METU Faculty of Architecture Building in Ankara, Modernist Turkish Higher Education Design

METU Faculty of Architecture Building in Ankara

Middle East Technical University: Turkish 20th Century Architecture – Modern design by Altuğ and Behruz Çinici

31 Jul 2017

Faculty of Architecture Building in Ankara

Design: Altuğ and Behruz Çinici, Architects

Location: Ankara, Turkey

Middle East Technical University Faculty of Architecture Building in Ankara

Date built: 1963

Modern Building in Ankara One of Twelve Recipients of Getty Foundation’s Keeping It Modern Grants

Award for: Middle East Technical University

The Middle East Technical University (METU) Faculty of Architecture Building located in Ankara is considered the premier example of modern architecture in Turkey.

Originally housing administrative offices and the university’s central library, the building was conceived in the 1950s to reflect a political agenda that valued innovation and new models for learning. Designed by Turkish-born architect couple Altuğ and Behruz Çinici as a manifestation of a forward-looking nation, the building incorporates striking nods to the International Style, as well as regional interpretations of modernism.

Faculty of Architecture Building Middle East Technical University
photo © D. Tuntas

In 1966 the building became the Faculty of Architecture, which is highly regarded academically for its technical capability as well as its cultural heritage preservation program. This expertise is now needed for their own building, which faces the deterioration of modern elements and persistent energy performance problems resulting from the campus’s location on the harsh, earthquake-prone Anatolian steppe.

Given the architectural significance of the Faculty building, the university will research and develop a long-term conservation management plan with the help of METU faculty and the leadership of the Faculty of Architecture. The university intends to use the resulting plan as a prototype for the conservation of other buildings on the METU campus and to raise public awareness about the importance of preserving Turkey’s modern architecture.

Grant support: $100,000

Faculty of Architecture Building in Ankara images / information from The Getty Foundation

Getty Foundation Keeping it Modern 2017 Grants

Location: Faculty of Architecture Building, Ankara, Turkey

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Website: Ankara

Comments / photos for the Middle East Technical University design by architects Altuğ and Behruz Çinici page welcome

Faculty of Architecture Building in Ankara, Turkey