37_AD283096

AD283096

TAKSÄ°M:EXPERIMENTING WITH NATURE-CULTURE CONTINUUM

A. PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH FOR THE DESIGN A.1. NATURE-CULTURE BIFURCATION There is a canonical narrative that bifurcates the cosmos—a narrative we are all familiar with, a narrative we are all born into. This narrative situates nature on one side, culture on the other. Such bifurcation of nature and culture forms a clear-cut boundary between human creations—like societal formations, artworks, buildings, and urban squares—and everything else generated by ecological forces. In the Euro-Mediterranean context, the canonical lineage of nature-culture bifurcation is cumulatively developed by philosophers, scientists, and architects, from Aristotle, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Augustine, and Alberti to Descartes, Linnaeus, Kant, and Le Corbusier. This narrative has been so formative in grounding our collective imaginary that it still continues, today, to be the default mode of thinking and practice with respect to the question of nature and culture. We have grounded almost all our ethical and aesthetic operations, epistemic and intellectual discourses, urban and architectural visions, even our everyday conducts and behaviors on the unquestioned validity of this bifurcation. What if, however, the validity of this deeply-entrenched bifurcation can—and indeed should—be questioned, especially at a time of increasing ecological catastrophes, at a time when we are witnessing the total bankruptcy of our instrumentalist approach to nature?

At first, bifurcating the cosmos into nature and culture might seem like an innocent categorical distinction. It isn’t. Nature-culture bifurcation is implicitly grounded on a hierarchical conception. That is, the distinction of nature and culture is not horizontal, but vertical. The premise of this vertical bifurcation is that cultural actors and creations are superior to natural agents and generations. Such hierarchy operates by assigning active and positive attributes to cultural actors, while reserving passive and negative attributes to natural agents. Through this hierarchical lens, we have been accustomed to conceiving cultural actors as active subjects and protagonists of life, while reducing natural agents to passive objects constituting life’s inconsequential background. We have been conditioned to imagining cultural beings as potent agents intrinsically producing actions, while reducing natural beings to impotent slaves on which actions can only extrinsically befall. We have been habituated to classify cultural actors as privileged beings capable of establishing exceptional relationships with time and history, open to progress and novelty, while reducing natural agents to nonhistorical entities and mechanical automata, frozen and outside of time. What if, however, bifurcating the cosmos into nature and culture is a massive misconception?

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A.2. NATURE-CULTURE CONTINUUM There is a heterodox path, a path rarely taken, paved by subterranean thinkers ranging from Heraclitus, Lucretius, and Ibn Arabi to Spinoza, Whitehead, and Simondon, which neither starts from bifurcating nature and culture, nor ends by elevating culture over nature. This is the path of nature-culture continuum.

Its starting point is that nature and culture are not distinct in the first place but are two different expressions of a single underlying continuum. This means there is no bifurcation, but continuity; there is no dichotomy, but confluence in cultural and natural operations. Its concluding point is that, insofar as nature and culture are not even distinct, there can be no hierarchy, no elevation of culture over nature, for nature and culture are immanent to each other—nature and culture constitute a horizontal continuum. Such is the radical premise of this seemingly simple idea: conceiving the relationship of nature and culture, no longer in terms of bifurcation and hierarchy, but in terms of continuity and horizontality. Architecture and urban design are yet to unearth the untapped potentials of nature-culture continuum.

A.3. TAKSÄ°M:EXPERIMENTING WITH NATURE-CULTURE CONTINUUM Designing Taksim can be an experimental first step in channeling nature-culture continuum into the milieu of architecture and urbanism. In its contextual formation, Taksim is ripe for such undertaking, as its history is full of fragmentary patches, bifurcating the urban space into self-contained parks and recreational elements on one side, and architectural formations (from barracks and opera houses to temporary structures) and majestic public squares on the other. Taksim can become a laboratory of fusing cultural and natural forces.

