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Site analysis: Taksim evolution and uses

ry s le il ck t a r r A ar b

k

s

e

s a M a k t

Existing

m i m

Demolished

BUILDING TIMELINE

c li t u b en e p um R on M

G

e P

z a

i r

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TAKSIM USES: Past and Present “Taksim was designed as the Place of the Republic. Now it is the place of people.Whenever we wanted to protest against something we go there, whenever we want to celebrate, we go there” ( The Case of Beyoğlu, Istanbul,Dimensions of Urban Re-development, Technische Universität Berlin Urban Management Program,Berlin 2014 p.140)

At cu atu c e ltu rk n ral te r

o tr s e k M or w

1928 Ghazy Day celebration

1954

Istanbul liberation celebration (”Republic Square”)

1977

May Day Demonstration (”May Day Square”)

2013

Gezi Park Protests (Square of the people)

2018

Festival and concerts

1980-2000

i c f f ass a p r r T de un

im k s ue Ta osq M

p ar e d ea e s

tr

ia

n

“It is its fragmented identity that gives Taksim its special symbolic value. Its variety goes from “place of the Republic” to meeting point for shopping,from its historical relevance to “access point” to the city.” ( The Case of Beyoğlu, Istanbul,Dimensions of Urban Re-development, p.136)


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Site analysis: is Taksim Square a resilient public space? CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGIES

Resilient element: Gezi Park

INCREASE IN GREEN AREAS

NATURAL VENTILATION

SHADED AREAS

NO-REFLECTIVE MATERIALS

GREEN MOBILITY

Main problems: -Urban heat island -Enviromental pollution

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE STRATEGIES Resilient element: Multietnicity

Resilient element: Cultural activities Resilient element: Mobility

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT

INCLUSIVE SPACES AND CITIZEN PARTECIPATION

ACCESSIBLE SPACES

PUBLIC SERVICES

LIGHTING AND SAFETY Main problems: - Gentrification - Accessibility - Unsafety

INFO POINT


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Site analysis: is Taksim Square a place people can enjoy?


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Project s trategies


THE SQU ARE

THE BO ULEVAR D

THE PARK

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Becoming Taksim Square


bicycle lane elevated walkway playground areas restaurant/cafè elevators kiosk/infopoint green equipped areas souk/makethalle bikesharing corner outdoor gym corners media/live music/movies

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Functions proposal


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Focus: the square


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Focus: square design

1:1000

Main point of attraction: the monument Secondary points of attraction: metro stops

Main axis of the square Links to the new activities

New center of the square

1:1000

MAKSEM= WATER TAKSIM= DISTRIBUTION CONNECTION

FLUID DESIGN

FREEDOM OF THE USER TO TAKE POSSESION OF THE SQUARE SU B J EC T I V E LY


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Raised path: a new area for living Taksim Square


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Focus: the boulevard

Market: flexible space Artisan workshop and market

Spaces for temporary uses

Local food market and coffee bar

Market: flexibility during the day

DAY 0

AFTERNOON

NIGHT 24 H


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Focus: the boulevard

SHELTER MARKET STAND

CONNECTION AXES BETWEEN THE JUNGLE AND GEZI PARK

Elevated walkways level

Gezi Park level Boulevard level


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Gezi Park: a green dynamic space

A quiet spot in the park where drinking a coffee or a tea or having lunch with family after a walk

Small wooden houses immersed in the park, equipped with wifi technology and screens for film and documentary projections. The wooden structure has a small stage where you can freely perform in live concerts with friends

Equipped with all the necessary for giving to the children the best time ever in the park

A gym corner with the most popular athletes equipment, which use smart technology that produces electricity and energy during use for charging portable devices

In a strategic point between the park and the square, an infopoint available to citizens and tourists to receive all the information on transport, schedules and activities in the area

Public toilets for all the area users


URBAN JUNGLE THEMATIC PATHS

Bicycle l a n e

Symbolic P a t h

path composed of plants with a strong symbolic value for Turkey and Istanbul

Olfactory P a t h path strewn with typical aromatic essences of Turkish cuisine.

