II. National Architectural Movement

06.08.2019

After the end of the First World War, nationalist and totalitarian regimes in Europe began to rise. The reflection of this view, which was born in Europe, showed itself in the field of architecture and Turkish architecture was naturally affected. One of the facts that feeds this approach can also be considered as efforts to return to the essence born in response to the sovereignty of foreign architects. This movement, which was named as “Second National Architecture, was effective in Turkish architecture between 1939-50. This trend was based on the preference of local-national architectural elements. The National Architecture Seminar, founded and conducted by Sedad H. Eldem at the Academy of Fine Arts, was one of the pioneering pillars of the movement. In this seminar, Turkish civil architecture was discussed in detail.

The most important difference of the Second National Architecture movement from the First National Architecture movement, was focusing on the elements taken from civil structures instead of religious ones.

The second National Architecture movement can be summarized as a simpler, essence-based transferring, symmetrical emphasis, stone-coated facades and monumental expression.

Facade protrusions, beamed fringes, arches, angled column capitals, window proportions of traditional Turkish houses, are seen in period buildings, but no dome and facade decorations are observed in this period.

In order to show the power of the state, the II. National Movement has highlighted the architectural elements and accordingly, large public buildings, monuments and meeting halls have been built. Turkey Pavilion 1939 New York International Exhibition (S. H. Eldem), the Atatürk’s Mausoleum - Anıtkabir (Emin Onat, Orhan Arda, competition, 1942), Istanbul University Faculty of Arts and Sciences buildings and the Faculty of Science building of Ankara University (E. Onat, S.H. Eldem, 1943), Çanakkale Martys’ Memorial (D. Erginbaş, İ. Utkular, competition 1944) are among the most important works of the period. In the next edition, we will examine Anıtkabir in detail.

DDY (State Railways) Public Administration Building

Bedri Uçar is the architect of the DDY Public Administration General directorate Building in Ankara. The building was completed in 1941. It is a four-storey building consisting of four blocks forming a large open area in the middle. Built under the shadow of World War II,the shelters are located in the basements. The mass arrangement appears to be symmetrical with respect to the input axis. Stairs and feet extending from four storeys height determine the main entrance in the middle. The long corridors in the masses are home to a variety of necessary spaces. The façade of the building is very long and the monumental column layout has an overwhelming and very powerful effect. The skeleton of the structure, which has suspended floors, is reinforced concrete. Colored Hereke and Bilecik marbles cover most of the entrance hall and parquet, linoleum and mosaic are used for the other parts. From this, it can be inferred that the importance of the spaces is taken into consideration when choosing the material. The outer part was covered with pilasters and the central part of the structure was covered with Ankara stone. Artificial stone was preferred on other surfaces.

Famous architect Paul Bonatz said that he saw this building as the most beautiful building in Ankara. It can be said that this structure strongly emphasizes the Neo-Classical German influence, both in scale and in facade arrangement and material. Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial

In 1943, the Ministry of National Defense decided to organize a monument for the martyrs of Çanakkale. In 1944, 37 projects participated in the competition. Doğan Erginbaş and İsmail Utkular, students of Istanbul Technical University, won the competition. However, because of the reasons arising from financial difficulties and the constant vigilance of the Turkish army in World War II, the project could not be implemented. In April 1952, the National Turkish Students Union (MTTB), a student organization, applied to the Governorate of Çanakkale and the government, causing the issue of the Martyrs’ Memorial to be brought back on the agenda of the Turkish public.

As a result, the Ministry of Defense decided to carry out the project, which won first place in the previous competition.

In addition, for the monitoring and organization of the construction, a committee called “Aid Committee for the Construction of Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial was established, which chaired by Emin Nihat Sözeri and consisting of nine people. The Turkish nation had to undertake the financial burden of construction. The Committee started efforts to this end and launched a charity campaign. Despite financial difficulties, the Turkish nation managed to collect the necessary funds. Following the tender, the foundation of the Dardanelles Monument was laid on April 17, 1954, at the Morto Port with an enthusiastic ceremony and construction works had started. However, after time, the chairman of the committee Emin Nihat Sözeri, who controlled the construction of the monument, observed some deficiencies in the construction material and stated in the report. The review showed that the foundation of the construction was not poured in accordance with the tender specifications. The project was paused and the contractors were subsequently sentenced to imprisonment. The project required a significant amount of money for the resumption of construction. A new donation campaign led by a newspaper attracted great public interest and the project was completed. In the end, the monument was opened to visitors with a ceremony on August 21, 1960. Speaking on behalf of the Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial Committee, Emin Nihat Sözeri stated that, this monument was able to be completed with the devotion of the Turkish nation. Sözeri also added that debt to the cherished memories of the martyrs could never be paid. The Çanakkale (Dardanelles) Martyrs’ Memorial, which is located on a hill called Mortarlik overlooking Morto Bay. This monument dominates the Dardanelles Strait and is approximately 50 meters above sea level and 41.70 meters above the natural ground. The monument rises upwardly and thus the width of the feet, which is 25.00 meters from the outside to the level of honor, falls down to 23.10 meters above. The main body of the monument consists of 4 feet with an L-shaped box body at a height of 38.75 meters from the ground and a 5-meter-high box body cap on the four legs. The four legs that make up the body are covered with stone on reinforced concrete.

Istanbul University Faculty of Arts and Sciences Building

This building was designed by two major architects, Sedad Hakkı Eldem and Emin Onat, who were the most important representatives of the Second National Architecture movement. The building fully represents the characteristics of this flow, including window proportions, jambs, long canopies, high arches, alternate walls and other similar elements. When we look carefully, it can be seen that the building of Istanbul University Faculty of Arts and Sciences is a huge Turkish house. Therefore, the nationalization or localization of the design has been fully achieved. This building, which also has a touch of Ottoman monumental architecture, features crown door models and long vaults. As a result, it is possible to say that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences building, besides its historicalist orientation, also attaches importance to functionality, and it represents the characteristics of the Second National Architecture movement with its huge and powerful structure.