Istanbul Naval Museum

  • Project Date: 2005
  • Location: Besiktas/Istanbul
  • Client: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Naval Forces Command
  • Project Team: Cem Ilhan, Tulin Hadi, Arcan Aksakaloglu, Sefika Guner
  • Awards: 2nd Prize

The museum site is located in an important public space where the coast and the city meet. The designed structure gives its back to the existing buildings and opens to the pedestrian axis coming from the square and to the sea direction. It is aimed to achieve the continuity of the square in the open spaces of the museum. The axis determined by the statue of Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha and the tomb was strengthened, and it was rearranged to describe the main entrance of the museum.

 

The vault dividing the plot is an important criterion. For this reason, the structures are positioned in such a way that no load is placed on the vault. The museum program is very clearly divided into two. The entrance, cafeteria, multi-purpose hall and exhibition halls together form the first part. The remaining part is the building where the exhibition halls are located. This structure is accessed by a transparent passage that goes beyond the vault. The main exhibition space is accessed by perceiving the courtyard and the sea through this steel-constructed passage.

 

The water is one of the basic elements of the design. For this reason, a reflective pool with a depth of 40 cm -which does not interfere with the vault- was constructed along the axis described by the vault axis. Museum life will develop around this water element. The building has been interpreted as a mass floating on water. Here water is actively used in the open exhibition areas of the museum via floating structures, mobile ship models, etc.

 

It is known that the visitor starts the exhibition visit at a normal pace and accelerates towards the end. For this reason, it has been taken into account that human attention has decreased, and the halls have been solved with an organizational understanding that can be arranged according to themes and periods. The museum management will be able to change the position of the boats in the long run and make different arrangements. The entrance and exit of the museum are arranged on an uninterrupted axis, including the old museum building.