VEDAT DALOKAY WEDDING AND COCKTAIL HALL

Vedat Dalokay Wedding and Cocktail Hall was built in 1993. From 199 to now, the building has been used as wedding and cocktail hall. The location of the structure is in the center of the city, Kurtuluş Park in Ankara. The structure was designed by Affan Yatman and Nesrin Yatman.

Vedat Dalokay is architect who graduated from İstanbul Technical University in 1949. Because of his contribution in Ankara, his name was given to the structure. After graduation, he founded his own architecture offices in Ankara while working at Ankara Mimarlar Odası. In 1973, he was chosen as mayor of the Ankara. In this period, in between 1973-1977, he had undertaken significant work for Ankara. Altınpark, Abdi İpekçi Park, Kuğulu Park, and Seğmenler Park were designed in this period. These parks are the most important green areas for Ankara to breathe. For this reason, it is not surprising for me that Vedat Dalokay Wedding and Cocktail Hall has a beautiful scene looking at green area.

While walking towards to Vedat Dalokay Wedding and Cocktail Hall, you are also walking towards to a green area. Firstly, you are experiencing Kurtuluş Park before experiencing Vedat Dalokay Wedding and Cocktail Hall. Kurtuluş Park is one of important and big parks in center of the city, which is surrounding with huge trees. It is like a boundary between noise of the city and peace of the city. I understand that this peaceful atmosphere can be felt inside of the Vedat Dalokay Wedding and Cocktail Hall.

While you are experiencing peaceful atmosphere among threes, you come across entrance of the structure. You know entrance of the structure because of orientation of the structure and monumentality of the structure. Around of the structure, there are little gardens, which are like in-between spaces for Kurtuluş Park and structure. There are two entrances for wedding hall. The first entrance is facing towards street; the second entrance is facing toward park. Entrances also supported with ramps. When you enter the door, you are in reception area that is full transparent to the outside of the structure. Guests from wedding may feel like s/he is in park. Reception area divided into three parts and there is only visual connection among areas. In the middle one is for the guests who coming wedding ceremonies, the others are for guest who leaving from wedding hall. When you enter the wedding hall, the first thing you see is wedding table. In the middle of the hall, there is a way ends with wedding table. The left and right side of the way, there are seats for guests. The wedding hall is symmetrical which supported with ramps. Ramps are for bride and groom to enter the wedding hall.

The building is not usual. The form of the building, the location of the building, the structure of the building are untypical even thought its period. The building is carried by columns that placed in outside of the building. There is not any column inside of the building. The other spaces of the building have a view that is full of green. The windows are like a frame of the green. It has fragmented form, which adopted green area. Circular form and triangular form were used.

As a result, the structure has unique form around huge trees. It has beautiful scenery, which was made of full of green area. While entering the structure, you gradually move away from green area and you can feel green area inside of the structure.

THE HOUSE / An Essay About Home

This is an essay about my experience while living my home.

“I love my home. It is not big, it is not beautiful, it is not perfect as my dream. However, I like it, I love it.” While telling about our home, generally we are starting with how we like it. These words of love are more related with sense of ownership. Our memories in the house and everything that belongs to us strengthen sense of ownership. Based on all these issues, we can say that the most precious place in the world is our own room. My own room is the best place for me. Even it is a place that I miss when I am away.

I am living with my family in holidays. Our house consists of 4 rooms, a kitchen, a toilet and a bathroom and they connect with a long corridor. When I enter the entrance door, in the midway of the corridor, first of all I see living room and I see my mom and my father if they are there. If they are not here, then I go to the kitchen, which is near the living room. Generally, I found my mom there. Later I go to my room to put my bag and my stuff, after that I go to the bathroom to wash my hands and faces. As a user of this house, I was saying that the rooms are placed to respect my orientation, first of all I would like to visit living room, than I want to go my room. But now, as a user of the house who is studying architecture, I can say that, there is a hierarchical order to respect public-private issues. When I entire the house, I see public area of the house, living room compare with my room or my parents room.

I think, the issue of public and private is more related with safety. People would like to feel safe in their specific places. I guess, I am a bit unlucky in this regard. There is a connection with my own room and balcony of my house. The connection is not physical connection, I could not go to balcony in my room, but I can see people in the balcony. On the other hand, visual connection supports sense of safety. Our apartment block is three-storey and every storey has three house. Every enter door of these houses is facing each other. It supports safety and relation between people.

Everybody loves their homes even it is not perfect as in their dreams. They connect with a sense of ownership. They want to know they are safe there.