T u l i p a :

Mint

Corylus colurna:

D i l l

one of the symbol of Turkey

also known by the name of Constantinople Hazel

Bike sharing and info point

Thyme

Benefits brought by the inclusion of an intensive green area in highly urbanized zone such as Taksim Square:

F I L T E R FOR TRAFFIC & NOISE POLLUTION

R E D U C E S URBAN HEAT ISLAND E F F E C T

I M P R O V E S ENVIRONMENTAL &PSYCHOLOGICAL C O M F O R T

PROMOTE THE KNOWLEDGE OF LOCAL PLANTS S P E C I E S

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Focus: urban jungle


These features have generated an incredible urban kinetic energy of Taksim Square, whose potential weakens its identity. The process that led us to the development of the project was carried out through a design approach divided into four phases: • a first phase of investigation in which all the characteristics of the square were carefully analyzed through the study of the viability, of the historical elements and of the sociological aspects; • a second phase that led to the choice of the project strategy and the study of the brand identity that the square should have in relation to the use of the spaces, the affordances, the resilience present on the square and the various hierarchies that the individual existing elements would have had; • a third phase in which we developed the project concept, through the definition of the socio-cultural guidelines, the scanning of the areas within the district, the requalification of critical issues and the intrinsic and extrinsic connections. Guidelines were then used as a common thread for the entire development of the project; • a fourth phase in which we were finally able of developing the architectural project, with a focus on the areas and their connections. The initial study revealed that the square represents a large urban void surrounded by elements that made the area the subject of various socio-political debates. The perimeter area consists of mainly residential and commercial blocks in addition to the university area, placed north of the project area. The area is also located at the end of Istiklal avenue which represents a crowded pedestrian boulevard, connecting the Beyoglu district with the old part of the city, making the lower part of the square a large traffic conveyor. The square is also affected by an important perimeter driveway traffic and the bus and metro stops make it a real urban station. The project area also includes the important Gezi Park, positioned on a podium raised above the square which today represents a green lung for the neighborhood, albeit lacking specific functions and often unused. Inside the square there is the historic monument of the republic sculpted by Pietro Canonica in 1928 and, immediately adjacent to it, there is is the new mosque. They are both connected to the Cumhuriyet Boulevard, almost devoid of permanent functions. Within the area, there are no urban features that divide the area in relation of their functions. The need to dispose of the intense traffic has been a problem over the years for the interpretation of the square and the development of a space-functional division of the area. Furthermore, this large urban void, thanks to its magnitude, has become a landmark when it comes to holding events of various nature. All this has caused a strong kinetic energy that is difficult to manage from both a socio-cultural and environmental point of view. The idea and the project strategy come from the desire of enhancing this urban kinetic energy and incorporate the square within the new district, a “popular magnet” where Istanbul meets to relax, do business, entertain, enjoy life and share experiences. A large urban hub whose spaces connect users through needs, their sensations and their desires. Making Taksim Squares a large reservoir of activities. This is the idea at the basis of our project, which was inspired by the Maksem aqueduct and its ancient path of water. The transformation of this district is intended to be a key urban renewal project for Beyoglu. An unrepeatable opportunity to create a destination not to be missed, that includes outdoor activities, resting areas and spaces for events, all connected through a series of green systems, resting areas and paths for athletes and cyclists. According to our design team, there is only one way to do it well: create a new brand that captures the hearts and minds of the people who use the area. Every decision we made during the design process was about how to attract them and how to get them back. Day by day. Making the area easier to use and more compelling, designed to meet the different needs of different users as a large exchanger place. The idea is to create a place also for families who take their children to play, students who come together to study, art enthusiasts who enjoy an outdoor exhibition, community meetings for events, local residents who relax in their “courtyard”, tourists discovering public art and scenic spots or local craftsmen. Beside all these events and activities, the Taksim Square project will make the city more connected. There will be the addition of a barrier, an urban jungle between the driveways and the new pedestrian areas within the project. In fact, this natural filter wishes to be like an intensive green lung filled with a lot of native species that improve the urban habitat and reduce pollution thanks to the increase in the number of trees, using CO2 as a fertilizer. Another important goal is to decrease the “urban heat island” effect, improving the biodiversity of living species and making the neighborhood safer, more pleasant and healthier. Shaded areas will be introduced thanks to the design of an eco-friendly wooden canopy that will allow users to relax on the slopes designed specifically as resting areas. The overlying part of the shelter is thought to be a large panoramic route with artistic routes, points of view and a bike lane. There will be a clear distinction between pedestrian and bike-pedestrian areas, the latter stimulated by the design of an info-point with integrated bike sharing to guide tourists. From a functional point of view, the project marks the area in three connected and integrated macro spaces: the new Suk Cumhuriyer, the Gezi park and Taksim square. These three macro areas will create a subdivision between centrifugal and centripetal spaces conveying order and socio-spatial harmony to the Taksim district. Gezi Park, with its raised path, will become an incubator of outdoor activities and the differences in height with the underlying areas will become a real resting area. The Cumhuriyer will become a new artisan Souk to give space to the traditions of the Beyoglu district. Inside Piazza Taksim, however, the design approach is more than ever sociological. Its design has in fact been constantly evolving over the centuries, as it has been recognized as a public space, but with many political and religious influences. While this aspect is striking for its breadth as an empty space in contrast with the density of the urban fabric, it lacks distinctive spatial characteristics that could improve its identity. Nowadays this area is just a hard and monotonous space that provides a flat platform for sporadic events and daily transit, but has little identity, insensitive interaction and poor self identity. To reinvent it, while keeping its main spatial properties intact, the project consists in painting the ground with a fluid and colorful scheme. An iconographic model that creates new areas through a bidimensional geometric painting, modifying the spatial sensation without hindering it. The lines that cross the square allow its users to reinterpret the public spatiality, therefore it generates a new square, in which the color significantly changes the general appearance of the place, acquiring a surprising identity. This action produces a social phenomenon that catalyzes new uses and changes in the surrounding area, modernizing the space to transform it into a very intense city center, which was already present but has now been improved. This project focuses on deepening spatial experience as an architectural concept. It aims to transform a space through a delicate but significant change in the individual experience of its inhabitants. Incorporate these changes by renewing their uses and symbolism. It is a highly proprioceptive proposal, in which users movements are influenced by the work of geometry and colors, exploring the context of body-space relationships and providing unique spatial characteristics that allow a high degree of recognition for its inhabitants. The idea was therefore born from making the square as a “Brand” for the square itself, respecting all the existing historical and cultural elements. An eco-sustainable idea that listens to the needs of those who live the area and it’s easily adjustable according to what future socio-cultural evolutions will take place. This design approach will require a deeper analysis through the in-depth analysis of social issues and its future orientations, in addition to the important scientific studies to be carried out to improve the current pollution and environmental conditions.

