A survey on plan typologies in apartment blocks: The case of Necatibey Neighbourhood, Ankara (1920s-1960s)


Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture, Turkey

Approval Date: 2017

Student: NİHAN BÜŞRA AYDIN

Supervisor: AYDAN BALAMİR

Abstract:

This study aims to investigate the development of apartment blocks in the Necatibey neighbourhood in Ulus, which is one of the oldest residential areas in Ankara. The area contains some of the first examples of apartment block from Early Republican Period, presenting remarkable examples of Ankara’s modern heritage. The neighbourhood surrounded by Anafartalar, Hisar Parkı, and İpek Streets has been selected as the research area, and for convenience of examination, the buildings are classified according to ten-year time periods between 1920-1970. By selecting four buildings constructed in each period, 20 apartment blocks have been examined in detail among 45 apartment blocks, focussing on typical floor plans and street-facing facades. The aspects examined in selected buildings include the relationship between plot and mass, placement of circulation cores, open and semi-open spaces, spatial organization of units, elements such as light shafts, ventilation shafts, etc., and the dominant architectural style. An attempt has been made to catalogue the characteristic features in standard survey forms containing general information and analysis of these apartment blocks. The comparative analysis of apartment plans and facades has helped to identify the aspects in which apartment life has shown both transformations and continuity in the neighbourhood over a period of fifty years. The research shows that apartment block types have undergone significant changes with respect to the arrangement of their floor plans and building scales, as well as the preferred architectural style in each decade.