BAHÇEŞEHİR UNIVERSITY · CAMPUS & EDUCATION
A university’s future takes shape in the places it creates for learning, research and shared life. BAU Campus brings these ambitions together within Istanbul’s historic urban fabric.
As a member of the Bahçeşehir University Board of Trustees, Saygın Şenel contributes to the development of BAU Campus and to the university’s long-term outlook. His approach connects the quality of the physical environment with the opportunities it opens up for students, academics and new ideas.
Architecture in service of education
With 32,000 square metres of indoor space, an 889-square-metre library and a 490-seat conference hall, BAU Campus combines a substantial architectural undertaking with an extensive educational infrastructure. Laboratories serving fields including robotics, genetics, energy and biomedical research give academic work room to develop beyond the classroom.
The campus is conceived as a whole: places for concentrated study sit alongside spaces for discussion, cultural activity and encounters across disciplines. Its relationship with the surrounding city and its historical setting is part of that educational experience.
A platform of opportunities
The idea of a “Platform of Opportunities” places scientific thinking, entrepreneurship and young people’s capacity to create at the centre of university life. Buildings and technology become valuable through what they enable: a student testing a proposition, a researcher developing an experiment, or a team turning an idea into a venture.
Şenel’s contribution as a trustee reflects this connection between the university’s institutional future and the everyday conditions in which learning takes place. Sustainability, academic quality and the ability to respond to technological change are considered together.
Historical continuity: Gazi Osman Paşa Yalısı
The return of Gazi Osman Paşa Yalısı to university life adds a distinct historical dimension to the campus. Its architectural character and educational history connect the institution’s present ambitions with the memory of the place.
Explore the Gazi Osman Paşa Yalısı project (Turkish) →
Further reading
BAU Campus official website ↗ · The first meeting with administrative teams →