Our design scheme conceives a topological nature-culture continuum underlying Taksim, from which four different design layers emerge and express its different dimensions. Ecological (1) and urban (2) topographies constitute the horizontal levels: our feet touch the ground on their fusion. Wood patterns (3) and architectural constructs (4) constitute the vertical levels: we experience the multi-dimensionality of space and time in relation to their surrounding qualities and imbricated layout. Our aim is to formulate a design notation that can speak both the language of an underlying topological continuum recognizing no break or bifurcation, and the language of aforementioned design layers, whose different gradations sometimes blur into one another by finding common channels, and at other times express their singular voices and unpack their own unique potentials. For the first stage of the project, we have only planted the seeds, we have yet to further cultivate the design language of nature-culture continuum ourselves. Our aim, in the end, is to transform Taksim into an alchemical stage blending metropolitan events and wild ecologies.

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B.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF TAKSIM SQUARE B.1.1 UNDERSTANDING THE SQUARE

18th Century

Urban life can be understood and felt in streets, gaps or urban squares, although urban texture is defined and formed by the steady and passive objects - buildings -. In these outdoor spaces, people can find opportunities to encounter with the society, living and non-living things. These spaces are in complex form of urban piece which is continuously in motion and in change, that causes developing or declining of the urban space by creating new layers, patterns, experiences etc. The relations of people had/have/may have with the space and the meanings that are attributed to the space by its users are the essential key for the motion and change.

Ayaspasa Cemetery Armenian Cemetery

An urban space can be spatialized or not, depending on its quality and features concerning the scale, context, meaning and life experience on people. The spatialization step of a space by being surrounded with buildings, by giving change for meeting, gathering, socializing, spreading and passing opportunities for the users creates the urban square.

Maksem (1732)

B.1.2 FROM GRAVEYARD TO URBAN VOID / A HISTORICAL TAKSIM STUDY

Ayaspasa Cemetery

French Consulate (1794)

Taksim Square, today, can be defined as a platform on Beyoglu - Sisli axis, that lost its square being feature by the time but still can be seen as a reference point, commercial and transportation transfer center, the meeting point for the social life of the city.

In the 19th century, Beyoğlu stands out as a major attraction, and even considered as a new city center.

The city has grown on the axis of Kabataş / Cihangir and Şişli / Nişantaşı and has been included in this attraction by creating an urban texture in a very Western way. The focus of this urban texture was Taksim, which was also the gate of Pera. But Taksim was a meadow with two large barracks, a Greek church and two embassy buildings, as well a recreational area where the urban texture was dissolved and presented the Bosphorus views.

With the declaration of the Republic, planned zoning movements and urban design works were started.

In 1928, the first monument of the republic, the Republic Monument, was opened. Along with this, the concept of Taksim Square emerged, leading the Taksim Square to become a strong urban space and to be seen as a symbol of the new state. The monument was especially of great importance for the importance for the public use of the square and the development of its surroundings.

With the Prost Plan, the most important central park of Istanbul, İnönü Gezisi was built in place of the Artillery Barracks, with the concept of public spaces, according to the urbanism rules of the day without changing the scenario of Taksim Void until that time. The green area in the hippodromic geometry between İnönü Gezisi and AKM and Marmara Hotels - which was constructed as a result of the culture and tourism moves - turned into a big median junction for traffic and the monument became a mini roundabout. Taksim is no longer a square in this new plan scheme.

Rapid increase in urban migration causes the high density of the vehicle. This leads of opening a new road axis for transportation to the area and opening of Tarlabaşı Boulevard. İstiklal St. was pedestrianised and caused the monument to remain as a pointless nose at the end of the street and to lose its form and scale. The area has become a forgotten square with a strange size, and has lost its spatiality.

The only possible mediums that this area gained the identity of the square was the rallies. May 1, 1977 rally is the most important social experience of Taksim for becoming a square. This fake square was perceived as a square when it was filled with human density. It is possible to see another example of this in Gezi Park Events.

