Corner Details in Mimar Sinan’s Structures: An Analysis of the Determining Factors in Their Form

The practice of chamfering or angling the corners of building walls or surrounding walls, particularly in narrow or congested streets, is a universal practice commonly used in both civil and monumental architecture. This detail is referred to by various names in architecture, including “corner chamfer,” “corner cutting,” “corner breaking,” “wall chamfer,” or in Turkish, “çal köşe” or “çalık köşe.” This article investigates the application of this detail in monumental architecture, with a particular focus on Mimar Sinan’s structures. Beyond its functional purpose, this detail enhances the visual composition of the building, depending on the materials and transitional elements employed, can establish the building as a key focal point within its urban context. The study investigates the factors that prompted the use of corner details and factors determining the formation of detail. The selected examples are classified according to their forms and analyzed based on the relationships between the structure-street, structure-structure, structure-parcel layout. The conclusion reveals that it was observed that the dimensions of corner details emerge in relation to the street fabric or other buildings that make up the architectural ensemble, as well as the locations of the structures and their relationships with one another. Moreover, it is observed that, alongside aesthetic considerations, the size of the chamfered detail plays a significant role in determining its form.