Authors: Zeynep Sude Ayalan, Ömer Bahadır Torusdağ
Abstract
The Florya Marine Mansion was built for Atatürk in 1935 as a vacation house, with the intention of improving his health. The palace, which sits on a terrace over the sea, was designed by architect Seyfi Arkan after his submission was selected in an Istanbul Municipality competition. Atatürk's health gradually deteriorated during the construction of the structure, and physicians advised him to take a break at the beach. As a result, the building's completion date was pulled forward. To deal with the shortened timeline, the architect preferred prefabricated components and completed the project in a short time frame. The residence is not a conventional Turkish style, although it does make use of wood in a waterside setting in a modernist approach with its geometrical shapes and façades. This paper studies the Florya Atatürk Marine Mansion in terms of its history, architectural features and the relationship with its environment, especially the sea.
Keywords: deck, marine, seaside, modern, wood, public
1. Introduction
Florya in Istanbul was a district that highly impressed Atatürk by its untouched nature. Florya Marine Mansion was built in 1935 for Atatürk specifically, thinking it would benefit his health. He used the mansion to spend time with his loved ones and host special meetings. The mansion, located on a deck on top of the sea, was designed by architect Seyfi Arkan after his entry was chosen in a competition held by the Istanbul Municipality. Seyfi Arkan’s submission was chosen for the reasons that the public beach was also a part of the design.[1] The mansion has a plain facade with geometrical aesthetics, which are the expression of the modern architectural movement in form.[2]
2. History
During one of his trips in Istanbul, the district of Florya fascinated Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Seeing that it was a district with a nature that had less human intervention compared to others he gave orders to construct facilities here. Upon this the Istanbul Municipality held a competition for the construction of a mansion. Competitions gave architects the opportunity to achieve recognition and also played roles in spreading movements. Seyfi Arkan was one of the architects to submit a design in the competition. His design consisted of a simple pavilion accompanied by a public beach and other resorts. Atatürk chose Seyfi Arkan’s design for the reason that it contained a communal beach. He liked the idea of being intimate with the public. He was given the commission by Istanbul Municipality in 1935. During the construction of the mansion, Atatürk’s health rapidly declined and he was advised by doctors to rest at the seaside.3 Therefore the due date of the building was moved to an earlier time. To deal with the now shortened time, the architect turned to prefabric materials and finished the construction in an almost record-like time which is around 43 days. Atatürk immediately settled for his rest at Florya.[4]
For the last three years of his life Atatürk used the mansion as a summer office when he was staying at Dolmabahçe Palace and for leisure activities since he enjoyed swimming around local people. The mansion was also used for important meetings and welcomed famous visitors such as Prince Edward. Some Turkish presidents following Atatürk also used the Florya Mansion as a summer home. Since 1993 the building has been used as a museum open to the public along with its furniture inside for display.[5]
Fig. 1. Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Photo Cemal Işıksel, Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi, Ankara, 1969. Page: 142.
3. Architecture
Florya Atatürk Marine Mansion, located 70 meters from the land on 320 steel pillars, is connected to the shore by a slightly inclined 90-meter wooden ramp.[6] The two branches of the mansion, which is L-shaped in plan, are divided into two as the living area and the service area. While the service areas are located on the arm perpendicular to the coast, Atatürk's study room, meeting room, and bedrooms are located on the arm parallel to the coast.[7] The building is 602 square meters including the piers.[8] Seyfi Arkan is also the designer of the furniture inside the building.[9] The mansion, which reflects the important architectural features required by the period with its plain facade, also has geometrical aesthetics, which are the expression of the modern architectural movement in form. There is also a public beach designed within the same project.[10]
Fig. 2. Ayşegül Durukan, Şebnem Ertaş Beşir, İrem Bekar, 100. yılda Erken Cumhuriyet Dönemi Mimarlığının 'iç'selleştirilmesi: Seyfi Arkan ve Florya Atatürk Köşkü, 2020.
4. Relation with The Sea and The Environment
The mansion was constructed on a deck in sea water. Finely worked wood was a common material for the majority of the traditional Turkish houses located at the immediate waterside. These designs usually took into account the characteristics of the coastal location when producing an architectural concept. This mansion in particular is not a traditional Turkish design, however, it once again uses wood on building with a waterside context. The traditional Turkish design is not apparent in the structure however the problems the material brings are the same since “the marine microclimate is dangerous for the conservation of the assets which are constructed by wood material because it intensifies natural weathering through deposition of sea-salt particles that is controlled by various environmental parameters”. Humidity can cause decay by penetrating the material by crystallization and dissolution cycles of salts. Humidity can also cause biodegradation. Which means that structures that are exposed to sea water and high humidity need constant maintenance work.[11]
The deterioration of the structural materials led to restorations which ended up changing some parts of the wood material for concrete. The mansion has been opened to the public with the name “Atatürk Museum” since 1993, ‘‘the internal microclimate was also monitored and evaluated according to the recommended values for the materials preserved and human comfort requirements.’’[12]
5. Conclusion
The Florya Atatürk Marine Mansion was built for Atatürk’s recreational use in the summer, and the design was approached from a modern perspective. The wooden structure was placed right on the sea, this feature made the structure prominent and strengthened its relationship with its surroundings. Furthermore, the fact that there is a public beach that was designed to be right next to the structure contributes to Atatürk's connection with the citizens brings light to the new form of the country. Florya was a symbol to declare that the hierarchy between the ruler and the ruled is no longer. Now the president could have his vacation not so far from the public while swimming and rowing with them as well.
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Further Reading
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“Architecture of the ’30s in Turkey - doganhasol.net.” Doğan Hasol Resmi Web Siteis,
www.doganhasol.net/architecture-of-the-30s-in-turkey.html. Accessed 15 Mar. 2022.
CELIK, ESRA, et al. “An Experimental Study on Sustainability of Historical Wooden
Buildings Exposed to Open Sea Streams.” Wood Research, vol. 65, no. 3, 2020, pp. 521–30. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.37763/wr.1336-4561/65.3.521530.
“An Experimental Study on Sustainability of Historical Wooden Buildings Exposed to
Open Sea Streams.” Wood Research, vol. 65, no. 3, 2020, pp. 521–30. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.37763/wr.1336-4561/65.3.521530.
ERTAŞ BEŞİR, ŞEbnem. “100. YILDA ERKEN CUMHURİYET DÖNEMİ
MİMARLIĞININ ’İÇ’SELLEŞTİRİLMESİ: SEYFİ ARKAN VE FLORYA ATATÜRK KÖŞKÜ.” International Journal of Social Humanities Sciences Research (JSHSR), vol. 7, no. 64, 2020, pp. 4073–83. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.26450/jshsr.2218.
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