BEYLİKDÜZÜ FATMA ANA DJEMEVI & CULTURAL CENTRE

Designed by 9016 Mimarlık as a competition submission, The Beylikdüzü Fatma Ana Djemevi & Cultural Centre, completed in 2020, voices a path that Turkish architecture needed to take with a positive forecast-an issue that while we cannot yet address, we can nevertheless both generalize and compile through the lens of Hans Rosling.

The opening of a djemevi centre and the completion of a winning project in that was in fact, very close to the first proposal is an important outcome on behalf of current discussions in architectural. Indeed, one major attribute of the project is that it is the Turkey’s first-ever djemevi to be the centrepiece of a competition. The unifying values of Alevism were what inspired the project, built on 7800 square metre lot located in Yaşam Vadisi (the Valley of Life), which is tied to the Beylikdüzü, Istanbul. As a transition space between the residential area and Yaşam Vadisi, the djemevi provides an interpretation of the hiddenness of Alevi culture, as well as lends it a sense of calm visibility. The cultural centre and park are located on the ground floor to create the social glue of the project, as it were; whist the djemevi itself sits on the upper floor, making it more private. Without disrupting the continuity of the spatial experience, the functional distinction within each space is described using material differentiation. A natural stone-based texture was chosen to ensure the relationship between the building’s interior and exterior; wooden materials, likewise, were chosen to emphasize the worship spaces. Utilizing materials in their rawest form is another key highlight of the project, as the finished product exquisitely reflects. The outer walls of the base, forming the project’s ground, were built as a single-sided Gebze rag-stone wall. A 60-cm thick by 450 cm-high natural stone surface sandwiched between the reinforced concrete structure was fashioned in order keep material use as natural and as raw as possible. The conference hall, library, and classrooms are integrated with the park area. A small sitting area, twelve rooms (offering various services), and the so-called “grandfather” room are located in segregated masses in relation to the djem. Contrary to the initial proposal, the square and its service areas are visibly graded, upon recommendation of the jury. One thus can see that both the building-environment interaction specified in the upper scale decision, as well as the vertical fluency in the spatial experience have been very much fortified.

CREDITS

Architectural Design: 9016 Mimarlık

Project Team: Bilge Altuğ, Mehmet Metin Polat, Bengi Altuğ, Gökhan Turan, Ata Kurt, Gizem Özer, Ecem Özden

Client: Beylikdüzü Belediyesi

Landscape Project: Merve İmer, Doğan Onur Araz

Statics Project: OTS Proje Müşavirlik

Mechanical Project: Çilingiroğlu Mühendislik ve Müşavirlik

Electrical Project: Enkom Mühendislik Müşavirlik

Lighting Consultant: On Off Aydınlatma Tasarımı

Acoustic Consultant: Proplan Proje

Referral Design: Emre Parlak

Architectural Professional Supervision: Mehmet Metin Polat, Bilge Altuğ