CER Modern Arts Center, Ankara Commercial Building Project, Turkish Architecture Images
CER Modern Arts Center in Ankara
12 Mar 2021
CER Modern Arts Center
Design: Uygur Architects
Location: Ankara, Turkey

The history of the CER Modern Arts Center project goes back to 1990s, when a national competition was opened in 1992 for the design of presidential symphony orchestra concert hall on a vacant land between Ulus and S?hhiye, the old and new quarters of Ankara. The site contained a segment of the railway, with old traction ateliers and train maintenance sheds (three identical units dating from 1920s, with a longer unit added later).

Being four adjacent units in total, all were intended to be removed from the site. In 1995, after the architects of the winning project started work for the presidential symphony concert hall, decision was taken for the transformation of these old sheds into an art museum. In the meantime, the railroad was rerouted and two of the three identical units were partly demolished. The remaining sheds were in ruins, needing structural consolidation and mechanical installation to function as gallery spaces.
The contractor chosen for the restoration of the ateliers decided to work with the architects of the concert hall. The initial brief called for a ?Contemporary Art Museum? (later named ?Modern Arts Center?) with gallery spaces and related facilities. The size and spatial features of the ateliers were compatible with the intended galleries; additi...