1920s Armenian Church

Talimhane

Taskisla Barracks (1848)

Taksim Garden (1865) Artillery Barracks (1804) Barrack’s Barns

German Consulate (1877) Aya Triada Greek Church (1880)

In the near future, moves such as the demolition and reconstruction of the AKM, the construction of the Taksim Mosque, the huge reinforced concrete platform formed by the Taksim Square pedestrianization project lead Taksim to turn into an ideological conflict scene. Today at this point, the Taksim void is a platform where the fragmented green tissue around it dissolves and ends.

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Taksim Region Green Areas Analysis

Gümüşsuyu Barracks (1861)

Taksim Region Solar Map

Ayaspasa Cemetery

1930

1930-1950 Tennis & Fencing & Mountaning Club (1943) Municipality Music Parcelisation of Hall (1939) Talimhane (1930s) İnönü Gezi Park (1942) Kristal Music Hall (1938) Republic Monument (1928)

Republic Monument (1928)

1975-1990

Hilton Hotel (1954)

1950-1975

Commercial Units & Art Gallery Beyoglu Wedding Center (1950s)

Divan Hotel (1956)

Sheraton Hotel (1975) Ataturk Library (1975)

İstanbul Culture Palace (1969) Marmara Hotel (1975)

ŞU AN 5.5 K KARAKTER HEDEF 2.5-3 K 1990-2013

2013-TODAY

Grand Hyatt Hotel (1999)

Tarlabasi Blvd. (1986) Metro (1999)

Suzer Plaza (1999)

Taksim Sq. Pedestrianisation Project New AKM building Taksim Mosque

Pedestrianisation of Istiklal St. (1990)

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B.2.1. EVALUTION ABOUT IF TAKSIM IS A SQUARE OR A VOID? Taksim is a public area that has been constituted by the government in order to create an urban square to represent all Republic. This public area has been exposed to many extensions and extractions in its historical process, it has arisen a regularly expanding city center/city void. Today at this point, Taksim area is almost doubled itself as the result of pedestrianisation project in 2013,the old Cumhuriyet street became the part of the walkable area by deplacing traffic flow to the underground passage ways. The newly composed area has abandoned its perception of being square, it has became a hyperthropic situation and turned into a giant formless and disproportional void in the city (Diagram A&B). This void may find vertical surfaces to border itself on the south and west directions, but on the other directions, there is the lack of cartesian enclose neither physical way nor contextual way (Diagram C). The relations of the void with surrounding openings have different proportions; on the south and west directions, they are in street scale, human wide texture is decomposing through the void from the sidewise regions; but on north and east directions, broad openings are facing the void. (Diagram D) Especially in these directions, the void can find ways to escape and enlarge itself. For those reasons, to set a physical border to the void, to define the void as a square is not possible.

TAKSIM VOID

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A - EXISTING TAKSIM VOID

B - UNDERSTANDING THE BORDERS OF THE VOID

C - RELATIONS OF TAKSIM VOID WITH VERTICAL SURFACES

D - BREAKS OF TAKSIM VOID WITH OPENINGS

B.2.1. EVALUTION ABOUT IF TAKSIM IS A SQUARE OR A VOID?

1. UNCERTAINITY OF SQUARE BORDERS

By the studies upon the past and today of the Taksim Void, 3 main factors are determined as preventing this void to be an urban square.

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1.1. INABILITY OF DEFINING SQUARE EDGES

1.2. LACK OF SPECIFIC LANDMARK TO BE CONNECTED WITH SQUARE

2. ABSENCE OF CONNECTION

1.Uncertainity of square borders: as the Taksim Void has the lack of physical vertical surfaces or contextual surfaces to enclose its edges, it is not possible to set a border-wise spatial definition for the square.(Diagram 1.1) Beside of this, the square cannot be connected directly to any building or landmark around its periphery although there is an historical building which gave the name for the place, or monument that was the key factor of publicising this area. So, it is not possible to evaluate a border by following the traces, axis or spatial affects of these structures next to the Taksim Void. (Diagram 1.2)

