ON THE TRAINING OF ARCHITECT /RESTORERS FOR TURKEYAND THE MIDDLE EAST

THE EXPERIENCE AT THE MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY IN ANKARA

INTRODUCTION was a time-consuming and costly system of apprentice-ship which severely affected the quality of restoration.6. Following 1960 the Govemment began to makeheavy investments in tourism. Neither the Vakiflar northe Department of Antiquties had sufficient qualifiedarchitect-restorers to properly carry out the projectsrequired by their increased budgets.7. Social and econornic change are rapidly causingmany of Turkey's historic monuments and sites todisappear. These bas been a lack of public awarenessof their value. Widespread urban planning activities givelittle attention to integrating old and new structures intoa functional whole. Since there is no comprehensiveinventory of sites and monuments, many destroyed bypublic works go unrecorderd.

PREPARATION OF THE PROGRAM

8. In consideration of these needs, the Faculty ofArchitecture at the Middle East Technical Universityconducted in 1964 a survey of existing programs abroadfor training architect-restorers. A proposed curriculumwas then prepared ~md later revised after being circulatedto restorers in Turkey and abroad for criticism. We areespecially grateful to Dr. Harold J. Plenderleith andProfessor Charles E. Peterson for their advice andassistance.9. In 1965 the program was established as theDepartment for the Restoration and Preservation ofHistoric Monument~. It trains solely graduate architectsin a two-year course of study leading to a degree ofMaster in Restoration.10. The budget of the Middle East Technical Universityand a grant from the Ford Foundation joint I y financethe program.

1. The following report is submitted to review theexperience at the Middle East Technical University inestablishing a graduate program for the training ofarchitect-restorers. By reviewing the aims and facilitiesof the program, it may stimulate general discussion on adefinition of training programs and the internationalhierarchy of institutions to be pursued.2. The department's formation within a developingcountry may also raise discussion about the restorationdifficulties peculiar to such countries and the types oftraining programs most suited to their needs.3. The main problems faced today in Turkey may besummarized as follows :a. There is a pressing need for qualified architect-restorers to staff national offices.i. existing personnel are insufficient and lack the meansto develop their qualifications;ii. the quality of conservation work is consequentlylower than desirable.b. Existing undergraduate programs in architecture donot orient the student toward a career in historicmonuments.c. Young graduate architects cannot fully benefit fromprograms offered in Europe at present because ofi. the difference in their undergraduate training;

ii. the historic, environmental and administrative pro-blems peculiar to Turkey and the Middle East.d. Government offices will not be in a position for anumber ofyears to carry out alone the survey activitiesand applied conservation research necessary for properrestoration projects.e. There is a lack of public concern for the preservationof cultural heritage.4. These problems are elaborated below and theformation of the department reviewed to demonstratehow the Middle East Technical University is attemptingto confront this challenge. PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM

REASONS FOR FOUNDINGTHE PROGRAM ELABORA TED

5. Prior to the departme~t's formation, there were notraining facilities for either architect-restorers or thetechnicians concerned with historic monuments inTurkey. Architects entered the Vakiflar and Departnientof Antiquities, the two institutions concerned withmonuments and sites, and learned " on the job ". This

II. The purpose of the department is to train graduatestudents in architecture with specialized ski Ils for therestoration and preservation of historic monuments.These include alI the techniques necessary to preserveexisting monuments and to restore those damaged byman or natural forces of those discovered by archaeolo-gical excavation.12. The curriculum aims to develop the studentsprevious training alld broaden this background with aknowledge of the many other skills required of an

25

provided for a single lecture. ln general, a commonlanguage has proved necessary to ensure understandingand full participation of students in the seminars.

THE CURRICULUM

18. The Curriculum is designed to build on the archi-tect's technical training and to broaden it with thosehumanities and sciences related to restoration. lnTurkey, like most developing countries, the architectureundergraduate has had only limited exposure to thehumanities. Thus the graduate program must providebasic instruction in the history of architecture and art(Rest 521-522; Rest 621), while introducing the studentto the more advanced use of historical and archaeolo-gical sources (Rest 531, Rest 541, Rest 512).19. The program emphasizes learning through bothcourses, seminars, and practical experience. Coursesgive basic grounding in the subject, while seminars offeran opportunity for intimate ex change between a fewstudents and the teaching staff or visiting expert.

