A LEVANTINE MANSION: BUCA GUIDANCE CENTER FOR DISABLED STUDENTS

Abstract

The aim of this study is to understand what might be changed in a Levantine mansion, in an historical building which is in use of a guidance center for disabled students today, in Buca district of İzmir, from its construction date to now. Therefore, data collection method includes a photographic documentation and laser measurement besides the literature review. Moreover, a measured drawings project has been drawn based on the photographs and laser measurements. Evaluation method is a comparative analysis to relate the common properties of Levantine houses and the plan typology of the building, especially the traces in the building. Either a short periodization or descriptions of the existing situation of each space have been made by following these traces. Since the construction date of the mansion is 1876, this study is scoped into a 150 year period in time. It cannot be said that the mansion which is a simpler one compared to the grandiose mansions of the time, had experienced with radical changes from the date of built to now, even if there were changes in the function and property ownership. However, it can be analyzed within three different periods by considering small differences. As a conclusion, the building is periodized in three time slices as the 1. Period in the years between 1876– 1890/ 1895, 2. Period between 1895 – 1960's and the 3. Period from 1960's to now. This study, which focused on the morphological properties of the building mainly, can be seen as the first step of a comprehensive case based historical research that approaches to the changes from the anthropological viewpoint.