2.1. HORIZONTAL ABSENCE OF CONNECTION

2.2. VERTICAL ABSENCE OF INTERCONNECTION

2.Absence of Connection: the relation of Taksim Void with the surrounding buildings and areas is problematic because of a disaxial expansion and elongation and because of being a junction for cars than a square for people. As a result, the void shows an absence of interconnection with the periphery. a. Horizontal Absence of Connection (Diagram 2.1): First, although the Republic Monument is the activator of the “Taksim Square�, today it got lost proportionally and formally inside the blank and remained attached to the side of the blank. Two public buildings, AKM and Marmara Hotel, that have a great value on Taksim History, are not physically related to the blank because of car roads. Even if Maksem and its historical water storage building have a physiological connection, they cannot participate in the area in a dialectic way and act as a historical wall. The perceptional and proportional tension difference of Istiklal St. and the blank causes a breakdown of their relation.

3. LACK OF SOCIAL SURFACES

b. Vertical Absence of Connection (Diagram 2.2): The very first contact with the Taksim when joined the area by vehicles/metro is huge and dark underground platform. This platform has no interaction with the ground surface level and has its own dimension. The vertical absence of connection between these two dimensions prevents the blank from being a comprehensive urban square.

3.1. INADEQUATE SOCIAL PLACES TO BE IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE SQUARE

3.2. SINGLE&DISCONNECTED LANDSCAPE UNITS / FEELING OF LONELINESS IN GIANT NAKED SPACE

3. Lack Of Social Surfaces: Although Taksim Void is known as the gathering place for meetings, activities etc. at the same time it is a spreader place in a short time. The area has no attraction points, social layers, activity spaces for itself to make a desire of going and staying around. There is no enough social places to communicate with the square around of it like cafes, restraurants or free sitting units (Diagram 3.1). Difference of level between Gezi Park and area surface averts to perceive them together, so area needs its own landscape units even being next to a giant green space. But these landscape units today are either single and disconnected from each other, or too big/high comparing to human scale, this situtation causes the feeling of loneliness in the giant naked space. (Diagram 3.2)

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B.2.2 WHY COMMUNAL MEETING SPACES (SQUARES) SHOULD BE DISCUSSED? Starting from the Greek Agora, which defines multiple functional purposes and the city’s identity in its historical life and then continuing with the Roman Forums, the squares came to the fore as public spaces, with mostly defined and specific forms, that developed as idea/expression areas, holding together the city’s landmarks in the Middle Ages.

The squares were closed forms with architectural structures around them for a long time until the 19th century. Especially with the isolated building form that emerged with modernism and the spread of the residences that form historical squares to the suburbs, the square form based on the continuity of the facades started to change. (Fauole 1995) With the awareness of Democracy in 19-20th centuries, it has become an encountering place that has adapted to the daily life practices of the city and citizens, rather than belonging to the building/structures. The cities were considered as livable and equalizing spaces in a public sense impressive spectacular arrangements by a modernist urban understanding. Changing life practices have been the determinant factor in the spatial / formal aspects.Today, since the perception of public square is reduced from society to the individual and it targets encountering rather than gathering, the necessity to discuss about tomorrow and the concept of the square - literally; flat, open, wide place where most of the people gather, surrounded by buildings - has emerged.

TODAY?

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Partial Green

Residential Tourism

Unwalkable Individuality

Partial Green

Passage

Urban Memory

To Move x To Stand

Hypertrophy

d un

ro rg e d x

Un

T

A

Spirit/lessness

Encountering

Spread of Movement

RY HISTO Y ISTOR

S

E HR

ro

g ev bo

NON-H

HO

LD

d un

Memory SYMBOL

Voice / Expression User Repellant

Culture

Flow

Multifaceted Center

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C. DESIGN C.1. PLACE MAKING Taksim can be perceived as a place only if it is free. The first condition for liberation is to be in balance - both a natural and cultural climate. This situation culturally has a political area- a place is political by nature of identity-, creating a relation between the locals and the nature. To be free is an option.

