Sumit Singhal Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination.
Beyazit Public Library in Istanbul by Tabanlioglu Architects
December 8th, 2017 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Tabanlioglu Architects
Tabanlıoğlu Architects, known for producing internationally relevant, contemporary architecture across the world has embarked on the restoration works of one of Istanbul’s most prominent libraries; Beyazıt Public Library with its rare books and manuscript collection.
First founded in 1884, the State Library building was originally the soup kitchen and Caravanserai of a complex that included a kitchen, a primary school, a hospital, a madrasah and a hammam. The library is a section of the Kulliyah of the Beyazıt Mosque- the oldest surviving imperial mosque in the city- built by Sultan Beyazıt II and completed in 1506. The complex (Kulliyah) spatially surrounds and defines the historic Beyazıt Square.
Adjacent to Beyazıt Mosque, the Library is located in the Beyazıt Square that is connected to the spine of the historical peninsula, Divanyolu, and is one of the most vibrant spaces in the old part of the city.
The quarter, where the State Library sits, is infused with historical connections of a literary nature; the old-book bazaar (bouquiniste) that is set in a courtyard leads to Beyazıt Gate, one of the main entrances of the Grand Bazaar. The front façade of the library backs the monumental plane tree under which is the traditional open air coffee shop serving since the Ottoman times.
The exemplary updating and fine-tuning of the State Library involved the sensitive re-organisation of the interior and careful restoration of the building fabric with its prominent multi-domed roof. In place of the former concrete roof, Tabanlioglu Architects installed a light and transparent inflatable membrane structure which covers the courtyard, filtering the daylight and providing a controlled atmosphere. In the renovated shell of the building, the black glass boxes devoted to the manuscripts, stand as a monolithic object of awe that are of a stark contrast to their surroundings.
Lighting Design by studio Dinnebier, echoes the spatial and historical qualities of the complex, introducing geometries in harmony with its surroundings, while the soft lighting at the edges of the raised floor, that follows the wall contours introduce another layer of depth to the spaces.
The ‘minimal intervention’ approach ensures the spirit of the place survives while modern facilities are grafted onto the historic fabric. The project aims further for environmental betterment, and urban regeneration of the public realm by reviving all the traces and capacities, principally the Beyazıt Public Square.
Murat Tabanlıoğlu (RIBA, Chartered Member, Int’l. Assoc. AIA) graduated from Vienna Technical University 1992 with a degree in Architecture. He founded Tabanlıoğlu Architects in partnership with Dr. Hayati Tabanlıoğlu in Istanbul in 1990.
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