For over fifty years Sedad Hakkı Eldem has practised, taught and researched architecture in Turkey. He is undoubtedly the country’s most important architectural figure and has played a major role in shaping the visual form of the contemporary Turkey—yet his work is little known in the rest of the world. This book, with its authoritative texts, is the major publication to deal with this exceptional man’s work.

Eldem’s search over the years for a modern Turkish vocabulary precedes today’s concerns with “contextualism” and “regionalism”. His exploration of the Turkish House form and vernacular expressions in design have produced an oeuvre which is both elegant and instructive. He shows a way in which designers can be both modern and traditional at the same time.

His contributions have been acknowledged within his own country by his being given the title of State Artist, the first time such an honour has been bestowed on an architect; they have been internationally recognised by the prestigious Aga Khan Award for architecture given in 1986 for his Social Security Complex in Istanbul.

This monograph is introduced by Hans Hollein, the eminent Austrian architect, who has long been interested in the Turkish-German connections. Suha Özkan sets the background context to the architect’s practice. Sibel Bozdoğan covers Eldem’s work in several major areas, analysing his concerns over the years, and Engin Yenal rounds off the texts by tracing the more personal aspects of the architect’s development. A complete chronology of works includes both biographical and bibliographical information.

176 pages with 110 photographs in colour and over 250 black and white photographs and drawings.

24 x 27 cm.