Place–identity–change in Ankara University Cebeci Campus as an issue of modern heritage conservation

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Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Mimarlık Fakültesi, Mimarlık Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2018

Tezin Dili: İngilizce

Öğrenci: AZİZE ELİF YABACI

Asıl Danışman (Eş Danışmanlı Tezler İçin): Neriman Şahin Güçhan

Eş Danışman: Tomris Elvan Altan

Özet:

In recent years, following the increasing attention on the conservation of modern buildings and landscapes in Turkey developed after Europe and the United States, a significant recognition of modern buildings and landscapes on private and public campuses has also started. Although there are positive evidences, the heritage of modern movement continues to be threatened in Turkey. Together with the ‘modern heritage’ discussion, the ‘place identity’ issue is also a part of the problem for this dissertation. In the case of this study, the focus is on the meaning of ‘place identity’ which can be defined as the identity of buildings in the scope of the study composed as a result of the interaction between physical and social inputs. With the foundation of the Republic, the new ‘identity’ – national identity – of Turkey began to be established with the reforms in the way of Modern Turkey; and, the new ‘identity’ of the Republic constructed with a direct interaction with the architecture. From this point of view, in this thesis, it is obvious that discussing the ‘place identity’ through the examples of ‘modern architecture’ in Turkey made a great contribution to both of the research fields. In this respect, the case of Ankara University Cebeci Campus is one of the best area as housing the architectural examples of the modernization efforts of the Republic which are still in use today with varying transformations as well as being significant figures in the political history of Turkey. In the scope of the thesis, the buildings in Ankara University Cebeci Campus were studied to define the original architectural features and to document the changes they have gone through until today. Besides, interviews were done with the users of the buildings, mainly students, academicians and graduates results of which provided information about social and political aspects of the faculties. Following that, the collected data including physical and social aspects were analyzed and the varying identities in the Campus were defined. In the light of these definitions, it is introduced that the dominancy of the ‘institutional identity’ and ‘architectural identity’ changes between faculties. The belonging to the past and between the graduates and the architectural language of the buildings stands as the main parameters in this varying identity definitions and change. Lastly, the possible contributions of the thesis to the field through experiences and newly-arise questions were brought for further discussions in addition to the original information in the related topics.