Examining the refunctioning of the historical buildings for educational purposes; a case study of Toros University Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture

ABSTRACT Nowadays, as the changes in social conditions and requirements occur, it is seen the changes in the requirements of buildings and spaces. The effort in regaining historical buildings to life is an important universal aspect to dwell on. When the historical buildings lose their functions in spite of their well existences structurally, they can be usable for the refunctioning according to conditions of current life requirements with their suitable characteristics instead of leaving them to destroy. In this research, it is evaluated refunctioning of the historical buildings as high educational purposes. In this study, the historical buildings that are refunctioning as the departments of Architecture are taken as refunctioning samples, searched with their accordance of phases between before refunctioning and after refunctioning and in the aspects of their functions, materials, structures, lightings, architectural styles, infrastructures and installations. In this aspect, the Faculties of Architecture of the Universities Kadir Has, Bilgi and Mardin Artuklu are chosen as the examples for the refunctioning of the historical buildings for educational purposes and examined their phases of refunctioning and their classrooms and studios according to the determined criteria in this thesis. The buildings of Toros Unıversıty the Faculty of Fıne Arts, Design and Archıtecture are taken as case study as a refunctioning example for high education buildings in the environment of historical city of Mersin. At first, Toros Unıversıty the Faculty of Fıne Arts, Design and Archıtecture are examined as the refunctioning of the historical buildings for educational purposes, then searched and evaluated with its accordance of before refunctioning phase, and at last examined its changes in time. Faculty's classrooms and studios also are examined in the aspects of their; functions, materials, structures, lightings (analysis for studios), architectural styles, infrastructures and installations. Toros Unıversıty the Faculty of Fıne Arts, Design and Archıtecture building A (ıts owner: Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Council of Cultural Wealth) and building B (hired from Latin İtalian Catholic Church) are examined in the aspect of refunctioning of the historical buildings for educational purposes. Key Words: Refunctioning, Historical Buildings, University Buildings, Functional Change