Method for Conservation of Late 19th Century Timber Framed Buildings in Istanbul: Post-Earthquake House of Kemaleddin Efendi in Dolmabahce Palace

Abstract

After Sultan Abdulhamid II settled in Yildiz Palace in 1878 and started the construction of his residence buildings, he preferred the cheapest and fastest building technology: Timber framed construction. Timber framed construction technique was predominantly used in the neighborhoods nearby the Palace inhabited by the members of imperial family or high bureaucracy in the last quarter of the 19 th century. Ottoman archival records reveal the construction of many timber framed post disaster houses constructed in the precincts of damaged masonry palaces and mansions after the 1894 Istanbul earthquake. One of those postearthquake timber framed buildings is Kemaleddin Efendi's house constructed in the courtyard of Dolmabahce Palace. Starting with the examples in Yildiz Palace, the timber framed building systems of the late 19 th century differ from the traditional timber framed constructions: The factory / workshop shaped timber posts, beams and ornaments and the industrial products of the 19 th century such as cement and galvanized wire used for plastering the timber walls or corrugated galvanized sheets used as roof covering brought the standardization and rationalization of traditional timber constructions. However, the industrial products of the 19 th century are often considered as inappropriate interventions and are replaced with traditional materials during the conservations. This study discusses the conservation method of Kemaleddin Efendi timber framed house, based on chemical/ physical analyses of industrial building materials and the cost estimates prepared by building contractor Serkiz Balyan in 1894.