A Modernist Debut work: Architect Maruf nal’s Dr. Fahrettin Belen’s House= Modernist Bir lk Yap t: Mimar Maruf nal’ n Dr. Fahrettin Belen Evi

2010 y l nda kaybetti imiz Mimar Maruf nal’ n (1918) ilk yap t olan Dr. Belen Evi (1943) stanbul’da in a edilmi say l modernist konuttan biridir. nal, mütevaz ki ilik ve yap lar ile az say da yay na konu olmu tur. Bu ara t rma, günümüzde adeta “anonimle me”ye ba layan, bu kü ük ama modernist mimarl n tipik zelliklerini bar nd rabilmi binaya yak ndan bakmay ama lamaktad r. Zira mimar n n yakla m Cumhuriyet D nemi Türk Mimarl ba lam nda, Türkiye’de modernizmin ilk y llar na yeniden bakmak i in bir imkan sunmaktad r. Türkiye’de o d nem mimarl kta g rülen temel ikili in, bat dakini takip eden modernle me aray yla, yeni kurulan Cumhuriyetin elitlerinin kültürel, ulusal, tarihsel kimlik aray aras nda oldu u s ylenebilir. nal’ n Vi nezade’de yapt Dr. Belen Evi’ni zel k lan ey, Türk modernizmine ait bu gerilimin bask n oldu u bir d nemde, tarihsel, yerel ve kültürel referanslardan ar nm , rasyonel bir tutum izlemesidir. Biti ik nizamdaki yap n n kimli ini belirleyen dar n cephesi adeta soyut olarak ele al nm t r, cephe kaplamalar ndaki olumsuz de i ikliklere ra men, “zaman tesi” niteli ini sürdürmekte, korunmas gerekmektedir. The debut work of the architect Maruf nal (1918-2010), Dr. Belen’s House (1943) is one of the few modernist houses built in Istanbul. nal, with his modest personality and buildings, was subject of only a small number of publications. This research aims at looking closely into Belen’s House, a building which is small, yet able to capture the typical features of modernist architecture and almost becoming ‘anonymous’. For the architect’s approach offers an opportunity to develop a distinct gaze into the early years of Turkish modernism, within the context of the architecture in the Republican era. The essential dichotomy characterizing this period is told to be between a pursuit of a Western-oriented modernism and a search of cultural, national and historical identity by the new Republican elite. What makes Belen’s house constructed in Vi nezade by nal quite peculiar is its rationality, devoid of historical, local and cultural references in the context of 1940s dominated by this tension of Turkish modernism. The building reflects the language of pure design which became significant in the 20th century architecture. The narrow front facade which gives to the building its peculiar character is almost considered as ‘abstract’. Despite the subsequent negative changes in fa ade flashing, Belen’s house preserves its ‘timeless’ quality and requires conservation.