rchitect-restorer. The students also become familiar'ith the materials and techniques of restoration bylboratory experience in photography, chemical analysis,nd the treatment of alI types of structural and orna-lental samples. A copy of the curriculum as it appears

1 the catalogue is appended for reference.3. The program recognizes the interdisciplinary nature

f restoration and draws on chemistry, engineering,rchaeology, urban planning and art history in additiono architecture. The student follows a core of coursesn the Department and may elect additional courses;iven in other departments and faculties. The graduates expected to be conversant with these fields, but himselfo be a specialist only in architectural restoration.l4. The program is specifically oriented towards pro-)lems peculiar to Turkey and the Middle East. Coursesn the history of architecture, archaeological fieldnethods, and the legal and administrative aspects of;onservation and restoration are based on Middle

Eastern experience.15. The program prepares the architect-restorer to beIble to instruct technicians involved in the care andrepair of monuments and sites. Thus the graduate pre-forms the role of both specialist and educator when heenters an office. This enables an immediate improve-ment in the quality of restoration projects, pending theestablishment of a program for technicians.

FIELD WORK

REQUlREMENTS FOR ADMISSION

20. Field work is an integral part of the two-year pro-gram to enable the student to immediately apply theskills he is leaming.It supplements class lectures with actual cases, intro-duces the student to survey and archaeological fieldtechniques, and in the second year involves an actualrestoration project as an individual masters thesis. Fieldwork is of two basic types: the first, two-week programsundertaken during the academic year in conjunctionwith the curriculum; the second, extended summer fieldpractice between the first and second years.21. AlI staff members and students participate in thetwo-week field trips. Bach year different architecturalperiods and restoration problems are selected for study.First-year students are instructed in survey methods,while second-year students undertake more advancedwork such as ecological studies for analysis in the

Department's chemical-physical laboratory.22. ln 1966, the Department surveyed the monumentsand sites to be flooded in 1970 by the Keban Dam onthe upper Buphrates. This survey of Byzantine, Arme-nian, and Ottoman stone structures has been publishedby the Department as Doomed by the Dam and helpedinitiate the intemational salvage campaign now under-way at Keban. ln 1967, Ottoman residential timberstructures were selected for study. The town of Goynükwas surveyed and problems such as urban planning'srelationship to historic ensembles were investigated.23. The summer practice period is a longer apprenti-ceship in a specific aspect of restoration. During thelatter part of the student's first year he selects a thesistopic, usually a particular monument or site. During thesummer he carries out the field work for his project. ln

16. An applicant for admission is expected to fulfillthe following requirements :a. to possess an honors bachelors degree in architecturefrom a recognized school of architecture;b. to demonstrate proficiency in written and spokenEnglish, the language of tuition at the Middle East

Technical University;c. to have followed some courses in the history of art

or architecture as an undergraduate.Aptitude for restoration shown by undergraduate per-formance in courses on the history of architecture or byfield and office experience is weighed when considering

a candidate.17. Requirements a) and b) deserve particular attention.Only graduate architects are eligible as students fromother disciplines would require a much more diverseprogram. The department elected to concentrate itsresources on developing a quality program which couldutilize the common technical background of architec-tural students. Students from other disciplines may electcourses in the program, but may not pursue them to a

degree.English is the required language of tuition at the Uni-versity, as it enables students from Turkey and otherMiddle Eastern countries to benefit from the broadtechnical literature in that language. The Departmentexpects visiting experts to deliver their lectures inEnglish, although upon occasion a translator may be

26

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Fig. 1. -Selection from a project of first-year students, the ÇENGEL HAN of Ankara dating from 1522. The project involveda complete survey analysis of the building, its restitution, and its refunctioning : a) site plan showing the relation of the buildingwith ils surroundings; the program stresses integration into the environment; b) the ground floor plan showing the building's pre-sent condition as used by tanners; c) the grqund floor plan showing the arrangement of a proposed restaurant; d) the first-floorplan of the north wing and north-west elevation; e) section through the entrance; f) study model of the building.

monuments archives, and photogrammetry laboratoryare arranged for both student and staff use. The purposeof each is discussed Ibelow.

26. MUSEUM

The museum houses the finds of the University'sarchaeological excava,tions. It also serves as a trainingarea in identification of structural and ornamental sam-pIes and in exhibition techniques. Selected students par-ticipate in the museum's excavations, thus acquiringvaluable archaeologi,:al field experience du ring theircourse of study.

27. PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL LABORATORY

Fig. 2. -A student analysing building materials for his thesisin the department's chemical laboratory. The laboratory is acomplex also includes a photogrammetry laboratory, a physicallaboratory, and smaller staff research room. These are in addi-tion the photography and workshop facilities of the Facultyof Architecture.

the summer of 1968 alI students selected subjects in theKeban area, thus contributing to the salvage campaignwhile preparing their theses. During the following yeareach carried out the historical and technical analysis,finally defending the restoration project before a jury

The department has been deveioping a physical-chemicallaboratory since 1964 for instruction and research. Weare especially indebted to Mr. Pierrik de Henau of theInstitut Royal du Patrimoine Artistique, Prof. Dr. SelimAugusti of the Capodimonte Museum, and Mr. HenryHodges of London University's Institute of Archaeoiogyfor their expert assist;lnce in the formation of the labo-ratory. Students receive instruction from the laboratory'sdirector and its chemist, who assist them in their researchas weil. The iaboral:Ory's staff and facilities are alsoavailabie to interested institutions seeking the solutionof specific restoration difficulties. Recentiy, it has beenespecially heipful in ,maiysing and treating the finds ofthe Phrygian tumuii I~xcavated in Ankara.

28 MONUMENTS ARCHIVES

IN-SERVIC TRAINING Turkey lacks a comprehensive inventory of Turkishmonuments and sites. The Department has prepared anarchivaI system (cf. Doomed by the Dam) similai to theAmerican Historic Buildings Survey. It regularly addsto the archives with the aim of eventuaIly forming a richinventory for the use of alI interested restorers andscholars.

24. The department emphasizes continuai coopcrationwith the government institutions involves in conservationactivities. Government restorers participate in thedepartment's seminars as both lecturers and observers,while students may utilize the offices' facilities for theirprojects. The Vakiflar provides scholarships as weIl asfinancial support for the summer projects of selectedstudents. During the later part of their course of study,certain students may be employed by the Vakiflar asarchitect-restorers while completing their theses. Thisclose cooperation gives the students practical experienceand enables the department to immediately contributeto the solution of restoration problems in Turkey.

PHOTOGRAMMETRY LABORATORY

The success of the archives depends on the applicationof photogrammetry to the monuments survey. Dr. BansForamitti of the Bundesdenkmalamt in Vienna hasadvised the departmel1t on the acquisition of equipmentand instructed staff, technicians and students in the useof photogrammetry for recording historic structures.Photogrammetry makes it possible to record monumentsmore rapidly and accurately than the classical methodsnow used by Turkish offices. At present the depart-ment's mobile photogrammetry unit is being made avai-lable to the Turkish :and foreign teams participating inthe Keban Salvage C:ampaign

THE DEPARTMEN S PHYSICAL p I\NT

The department possesses numerous facilities for edu-cation and research in addition to the broad resourcesof the University and the libraries and museum ofAnkara. The Museum, physical-chemical laboratory ,

Fig. 3. -Students during summer practice surveying thePertek citadel in cooperation with the General Directorate ofAntiquities and Museums.

30. STAFF Fig. 4. -The Baysllngur Mosque built in 1572 will be rerno-ved frorn the flood area of the Keban Dam. Students and staffdid the field research as a summer project in cooperation withthe Vakiflar.

Fig. 5. -The Karamagara Kôpriisü. An unknown Vlth cen-tury. A.D. byzantine bridge on a branch of the upper Euphratesfirst recorded and published by the department. Further studyand proposaIs for its removal from the Keban flood area weredone as a summer project in conjunction with the GeneralDirectorate of Highways.

A permanent teaching staff is considered necessary togive the student basic training in restoration and assurecontinuity and interrelationship between courses in theprogram. The low student-teacher ratio makes frequentand close interchange possible. Only after some trainingand experience is the student prepared for the moreadvanced type of loose colloquium. During the graduateprogram he still requires close supervision and assistance.31. The department provides the " educators " for the

program, but regularly calls on experts in different areasof restoration to deliver lectures and conduct seminars.This distinction between teacher and expert is an impor-tant one, especially in conservation. The conservationof historic monuments is a new area of education invol-ving a very diverse and still unsynthesized body ofknowledge. The educator, although a specialist in oneaspect, must be able to present the theory and principlesof conservation at the student's level.32. Visiting experts are required to supplement theprogram for the following reasons :a. the permanent staff is not yet sufficient to expose thestudent to the many differ,ent areas of current restoration

practice;b. the practicing restorer is in contact with the latestdevelopments in his field of interest. He adds a practicalorientation to the program by lecturing on his subject,but is often unwilling or unable to handle a semester oryear-long course requiring preparation beyond his ownimmediate field of competence;

