Conservation potentialities of roundhouses within the context of turkish raildoad heritage

Widespread utilization of railroads was the result of two developments of Industrialization, which are the use of steam engine in ships and trains, and the invention of cheap and fast methods of steel production. Railroads enabled fast shipment of raw materials and manufactured products, as well as passenger transportation. The advantages brought by railroads helped it to spread quickly, causing effects that changed the World history. The conservation of railroad heritage began around mid-19th century with the collections of objects and vehicles; while after 1970's, its meaning has extended concerning architectural assets and environments. Today, railroads are regarded as part of the Industrial heritage, while their publicity and conservation issues are up-to-date academic studies. These studies focus on the definition of a conceptual framework of conservation. In this research, passenger, freight and administrative facilities of station areas are studies in order to understand the scope and diversity of railroad heritage. Roundhouses, as a part of administrative facilities, are major structures of railroad areas. Alongside their functional importance, they also represent an impressive architectural typology. Roundhouses are one of the cultural symbols within railroad areas, however some of them are in deterioration process, exposed to vandalism, sacrificed to urban regeneration, or completely destroyed. There are various choices for the reuse and rehabilitation of these buildings. Ottoman railroads are initially built and conducted by foreign firms, as a result of a system of political privilege. As a result, these railroads did not fully serve Ottoman State's economical and military interests, moreover, it had also negative effects on Turkish Independence War and early Republican periods. Within this context, roundhouses served an important mission to maintain a proper Turkish railroad industry. In this study, roundhouses, as one of the important assets of Turkish railroad heritage are examined by historical, technical and architectural qualities, evaluating their strong aspects, weak aspects, opportunities and threats on conservation issues. A conservation reuse plan is described for roundhouses, defining the actors, events and work program.