Article source: Uygur Architects

Ankara has a new landmark with an international appeal; The Presidential Symphony Concert Hall which lies in the heart of the city , right in the middle of the axis going between the historic Ankara Castle and Anıtkabir (mosuleum of Atatürk). The cutting- edge building with its focus on culture aims to prove an asset to both local and global music scene while being the product and instigator of interaction and exchange among citizens.

The Presidential Symphony Concert Hall lies in the heart of the city, right in the middle of an axis connecting the historic Ankara Castle and Anıtkabir, the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (the founder of Turkish Republic). It is embedded in a relatively abandoned urban landscape, which is the only gap looking towards Anıtkabir and the historic Ankara Citadel from Ataturk Boulevard, which functions as the main avenue since the first urban plans of Ankara. The decision was to avoid interrupting the views of both the Citadel and the Mausoleum. The project stood out among other competition entries with two prominent features: One is this subtle symbolism concerning the dialogue of the premodern and modern-republican histories of the city. The design strategy prioritizes vistas of both monuments and establishes the dialogue by being a contemporary cultural destination in between. The second concerns the timeless form and spatial qualities of the complex. According to the jury report, the building reveals a symbolic architecture that will not wear out over time, avoiding a design language that can be valid for a certain period of time.

Image Courtesy © Cemal Emden

• Architects: Uygur Architects
• Project: The Presidential Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall
• Location: Altındağ, Turkey
• Photography: Cemal Emden
• Design: (Authors) Semra Uygur, Özcan Uygur
• Project team: Necati Seren, Güliz Erkan, Metin Cihan Yıldırım, Ayça Tüzmen, Kamer Tomris Çetin, Esra Gömceli, Deniz Karabacak, Oya Caymaz, Bozkurt Yurdaku, Umut Toker, Sandro Capadona, Onur Ergen, Ayhan Abanozcu, Alper Derinboğaz, Gökhan Kınayoğlu, Emre Şavural, Ecren Başbuğ, Ramazan Avcı, Aslı Kaya, Evrim Özlem Kale, Özcan Kaygısız, Eser Köken, Ebru Can, Rabia Uçay, Kemal Yurtgezen, İrem Erdinç, Mustafa Kır, Deniz Uygur
• Civil Eng. Project: Danyal Kubin, Prota Mühendislik
• Mechanical Eng Project: Bahri Türkmen, Bahri Türkmen Mühendislik
• Electr. Eng: Kemal Ovacık, Ovacık Mühendislik
• Landscape Architects: Can Kubin, Promim
• Consultants: Prof. Wolfgang Fasold (FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTS FÜR BAUPHYSİK)
• Client: T.C Çevre ve Şehircilik Bakanlığı
• Construction Area: 62.547 m2
• Competition: 1992, 1st Prize
• Project: 1993 – 2012
• Construction: 1997 – 2021

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