Project Location: Van
Project Type: Museum
Employer: Van Governorship Special Provincial Administration Architectural Design: Bahadır Kul
Architects Structural Project: Göktem Mühendislik
Execution Period: 2012-2014
Plot Area: 150.000 m2
Total Construction Area: 12.000m2
Van Urartu Museum aims to provide an addition to the definition of museum with its landscape, wide façade and Van Castle with which they are perceived together. Bringing these different spaces together is also observed through the architecture of the museum. While providing passage between different exhibition halls, it provides visual and physical spaces to façade with keeping the landscape and castle in mind. Emphasis to Van Castle is foreseen with a reflecting surface having the desired effect on the long entrance façade of the structure. On the long façade at the back, halls are slid on the plan to allow different open and closed spaces leading to the landscape. 16 different exhibition halls in the structure bring different eras and artifacts together with the visitors. These halls start with the preparation- to-museum area named as welcome and briefing. In this area, we can see Urartu period traces, structure cultures and expression of their lives in short. On the map passing from slab to walls, Urartu and its vicinity (Val Castle, Ayanis Castle, Anzaf Castle, Şamran Channel etc.) is presented with documents, photographs and models. Next to halls forming the main concept of the museum, museum spaces serving different functions such as conference hall, museum sales units, kid workshops, temporary exhibition halls, jewelry workshops etc. There are many reasons for preferring steel in Urartu Museum. Primarily, design of the museum structure for which the concept design was prepared before the great Van earthquake has been enhanced after the earthquake event. Having the structure located in a first-degree seismic zone excessively required the consideration of the durability of the structure. Thus, steel is chosen fort he structure. Steel system provides significant advantages against earthquake loads. Swift execution of steel structures under all weather conditions has also proved to be a factor considering the winter conditions of the area. Thus, steel execution could continue irrespective of the climate, lowering workmanship costs and rapid feedback for requirements. Another input of the project was the museum construction area being an archeological site. It is also important that steel structure does not require a deep foundation system on the contrary to reinforced concrete structures, which prevents deep excavations in the archeological site.