This study aims to investigate the contributions made by aluminum facade systems to the form language in Turkish architecture after 1960.

It can be argued that interest in aluminum in Turkey started in the 1960s, particularly in Istanbul and Ankara. It is interesting to note how rapidly aluminum became a popular construction material in those years. Although the metal has been mostly associated with the construction of high/medium rise office blocks, to codify aluminum as the form element of any particular functional typology is to miss the point about its widespread usage. We can see similar material in varying construction types, such as apartments, shopping malls, hotels, cultural centers, schools, factories, university campus buildings, waterfront mansions, etc.

The Paper will open for discussion of aluminum’s representation of “the modern” through prominent examples of recent modern architectural works since the 1960s. However, we will investigate not only the expectations or demands of architects, but also how the building sector supplied aluminum building components, in depth, by delving into the producers’ archives. The use of aluminum in Turkish architecture will be analyzed over its 50-year time span, with examples to pinpoint the turning points, developing a critical perspective on the constructed environment that makes up today’s cities.

This is the abstract of Designing with Aluminum: Aluminum Facades in Modern Turkish Architecture from the Sixties till Today, Funda Uz.