Symbolism in Public Spaces: A Semiotic Reading of the Samsun Atatürk Kültür Merkezi

The Samsun Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) is a symbolic structure located near Cumhuriyet Square, adjacent to the Reji Tobacco Pier on the waterfront. This study aims to examine the design philosophy of the Samsun AKM, designed by architect İbrahim Levent Ercan in 1981 to commemorate the centenary of Atatürk’s birth, completed in 1999, and inaugurated on 19 May 2001, as well as the rich symbolic codes embedded in its architecture and the spatial-social encounters it establishes with the urban community. Based on qualitative research methods and a review/case study model, the study analyzes archival documents, architectural drawings, and oral history interviews conducted with Architect Levent Ercan within the theoretical frameworks of semiotics in architecture, numerical/geometric symbolism, urban memory, the domain of sovereignty, and spatial performance. The findings indicate that, contrary to the widely circulated claim that the building was designed in the form of a “grand piano,” its architectural conception instead incorporates multilayered symbolic messages, including three domes and three pools representing the Ottoman Empire’s dominion across three continents; sixteen monumental columns referring to the sixteen Turkic states represented on the Presidential Standard; a hierarchical sequence from the low entrance to the monumental Seljuk Crown Gate through which visitors exit; the assimilative capacity of curved forms; and an odeon configuration based on the dialectic of water, fire, and steam. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that the monumental building has evolved into a living and experienced subject, as exemplified by the way local residents slide down the inclined concrete roof during the winter months, transforming the structure into an urban playground.