Beyazıt State Library

Conveying the knowledge and the building into
21st century and beyond

Beyazıt State Library is the oldest state library in Turkey, being founded in 1884. Located in the most important public space in the historical peninsula, the environs are strongly associated with books and 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, 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.

Client: Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Culture and Tourism & Aydın Doğan Foundation
Architect : Tabanlıoğlu Architects: Melkan Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu
Architectural Project Team : Hande Pusat, Derya Genç, Irem Çatay, Kıvanç Cucur, Nazlı Tınaztepe ,Deniz Manisalı
Interior Design: Hande Pusat, Derya Genç, Irem Çatay, Kıvanç Cucur
Restoration: Budowa
Survey: Budowa
Structural: CE Engineering
Mechanical: GN Engineering
Electrical: HB Teknik
Lighting: Studio dinnebier
Photograph: Emre Dörter

Beyazıt State Library by TABANLIOGLU ARCHITECTS in Turkey won the WA Award Cycle 24. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.