ISU Student Center

Celaleddin Çelik

The Istanbul Şehir University Student Center was developed through the transformation of the former tobacco warehouses in Dragos, a site that holds a distinct place in the industrial memory of the city. Known historically as the Maltepe tobacco storage complex, the structure once served the factory that gave its name to the well-known Maltepe cigarette brand. Although the building was not officially listed, its sound structural frame, spatial potential, and industrial heritage value led to the decision to preserve it and reinterpret it as a contemporary student hub.

The design approach centers on retaining the existing reinforced-concrete skeleton and wide structural spans, turning them into the primary framework for the new program. Rather than being composed of isolated rooms, the building is reorganized as a continuous and permeable interior landscape. The plan integrates a variety of functions, including the library, study areas, student club spaces, cafeteria, event halls, multipurpose rooms, and informal gathering zones through fluid and interconnected spatial sequences. This permeability allows the industrial rhythm of the structure to remain legible both inside and on the façade.

The ground floor is conceived as a broad social platform open to student use throughout the day. Circulation emerging from the entrance hall branches into a series of gathering and resting areas of different scales. An east – west axis, following the historical orientation of the tobacco depots, becomes the main spine organizing the new programmatic zones. The upper floors house study halls and quieter workspaces, planned with flexibility in mind to adapt to evolving academic needs. The generous structural spans enable open, adaptable interiors that can accommodate future transformations.

The façade design reinterprets the industrial character without erasing it, introducing a contemporary sense of lightness and transparency. Large glazed surfaces open the former storage structure to daylight and visibility, while the exposed column – beam order maintains a clear connection to its past.

The Student Center is grounded in the idea that industrial heritage can be preserved not only through protection, but through meaningful reuse. By carrying a historical structure into the future and aligning it with the dynamics of contemporary university life, the project offers a model of adaptive reuse built on continuity, clarity, and transformation.