The buildings that were renovated as the Presidential Museum and Library are just the two of the many units that formed Sumerbank Textile Factory, in Kayseri, Turkey. Built between 1933-1935 and designed by Russian architect Ivan Nikolaev, this production facility has been one of the most significant symbols of industrialization and modernization in Republican period of Turkey. After its close down in 1999, the industrial complex, containing unique examples of Russian Constructivism, has gained modern monument status and in 2012 registered to AGU, a new established university to be its main campus area. EAA has been working on this incredible industrial heritage since then, some of the buildings in the complex have been refurbished and currently being used as educational and administrative units.
Power and Steam Plants, surviving years of neglect and decay, boasted generous volumes of spaces while preserving some of the patina as traces of time. The general approach was to conserve whatever substance has survived over time and preserve the original features. The architectural strategy of combining old with new was not trying to emphasize the contrast between parts that belonged to different eras but rather to create a coherent architectural whole. In this sense, a great deal of effort was paid to maintain existing elements and find the best way of dealing with the building services while meeting the necessary safety and accesibility codes.
The interiors of the Power Plant were organized according to its new use as a museum and simultaneously designed to let the visitors experience the origins of the building. Hidden under several layers of cladding was found the original ash pits which left visible to become a part of the exhibition experience.
With a bolder intervention a 3 storey bookshelf structure positioned neatly in the main hall of the Steam Plant, combining plausibly with what is already there, both in form and spatially. Existing concrete silo bases have been preserved, now in relaxed reading rooms accentuating the volume of the space.
