This document discusses Turkish architectural culture in the early republic period from 1908 to 1950. It focuses on the introduction of modernism and its relationship to Turkish traditions and nationalism. In particular, it examines the development of modern housing in Turkey during this time, including the introduction of "cubic houses" and apartments. While some saw these as symbols of modern living, others criticized them as sterile and not well-suited to Turkish family culture and lifestyles. The document explores the tensions between modernism and national identity in Turkey's architectural development during its transition to a secular republic.

1. Modernism and Nation Building, Turkish Architectural Culture in the Early Republic
Sibel BOZDOĞAN
• Introduction: Modernism on the Margins of Europe
• Living Modern: Cubic Houses and Apartments
Itır GÜNGÖR

2. Modernism and Nation Building, Turkish Architectural Culture in the
Early Republic
Sibel Bozdoğan is the Turkish architecture, writer, lecturer and also architecture
critic.
Subject: Turkish Architecture
1908 1950
(declaration of constitutionalism ) - (the end of the single-party-government )
_Modern architecture
_Turkish traditions
_Nationalism
_Republic Revolution
_Turkish architecture

3. Introduction: Modernism on the Margins of Europe
Le Corbusier
Westernizing institutional reforms ---> to shape the entire social, cultural
and architectural fabric of Turkey
the necessity and historical inevitability of the
disappearence of old civilizations
the loss of harmonious cultures
Modernism – Modern Movement
• Composition of revolutinary aesthetic canon and scientific doctrine in
architecture
• Needs, tools and technologies of universal without exclude any nation and
culture.
• It aimed to trasncend ideology. Therefore it followed and comprised the
revolutions in the countries.
Modernism started in Turkey with the Republic
• Contradiction between Modernism and The local realities
Modern X National

4. Introduction: Modernism on the Margins of Europe
Edward Said:
Non-western societies ---> have their own ways of modern and not necessarily
followed the modernism of the West.
• Modern architecture ----> Cultural and environmental oppression imposed to
people by bureaucrats
• Transform society for the better and to construct a future dissociated from
culture, context and history
• Architectural culture is not to explain without the poltical and ideological
agendas of the time.
Chapter 5:
the architecture of house
The new architecture: The perception of houses:
Architecters service to reforming lifesytles (family
people rather than the life, domestic order and
wealthy patrons privacy)

5. Living Modern: Cubic Houses and Aparments
1839 Tanzimat Reforms Europeanization in the way of people lived dressed-
furnished houses
cosmopolitan mix of cultures and tastes
modern and traditional
Social and cultural transformation democratization of the family
conjugal couples as companions upbringing of children
• The powerful social forces which transformed a great Islamic empire into a
secular repucblic was at home , in the ordinary family life.
• Kemalism was unique that interfered with family law and resistant to
Westernization in the Muslim societies.
• The architectural profession is responsible from the design of houses and
interiors within the framework people’s existing habits, lifestyles and
wordviews (Kemalism).

6. Living Modern: Cubic Houses and Aparments
Images of Modern Domestic Life
Peyami Safa
Kemalism claim to having criticized the
liberated Turkish woman masculinized
from the yoke of tradition woman for both
Paradox her appearence
The idealized image of and her mentality
Turkish woman’s world
was centered at home
Woman
Shown as a homemaker
Girl’s institutes with a
The effect of
education in scientific
Taylorism in
houseworks combined
homes
with the national culture

7. Living Modern: Cubic Houses and Aparments
Images of Modern Domestic Life
Modern, healthy, functional and beautiful houses
Cubic Houses
Wide windows, ample light and air, smooth and clean
surfacesand dust gathering corners
The lack of Turkish families features
Turkish architecturers designed their houses in regard to Turkish traditions

8. Living Modern: Cubic Houses and Aparments
Images of Modern Domestic Life
Total design-- Every object and piece of furniture to be designed and arranged
Within a coherent modernist vision.
• The idea of total design harms the character of the domestic interior
• Magazines presented the houses with the each details and described the
modern houese’s features.
intervention of family life and houses by the magazines
• Oppressive and interventionist idea of architect’s violated the inevitably
homely character of the domestic interior.

9. Living Modern: Cubic Houses and Aparments
Building the Modern House
Turkish architects focused on houses in the early republic. The aim of the
architecture is to turn to the people and to satisfy their needs for comfortable,
economic and beautiful houses.
The ideology of Kemalism subordinated class differrence and unifying the ideal of
nation.
Architectures embraced this ideology and reflects on their projects.
The reason of the absence of large scale housing production is both economical and
political.
• The total number of houses built in the early republican period was 73,279 while
the population increased from 13.6 million to 17.8 million.

10. Living Modern: Cubic Houses and Aparments
Building the Modern House
Apartment ---> Rental house
Multi-unit residential buildings with a single owner who rented the units
In Ankara, there was an accommodation problem. The construction ıf rental houses
became rescuer especially fot the bureaucrats.
In Istanbul, aparment living became a familier feature of urban life.
unhealthiness of apartment living

11. Living Modern: Cubic Houses and Aparments
The ‘Cubic’ Controversy
Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu:
Corrupt lifstyles
The signs of alienation, coldness
directed by
and sterility characterizing
greed and profit
cosmopolitan modernity in its
negative sense.
Cubic Houses
Peyami Safa scorn the
Family histories and
features of cubic houses:
memories exchanged for
Tiny rooms-low ceiling-
modern living
amount of sunlight and
form
Homeless of modern living

12. Living Modern: Cubic Houses and Aparments
Conclusion
• Modern is shown as a transition import from West by the non-West countries.
• Modern architecture of another culture creates mismatch in the culture imported
in.
A German family cannot comfortably accommodate in a Japanese house.
• Turkish arhitecture can be arise only if the modern term harmonized with the
Turkish culture.
• Transformation of cultural dynamics and works into the modern life

13. Thank You =)