Gulsen Disli

By Gulsen Disli

New additions to historic buildings are mostly required either to extend the longevity of the building or to meet the new program requirements imposed to the built heritage as part of historic preservation process. The additions might be in the form of a rooftop, front, rear, side, or basement attachment. In all cases, the question of what is a sensitive addition according to the world-wide preservation standards is to be well analyzed. This study uses data from a new survey on five case study historic mosques and khans in Ankara with new exterior or interior additions to reveal the quality, compatibility and/or incompatibility of contemporary new additions and their contributions to sustainability. Case study analysis, in-situ observations, archival and literature survey are the principle methods applied during the study. Research findings show that, the additions follow different paths; they can be differentiated from the main historic building with their massing, material, and either color, or they hinder the existing built heritage, or even damage its character-defining features. Hence, for sensitive and successful new additions, restorations should be in compatible with world-wide standards and should be well analyzed and applied by the related authorities both during project approval and restoration phases.

Part of the book: Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation within Sustainability