The METU Northern Cyprus Campus is taking shape through the institution of national and invited competitions tradition since 2002, and the project for research laboratories of engineering departments here was selected from invited competition entries in 2006 to be implemented.
AN INTERMEDIATE STOP AT ‘ALLÉ’
The laboratory blocks located at the west end of the METU Northern Cyprus Campus, have the most beautiful view of the sea from the ridge on which the campus sits, and has a dominant view overlooking the Güzelyurt Plain to the south. Logic of the constituent element of ‘allé’ at METU Ankara Campus was maintained in this campus as well. The building cluster at the very end of south-west-south-east alley was designed not as a terminating element, but as an intermediate stop for additional lab units and possible educational buildings the university may need in the future. Functional requirements such as vibration cut-off and outsourcing in most of the Mechanical, Civil and Chemical Engineering Laboratories necessitated a large-scale spread on the ground. Fragmented blocks grouping different departmental laboratories were set on the sloping site on various levels.
LABORATORIES CONNECTED BY THE INNER ROAD
The laboratories of the three sections have their entrances from the inner street. The canopy, perpendicular to the street at the centre, unites the perception in the third dimension, easening the ascent and descent of the mass above entrances. The eaves connect the street, where the hard ground and the vegetation are balanced, extending towards the ‘allé’ coming from the campus, and descens to human scale at lower levels to break the southwest sun. Adapting to typical Mediterranean climate of Cyprus to create a comfortable educational environment is important and engraved into space, where almost every month intensive summer schools are organized.
The building’s fragmented layout breaks the mass block effect and the rich relationships it creates at different levels on the ground, eliminate the bulky influence of laboratory buildings when treated as warehouses.
THE LANGUAGE OF INDUSTRIAL ARCHITECTURE
In the interior, laboratories are balanced with technical offices and training units. In contrast to labs used by students for a pre-defined period, almost all spaces for technical staff and teachers open onto balconies as they spend their time for entire day. Thus, these balconies are air-conditioned with metal sunshades, or overlook onto sunken gardens created below ground level. To keep up with the sterile laboratory conditions, the tectonic language, technology and materials used close to their industrial production forms, are consistent both inside and out. Exposed concrete; glazed and epoxy surfaces; exposed technical equipment; metal sunshades and eaves; monochrome facade cladding establish a single language.