APPENDIX

CURRICULUM

DEPARTMENT FOR THE RESTORATIONAND PRESERVATIONOF HISTORIC MONUMENTS (*)

c. foreign restorers are invited to relate experience intheir own countries, as conservation is still a very newfield in Turkey. Government restorers as weIl as stu-dents and the department's staff take part in their

seminars;d. experts of international distinction are not in a posi-tion to join the department on an extended basis because

of the demands of their own offices.33. Young foreign restorers of promise join the per-manent staff as visiting lecturers for a year or more.They are expected to be architects trained in restorationand to have had a number of years of prior office andfield experieRce. The department then selects scholarsand restorers who have established an international repu-tation to deliver lectures of a month or longer duration.Finally, Turkish scholars of note from other universities

are called upon to present particular topics, especiallyin art history and archaeology .

!\DY ANCED TRAINING

The purpose of this Department is to train gradua te studentsarchitecture with specialized skills for the restoration and pre-servation of historic rl1onuments. These incluse ali the tech-niques necessary to preserve existing monuments and to restorethose damaged by man or natural forces or those discovered byarchaeological excavation. The increase in scientific and culturalinterest in monuments, and the economic emphasis due to tou-rism, have led to greater attention to this field, particularly inthe Middle East.The curriculum aims at developing the students' previoustraining and at broadening this background with a knowledgeof the many other skills required of an architect restorer. Thestudents also become familiar with the materials and techniquesof restoration by laboratory experience in photography, che-mical analysis, and trf'atment of aIl types of structural andomamental samples.Admission is open to students with a Bachelor's Degree inArchitecture. The two-year graduate programme leads to aMaster's Degree of Architecture in Restoration-

GRADUATE CURRICULUM 196

FIRST YEAR

lst. Semester

Rest 501Rest 511

This report has emphasized that the graduate programoffers basic training in architectural restoration. Onlyafter completing the course of study is a graduate quali-fied to enter an office as an architect-restorer or pursueadvanced restoration studies abroad. ln fact, the courseof study is a prerequisite for profiting from existing pro-grams in Europe. During the two-year period the stu-dent has acquired fundamental restoration skills andlearned at first-hand the problems peculiar to Turkeyand other Middle Eastern countries. Superior graduatesare then in a position to concentrate in one area ofconservation at a European center, then returning to agovernment office or to the university as an instructor.

Rest 5

35 SUMMARY Rest 541

2nd. Sen

Rest 502Rest 512

Rest 522

The Descriptive Analysis of BuildingsThe Theory of Restoration and Con-servationThe History of Architecture in theMiddle EastMaterials and Craftsmanship in Histo-ric Building and Architectural Orna-mentHistoric StrLlctural Systems

Iter

The Descriptive Analysis of BuildingsThe Historical Analysis of BuildingsThe History of Architecture in theMiddle EastMaterials and Craftsmanship in Histo-ric Building and Architectural Orna-ment (3- 3-3) (

(3- 0-3) ((8 weeks

ElectiveRest 59: Summer Pra("tic

:OND YEAR

Semester

t 601 Designt 621 The History of Architecture in the

Middle EastRest 631 The Laboratory and the Conservation

of Structure and Ornamentt 651 Legal and Administrative Aspects of

Conservation and Restoration

Cevat ERDER,rfiddle East Technical University

(Ankara)

ity; General Catalogue"} Middle East Tel

968, p. 72-75.

nical Uni'

0-3) 6~lective

2nd. Semester

Rest 602 ThesisRest 612 Semiru

(0-36-0) 36

and Resta(3- O-l

DESCRIPTION OF COURSES

Rest 501-502 The Descriptive Analysis of Buildings (0-18-0) 18

Student is introQ.uced to conducting research on which a resto-ration project is based. This includes the methods of makinga thorough measured survey of the building or the site bymeans of various techniques and instruments including archi-tecturaI photography and photogrammetry; the analysis of thedesign and structure by pictorial or verbal descriptions; theexamination of historical studies on the building. As the courseproceeds, the student is shown how to present bis analysis inthe form of detailed report, describing the history , environment,structure and condition of the subject in sufficient detail to bethe basis of a subsequent restoration project.Field studies are conducted and seminars held to discuss exam-pIes of restoration techniques currently used.

