Emin Halid Onat (December 20, 1908 – July 17, 1961) was a Turkish architect and former rector of

Istanbul Technical University Istanbul Technical University, also known as Technical University of Istanbul (, commonly referred to as İTÜ), is an public university, public technical university located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the world's third-oldest technical university ...

. Onat was born in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

in 1908. He entered Istanbul Technical University in 1926. Then, he was sent to Zurich Technical University. Onat was one of the architects of

Anıtkabir Anıtkabir (; ) is a mausoleum complex located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey. It serves as the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first President of the Turkish Republic. Designed by architects Emin Onat and ...

, the mausoleum of

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

. His architectural style was formed at ETH. Emin Onat learned to experiment, interpret and search for modernism from his teacher Otto R. Salvisberg, a well-known, experienced practicing architect. Despite getting under the Anıtkabir's shadow, he has a unique architectural style.

Career

Onat's architectural talent blossomed at Zurich Technical University, where one of his fellow students was

Otto Rudolf Salvisberg Otto Rudolf Salvisberg (19 October 1882, Köniz – 23 December 1940, Arosa) was a Swiss architect. Between 1905 and 1930 Salvisberg worked in Germany. He worked with Bruno Ahrends and Wilhelm Büning to design the "White City" housing settleme ...

, who later went to become one of the best architects of his time. Onat completed his studies in Zurich and returned to Turkey in 1934. Within a year, he had become an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture at the School of Engineering. He held the post for a couple of years that were marked by strenuous relations with the other members of the faculty, owing to the novel methods of teaching Onat introduced. In 1944 Onat became the first dean of the newly established Faculty of Architecture at the

. Onat rose further into the echelons of the architectural world in 1946, when he was given an honorary membership of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

(RIBA). In 1951 he became the Rector of the Istanbul Technical University, a post he held for two years. The Hannover Technical University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1956. In 1957 he returned to the university. His return lasted only three years as on 21 October 1960 he and 147 faculty members were ousted from the university.

Designs

Onat designed several impressive buildings during his career. These include the Istanbul Theatre and Conservatory,

Istanbul Justice Palace The Istanbul Justice Palace () is a courthouse in the Kağıthane district of Istanbul, Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Th ...

(1949), Kavaklıdere Cenap, Presidential Secretariat in Cankaya and the

General Directorate of Security General Security Directorate or variants may refer to: * General Directorate of Security (India), an Indian intelligence agency * General Directorate of Security (Portugal) (''Direção-Geral de Segurança'') * General Directorate of Security (Tu ...

. Onat had a predilection for local architectural elements. He fused traditional designs into his own designs, striving to attain organic unity. Onat's other designs are the Istanbul Lounges, Uludag Sanatorium, Bursa Governor's Mansion and IBM Headquarters in Istanbul.

References

External links

Emin Onat: Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onat, Emin Halid Istanbul Technical University alumni Academic staff of Istanbul Technical University 1908 births 1961 deaths ETH Zurich alumni Rectors of Istanbul Technical University Recipients of TÜBİTAK Service Award 20th-century Turkish architects