Abdullah Gul University - Sumer Campus Transformation
Sumer Campus of Abdullah Gul University designed by Emre Arolat Architects has received 2016 National Architecture Award given by Turkish Chamber of Architects along with the 1st prize at the World Architecture Festival. It is considered to be one of the best transformation projects of our time.
The project of Sumer Campus is an important attempt for architectural transformation since the factory was once a symbol of industrialization and modernization in Turkey. The textile factory had been built in 1933 by the Russian architect Ivan Sergeevich Nikolaev and his Turk-Russian team and was a distinctive example of Russian Constructivism. Therefore, it’s crucial not to walk away from the past, but to bring it back to life.
Reigniting the building as an open campus that will serve the public also means bringing back its purpose in Kayseri as it used to be the economic and social focus in the city. It will make AGU an innovation center for industry, culture and activity center for the social life and intellectual center for academic activity (AGU City Campus). And the city will once again meet its needs with the same building.
Its lost importance is given back by the interventions that are aimed for conservation, repair and vital renovation procedures. To preserve the building, functions were given according to the existing components. Additions and removals were determined to balance out the destruction of the old and alienation with the new context. The orangery became an interface between the city and university. The campus is meant to be perceived as whole with layers added in time.
REFERENCES:
Abdullah Gül Presidential Museum and Library (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.emrearolat.com/gallery/abdullah-gul-presidential-museum-and-library/
AGU City Campus (n.d.). Retrieved from http://divisare.com/projects/221104-eaa-emre-arolat-architects-agu-city-campus
Sümer Campus (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.agu.edu.tr/sumerkampus#
Didem Pamuk, June 7, 2016