PROJECT COORDINATOR: 1 Architect

DESIGN TEAM: 3 Architects 1 Landscape architect 1 Urban planner

STAGE 2

STAGE 1

OPERATIVE TEAM: 3 Assistants

STAGE 1

STAGE 1

STAGE 1

PROJECT COORDINATOR: 1 Architect

DESIGN TEAM: 3 Architects

STAGE 2

ORGANIZATION CHART Stage 1 -Stage 2

OPERATIVE TEAM: 3 Assistants 1 Sociologist 1 Botanist

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Taksim Square is a symbolic space in the city of Istanbul. Located within the Beyoglu district, it represents a vibrant urban space that pulsates at all hours of the day and throughout the year. This heterogeneity was in fact the key element through which we developed our project. Piazza Taksim is indeed a collector of various flows of bike, pedestrian and vehicular traffic which, however, cannot meet the needs of a neighborhood that has always stood out for its dynamism. The square has always been the subject of various socio-political debates in an attempt to give it an original identity, without perhaps considering that this may be its true original identity, and generating an unresolved and undefined use of public space. The area has a chaotic and disorganized aspect: there is the presence of greenery which is barely used, and there is a pedestrian area that is devoid of functions. The area is used by bikes but they share the space with pedestrians, there are commercial activities but they are sporadic, there are metro stations but they are scarcely identifiable. Furthermore, the absence of indicators, shadow areas, areas for carrying out activities is undeniable.


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