Ataturk Dormitory Reconstructed and Put at the Disposal of Education

Ataturk Dormitory, one of the most important dormitories of Istanbul, reconstructed by IPCU under ISMEP Project to be earthquake-resistant, and put at the disposal of education sector with increased capacity.

An important step has been taken in IPCU’s efforts to prepare the education and health units against impacts of earthquakes and other natural disasters. Ataturk Dormitory in Cevizlibağ, one of the biggest dormitories in the European side of Istanbul, was reconstructed against earthquake by Istanbul Project Coordination Unit under Seismic Risk Mitigation and Emergency Preparedness Project (ISMEP), and it has been put at the disposal of students.

Completely destructed and reconstructed, Ataturk Dormitory which meets almost all needs of students draws attention with its modern structure. The 3000-student capacity of the old dormitory has been increased up to 3555 in the new building complex where the room spaces are enlarged compared to the old building complex. The dormitory which was located on a 43 thousand square meters land now has an indoor area of more than 110 thousand square meters. In addition, whole campus centre is kept under control by a central automation system, which enables central monitoring of whole mechanical and electrical installations.

Students Offered Accommodation with Hotel Quality

Providing modern accommodation to 3 thousand 555 female students in total, the new dormitory apparently provides better living and studying areas to the students compared to the old dormitory. In the old dormitory, 4 students were accommodated in 16 square meter rooms each while the new dormitory features rooms with maximum 3-person rooms having a space up to 44 square meters. The square meter area has increased while the number of students accommodated has decreased. The 7-storey building constructed instead of the old building with 5 stories, excluding basement and ground floor, plays an important role in the enlargement of living spaces.

The reconstructed Ataturk Dormitory is also designed to provide the students with a safe and comfortable accommodation in the dormitory rooms. The rooms which can be entered through card-pass system have separate restrooms, showers, individual worktables for each student, lockers, etc. In addition, the new rooms are equipped with additional comforts such as mini refrigerators, and wall-mount screens. Moreover, every floor has common study and television halls.

A Safe and Environmentally Friendly Campus

Ataturk Dormitory which was reconstructed for nearly 100 Million Turkish Lira by IPCU is distinguished from others by its technologic and environmentally friendly structure. The energy efficiency achieved by insulation is also supplemented by renewable energy resources. The solar collectors placed on the roof provide for hot water supply while the water accumulated on the roof is collected and purified in the modular reservoirs located in basement floors of building blocks. Such water is purified and used in restrooms thus contributing to water saving.

One of the most significant features of the dormitory buildings is use of fire-safe materials. The doors, beds, floors and façade coatings are fire-safe up to 30, 60 and 90 minutes.

In the new Ataturk Dormitory consisting of total 5 blocks, there are also a Library Building of 671 Square Meters, a Laundry a Heating Centre of 1333 Square Meters, and an Entrance Building of 242 Square Meters in addition to the block were students stay. There are up to 1185 rooms in the whole campus. The campus has a dining hall with 3500-person capacity providing meal to the students three times a day, as well as a sports hall with 270-person capacity.