(SOM - HAS Joint Design)
SOM and Has Mimarlık endeavoured to create a new university campus, that through the quality and excitement of its architecture will attract students from all parts of Turkey to participate within the many diverse facilities located here.
The aim was also to create a campus that would fulfill all the complicated functions and techniques of a modern university in the 21st century. A program for 3000 students and 370 academic and administrative staff was taken into consideration for the development of the project.
The campus would not be simply a gathering of school buildings. From the standpoint of the optimum campus of today, we began at the level of the individual building, progressed through planning for the group of students and ultimately arrived at a total planning that would create a real intellectual town.
Benefiting the surrounding suburbs which are small industrial zones; the masterplan was developed taking into account the new perception of the universities in Europe and the USA, as establishments providing research facilities for supporting the development of the industry.
The accelerative increase in computer technology and telecommunication systems worldwide was another strong aspect to consider in the planning of the library. The library was deliberately placed at the core of the campus, symbolizing its functions as the intellectual center for the whole university.
The academic center (library, rectorate building, auditorium) and other social facilities (cafeteria, sports facilities) were placed close to each other and within convenient proximity to the highway to provide a symmetrical growth of faculties and dormitories on the extension site on the other side of the highway.
The design proposal was highly approved by the client at the time, but was unfortunately not realized due to reasons having nothing to do with the design.