The place extending from microcosmos to macrocosmos - this loose space, Taksim - is perceived by the fluidity of the mental map where the conceptual and spatially timeless superposed states, programs, installations have been built into the cultural events of the inhabitants of the city. For this reason, the Taksim Square, which has been almost ghosted for decades because of mental and vital discontinuities that have been postponed, will be rebuilt as if it were an organism in the vital overlaps we have foreseen.

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1-DETERMINING THE FLOWS OF THE MOVEMENT

2- EXTENSION OF TRAM THROUGH AKM AND HARBIYE AXIS

3-VORONOI PATTERN THROUGH FLOWS AND TRAM TRACE

4- COMPOSING OF GROUND SURFACE TRACES THROUGH FLOWS AND VORONOIS

C.2. DESIGN APPROACH Daily movement flows is considered to understand the possible borders of the needed square surface to have adequate movement area. Historical tram is elongated through the hippodromical area between Gezi Park - AKM - Marmara Hotels by making a stop for AKM and continues through the Harbiye axis until the end of the walkable area on its historical trace before its turn back considered as the Republic Monument. The platform between these movement flow axis and tram is a potential intervention area. Voronoi pattern is constituted on this area as a guide to smaller intervention zones. Voronoi algoritm is the principal for the cell division, this algoritm is a big force on making structures.

Today, Taksim is a platform where fragmented green tissue around it dissolves and ends, can be considered as the end of the nature. It is ruled by great size of hardscapes. Our design scheme suggests liberation of this area by nature-culture continuum to make Taksim platform as a place. Thus, the topography of Taksim platform is reinterpreted by vertical movements both in ecological and urban dimensions. The urban platform is distorted by vertical movements through voronoi cells to create activity areas, amphis, sunken plazas etc. On ecological dimension, trees are injected for the continuity of the green pattern of Gezi Park. The composed trees matrix is reduced itself to create spaces for the spatial necessities of the Taksim itself.

5 - NEAR SURROUNDING EXISTING TREES

6 - SUGGESTED TREES MATRIX ON VORONOI PATTERN

7- SPATIAL REDUCEMENT IN TREES MATRIX

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C.3. EXISTING - CONTINUITY - NEGOTATION - ELONGATION 1-EXISTING In the existing situation, Taksim Void is a naked platform with a fragmented green park on a side. The only possible shadow ,ecological features and shading elements are in this park.

2- CONTINUITY The nature itself conceives a topological nature-culture continuum underlying the public level, the ground, Taksim. Taksim can become a laboratory of fusing cultural and natural forces.

3-NEGOTATION The proposed trees matrix creates new spaces by decreasing, by dissolving itself to negotiate with the place itself and its spatial necessities.

4-ELONGATION The proposed trees matrix finds opportunities to elongate through the escape points, non vertically closed parts of theTaksim Void.

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PLAN 01 -SQUARE LEVEL PLAN (RELATIONS OF THE VORONOI TRACE GROUND LEVEL)

PLAN 02 - TREES MATRIX LEVEL PLAN (RELATIONS OF THE TREES WITH VORONOI AND SPATIAL VOIDS)

PLAN 03 - TREES MATRIX LEVEL PLAN (FLOWS ON GROUND BETWEEN TREES MATRIX)

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PERSPECTIVE 1 -FROM METRO ACCESS TO ISTIKLAL ST. -

PERSPECTIVE 2 -FROM ISTIKLAL ST TO

PERSPECTIVE 3A -ACTIVITY AREA-

PERSPECTIVE 3B -ACTIVITY AREA AS REFLECTIVE POOL-

PERSPECTIVE 4 -NEXT TO GEZI PARK-

MONUMENT-

PERSPECTIVE 5ACTIVITY AREA FROM AKM

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2

1 3 4

D. ORGANISATION CHART FOR THE 2ND STAGE

ARCHITECTURE & URBAN PLANNING

CITY PLANNING

INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER

PHILOSOPHY

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

LIGHTING DESIGN

SCULPTURER

OPEN AREA ACOUSTIC DESIGNER

GUIDANCE DESIGNER

ECOLOGIST

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