial differences between the current situation and the envisioned outcome. As a result, we had to intervene more extensively than we initially thought. Despite this, we transformed the space that housed the energy turbines—arguably the most unique part of the building—into the largest space for the faculty, the courtroom. We have created ‘one of the most interesting courtrooms in the world’ in this space, which defies the conventional relationship between depth and width, being notably long in width. The energy turbines remain in their original form, positioned where the listeners sit on the stands and observe them. Between the tribunes and the turbines is the court panel or the speaker. This space remains as 'spectacular' as it was in the past and as it is today, embodying exactly what a courtroom should be with today's understanding of justice!


            The other spaces were also created within the possibilities and limitations, resulting in unconventional relationships between width, length, and height even in the smallest rooms. This unconventionality gives the spaces their unique character. Two key factors enabled us to create something non-traditional: identifying and insisting on preserving what needs to be preserved in a building, and using our knowledge, intuition, and experience to shape the outcomes arising from this major decision. When I watched a concert in one of the old buildings with many columns and attended a conference in another, I found this unusual situation pleasant rather than uncomfortable and kept the venue in my mind. Similarly, when I saw the small size of the academics' rooms in the AA's building in London, I was surprised by its simplicity. These two observations influenced my approach to the Seyfi Arkan building. The staircases and chimneys we removed were industrial additions that were obviously added later and did not belong to the original design.