Rest 5!1 The Theory of Restoration and Con-servation (2- 1-3) 6

Evolution of international restoration and conservation stan-dards from the experience of different countries. Their historyof restoration in practice is compared with the approaches in

Turkey.

Architecture in theRest 521-522 The HistoryMiddle East (3- 0-3) 6

Rest 621 (3- 0-6) 9

A study on the period from the earliest known remains up tothe end of the Ottoman Empire with particular emphasis onthe effects of geography and climate, cultural demands and

cross-fertilization.During the third semester, 621, the student prepares a paperon some aspects of architectural history , preferably one notincluded in the course of lectures.

Rest 531-532 Materials and Craftsmanship in Histo-ric Building and Architectural Oma-ment (3- 3-3) 9

Characteristics and provenance of the materials used in theconstruction and decoration of building commencing with thestudy of its decay and conservation. Crafts of building andarchitectural omament to be found during this period. Thefaults and defects likely to develop in the fabric and omamentof a building, remedial techniques of conservation and resto-ration that can be employed.

Rest 541 Historic Structural Systems (3- 0-3) 6

General introduction to the various structural systems to befound in the past, as weil as the techniques and materialsemployed in their construction. Their development is tracedthrough various civilizations with primary emphasis on theMiddle East.

Rest 512 The Historical Analysis of Buildings (2- 1-3) 6

Use of inscriptions and documents, archaeological findings andfield observations in evaluating a building. Examples are givento illustrate the interpretation of historical material in resto-

ration projects.

Rest 592 Summer Practice (8 weeks)

The student is assigned to a site where conservation or investi-gation is in progress. Here, under the tutelage of the site-director, he assists in the work, and prepares a report on whatis done. This practice may be coordinated with the Department's

projects.

Rest 601 Design (0-12-0) 12

The first part of this course is devoted to work based onmaterial gathered by the student during his summer practice.The remaining part of the course takes up the selection of asubject for the thesis in the following semester, and to thepreparation of a preliminary report.

Rest 631 The Laboratory, and the Conservationof Structure and Ornament (3- 9-3) 15

The use of laboratory facilities in the analysis and treatment ofstructural or ornamental materials, showing, how a project oflaboratory research is carried out, and guiding the student in aconservation research project of his own, preferably based onhis summer work.

Rest 651 Legal and Administrative Aspects ofConservation and Restoration (3- 0-3) 6

.Law and state or local organizations concerned with theconservation of historic monuments and sites in Turkey, andtheir comparison with the systems practiced in other countries.

Rest 602 Thesis (0-36-0) 36

The student is expe,ted to present a full report on a singlebuilding or a complex of buildings of some architectural signi-ficance, and to prepare a scheme for its conservation andrestoration. Particular attention is paid to assuring the buildingan appropriate function in its modern environment.

Rest 612 Seminar on Conservation and Resto-ration (3- 0-6) 9

This seminar covers general problems of conservation andrestoration. The students prepare and present papers ondifferent projects including the review of examples of recent

practices.

ILLUSTRATION

IAn/Cara

a bâtisse

ion de j

Çengel Han .

'2). Le projet prévoit une analyse exhaustive d,

reconstitution et sa réanimation. a) Plan de situa

re et de ses abords, auxquels il doit s'intégrerIssée utilisé présentement comme atelier de tan

de-chaussée aménagé en restaurant; d) premieJnord et facade hordouest; eJ coupe dans l'entrée

lEU,cha,

et de physique et un local pour les chercheurs qui ont accès

aux services et ateliers de la Faculté d'architecture.

Fig. 3. -Etudiants en stage pratique d'été à la citadelle Pertt'k

avec le directorat des Antiquités et des Musées.

Fig. 4. -La mosquée Baysungur (1572) sera déplacée. Etu-

diants et chercheurs préparent la mission en coopération avec

le Vakiflar.

Fig. 5. -Pont byzantin inconnu du VI" siècle, le KaramagarGKoprüsü sur un bras du Haut-Euphrate. Sa transplantation faill'objet d'une étude en accord avec la Direction des autoroutes

de matériaux de construction au laboratoire

i englobe des sections de photogrammétrie

Fig. 2. -

de chim,