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Prof. Kemal Ahmet Arû

Prof. Kemal Ahmet Aru was born in Üsküdar, Istanbul in 1912. He graduated from Galatasaray High School in 1932 and from the Department of Architecture at the Fine Arts Academy in 1937. In 1940 he began working as a research assistant at the Graduate School of Engineering (ITU). Between 1942-1946 he taught studio classes with Clemens Holzmeister and attended urbanism courses with Ord. Prof. Dr. Gustav Oelsner. In addition to his teaching post at the ITU he gave lectures at Yıldız Technical School and ITU Maçka Technical School. After assuming professorship in 1950, he was elected as the Head of Chair of Urbanism. He was elected as the Dean of ITU, Faculty of Architecture at different periods during 1954-1970. Kemal Ahmet Aru worked as visiting professor in Stuttgart in 1961-1962, in Berlin in 1963 and at Vienna Technical University in 1967. He was the Head of the Institute of Urbanism at ITU between 1967-1982.

Prof. Kemal Ahmet Aru, with his work in education and practice has been influential in increasing the importance of urban planning and urban design in Turkey. He won first prize for urban planning competitions of Isparta in 1944, for Kayseri and Ödemiş in 1945, for Izmit in 1948 (with G. Ozdes) and Izmir in 1952 (with G.Ozdes ). He prepared Boğazlıyan, Tekirdağ, Söke and Malkara Development Plans in 1946, Babaeski, Bandırma, Gönen, Finike, Burdur, Serik, Biga, Tokat, Kars and Turhal Development Plans in 1947, Gaziantep Development Plan in 1948, Niksar and Tavşanlı Development Plans in 1970. His works in urban planning in return affected his architecture. He always studied architectural projects in their environmental context, trying to develop solutions to environmental problems. The I. Levent Housing Project which was developed with Rebii Gorbon during 1947-1957, and the 4th Levent Housing Project which was developed in 1954 are important examples of his achievements in that line.

Prof. Kemal Ahmet Aru, participated in a large number of architectural design competitions and received first prize for Ankara Police College (1940), İzmit Hotel, Municipal and Government Square (1948; with Gündüz Özdeş, Kemali Söylemezoğlu), Real Estate and Credit Bank, Atakoy Hotel (1956; with AHE Group), Headquarters of Real Estate and Credit Bank (1957; with AHE Group), Malatya Technical School of Agriculture (1960 with AHE Group), Diyarbakir University Campus (1971 with Yıldırım and Yalçın Sağlıkova and Emre Aru). He also received first prize in the International Design Competition for Taksim Vakiflar (Sheraton) Hotel in 1959 with AHE Group: Hande Suher, Tekin Aydın, Mehmet Ali Handan, Altay Erol and Yalçın Emiroğlu. The construction was completed in 1975.

Books published by Kemal Ahmet Aru are titled "Turkish Baths (Türk Hamamları, 1941), Housing Problems in Western Europe after the Second World War (İkinci Dünya Harbinden Sonra Garp Avrupasında Mesken Problemi, 1950), Development Plan Drawing Techniques (İmar Planlama Çalışmalarında Tersim Teknikleri, 1955 with G.Özdes), Pedestrians and Vehicles: New Transportation Arrangements in Urban Areas (Yayalar ve Taşıtlar: Şehir Dokusunda Yeni Ulaştırma Düzenleri, 1965), Turkish City (Türk Kenti, 1998), and Kemal Ahmet Aru, 80 Years of an Academician's Life (Bir Universite Hocasının 80 yılı, 2001).