Architect. He was born on the 7th of
September 1932 in
Istanbul. He
graduated from Faculty of Architecture of Istanbul Technical University in
1954. The same year he entered the Urbanism Chair of this faculty as an
assistant. He started to work in Maçka
Technical School
in 1955 as an academic member. He opened a private office with architect Ayhan
Tayman in 1956. The project prepared by him and his wife Altuğ Çinici received
the first place in the project competition organized for METU campus and
structures. In order to realize the application of this campus in 1962 she left
her academic membership, went to Ankara
and established a new office here. After this he continued his profession
always together with his wife.
The METU campus work was qualified in Turkey
as one of the first examples of brutalism. In this stream each structure has a
different dominant architectural understanding. Brutalist tendencies which were
dominant in the first structures of the campus passed through certain quests of form and reached in his last works a
state where elements of traditional Turkish architecture were handled in a
postmodern unity.
Between 1972 and 74 he worked as a consultant
architect for Turkish Republic Bank of Tourism. In 1977 he was elected as an
artist member of Grand National Assembly of Turkey Foundation TBMM. In 1978 he
started designing and building additional structures of the parliament. Between
1980 and 84 he built the Assembly’s public relations building. In 1982 he
became the consultant architect of YÖK (The Higher Education Institution)
buildings in Ankara.
He prepared plans of large sized housing
estates and touristic establishments in Ankara,
Çorum, Bolu, Antalya, Bodrum and Burhaniye and
abroad between 1972 and 82. His book titled Çorum:
Orta Anadolu'da Bir Toplu Konut Uygulaması için Ülke-Bölge-Kent Ölçeklerinde
Çalışmalar is important in terms of reflecting the design of
houses in a town which protects its agricultural structure.
Çinici was nominated for the Sir Robert Matthew
Prize by the France Department of IUA (International Union of Architects) in 1980 in Paris, and to Pritzker Award by
METU Faculty of Architecture in 1982. In 1982,
he was chosen as an honorary member to the International Hadara Association
whose center is located in Provence.
Altuğ-Behruz Çinici couple shared in 1984 Sedat Simavi Foundation Prize with
architects who repaired Antalya Kaleiçi and Marina.
Çinici starting from 1963 pioneered projects and application activities
such as the Campus project of Middle East Technical University, applications of
certain structural techniques in Turkey (bare concrete and prefabricated
concrete panel applications) and also realized competition projects and
studies.
Çinici is owner of important awards in national and international
fields. Among these are 1985 Simavi Foundation and 1986 Labor Bank, 1994 – 4.
National Architecture Prize and 1995 Aga Khan Prizes concerning the Mosque
project and construction for Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
REFERENCE: Metin Sözen / Cumhuriyet Dönemi Türk Mimarlığı (1984), Ana Britannica (c. 6, s. 478, 1986), Büyük Larousse
(c. 5, s. 2742, 1987), M. Kadri Atabaş / Türk
Mimarları (2000), İhsan Işık / Ünlü Sanatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi,
C. 5, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).
