Lecture Theatre at the Foreign Language Building in Izmir Turkey
The main lecture theatre of the Foreign Language Building at Izmir University of Economics forms the avant-garde core of the building architecture. The space sits between the ground floor and basement with the seating rake folding down from the ground floor.
Controlled daylight is filtered through small courtyard window, offering opportunities for non-participants to experience the talks.
The internal space is formed with folded paneling that has been designed through an iterative computational process. The aim was to create a surface with minimum reverberation time and allow speakers to be easily heard without audio equipment. The space substrate constituted a variety of structural components, services, such as ventilation ducts, control room and windows. These set a restrictive parameter for the surface form.
A computational code was developed using an evolutionary algorithm to test and evaluate different formal proposals. This powerful tool tests thousands of variations to come to an optimal solution within the set restrictions and aims.
The resulting computer model is only the first step in the process, where components that are all different have to be manufactured and assembled on site. Here another code is useful to provide manufacturing and construction information that is live linked to the computer model to facilitate any changes that might happen. This is called Mass-Customization and if done right can allow for an integration between design and manufacturing.
The use of natural algorithms in the design of the parametric theatre fits within the landscape concept of the language teaching building seamlessly folding the two together.
Lead / Project Architects; Gudjon Thor Erlendsson (Thor Architects), & Özlem Akın (IEU)
Site Architect/project manager; Hüsnü Alpan
Design Team; Yağmur Arıcı, Mehtap Altuğ,
Structural Engineers; Ardalı Ltd. Şti.
Service Engineers; Electricity : Özyavru Ltd.Şti., Mechanics : Egetek Ltd. Şti.
Main Contractor: Kuryap Ltd. Şti.
Control: İzmir Ekonomi Üniversitesi Denetim Ekibi / Arch. Mehtap Altuğ, Civ. Eng. Berna Kaya, Elec. Eng. Tevfik Sungur, Mec. Eng. Nadir Tahta
Client; Izmir University of Economics
Photographs: Argun Tanriverdi