Category: Educational
Type: Library
Location: Mete Ave. Gümüşsuyu, Beyoğlu
Date: 1973-1975
Period: Republic of Türkiye
Designer: Sedad Hakkı Eldem
Photos: Vehbi Koç Foundation
The Atatürk Library in Taksim (Gümüşsuyu), designed by Sedad Hakkı Eldem in collaboration with Hamdi Şensoy, is a significant work of late Republican-period modern architecture whose concept and chronology are documented in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s architectural history for the building and in SALT Research’s scholarship on Eldem’s 1950–1980 production. Conceived within a broader cultural-center program, the realized library is organized as a three-level reinforced-concrete structure on a sloping site, with an entry level and lower levels stepping into the terrain to accommodate administration, conservation, and support functions while keeping the principal public spaces at grade. Its most distinctive architectural decision is a centrally oriented composition generated by repeating hexagonal modules—an idea Eldem developed earlier and ultimately realized here as the mature outcome of his long exploration of this geometric system—producing a legible structural rhythm and a clear spatial hierarchy around a main hall and reading areas. Daylight is treated as a design driver: the modular roof is articulated to bring controlled top light into the interior, and the building’s deep eaves and carefully calibrated openings moderate glare while reinforcing the tectonic expression of the hexagonal scheme. In plan, the entrance sequence is framed by adjacent public functions such as exhibition and conference spaces, allowing the building to operate not only as a repository and reading facility but also as an urban cultural venue, where structure, geometry, and light are integrated into a coherent architectural language.
