Military Heritage as University Campus and The Need for Additional Space

This study examines the adaptive reuse processes of military barracks from the past to the present, focusing specifically on the Trakya University Faculty of Architecture Selimiye Campus. The primary objective of this research is to detail the design process of the proposed extension buildings for the northern garden of the Harbiye Barracks and to test the validity of the established design parameters in light of international conservation charters (Venice, Burra, Washington) and high-quality architectural precedents. Within the scope of the study, an eight-parameter evaluation matrix was constructed to measure the performance of contemporary extensions to be integrated into the historical fabric, and five national and international examples (Getafe, La Citadelle, AKH/MedUni, Millbank, and Taşkışla) were analyzed through typological data. Based on the findings, an extension building design featuring a steel-framed, detachable, lightweight, and transparent structural setup, harmonious with the surrounding context, was developed for the northern garden of the Harbiye Barracks to consciously preserve the monumental void of the main courtyard. The results indicate that the principle of contrast—which avoids imitating historical structures—and the "minimum intervention" approach have the potential to provide the functional flexibility required by contemporary educational spaces without damaging the original architectural fabric, while simultaneously strengthening the readability of the barracks’ historical layers. This model offers an objective and parametric design framework for similar historical campus transformations.