Abdullah Gül Presidential Museum And Library

Sumerbank Textile Factory, built between 1933- 1935 by a Russian architect Ivan Nikolaev, has been one of the most significant symbols of industrialization and modernization in the Republican period of Turkey. Since shutting down in 1999, the industrial complex (containing unique examples of Russian Constructivism) has been left abandoned inside the city. In 2012, some of the buildings in the complex were refurbished to be used as different units of the Abdullah Gül University Campus and later on the Presidential Museum and Library was commissioned to regenerate the industrial heritage with unique examples of power and steam stations. In this project, the attained patina and traces of time have been attempted to be preserved and the interiors of the spaces were reorganized according to the new museum program – designed to let the visitors experience the presidential exhibition as well as the temporary exhibitions. Simultaneously, the center aims to provide activity spaces for educational facilities accommodated by F&B areas where the characteristic ash and coal chimneys used in the electric production are restored and made part of the exhibition experience. Similar to the ash chambers in the museum, concrete silo stillages have been preserved as an important element of memory.