1900-1920
1920-1940
1940-1960
1960-1980
2000-Today
1980-2000
D5A2H9P4
1900-1920
GREEN SYSTEM
HUMAN TOPOGHRAPHY Taksim is the heart of Istanbul and Istanbul is the city where cultures meet literally and historically. Every day of the year, day and night, people pour to Taksim. Metaphorically, Taksim shapes people; in turn, people shape Taksim, thus the notion of human topography: People arrive, people meet, people wait, people rest, people celebrate, people remember, people vindicate their rights, people work, people move or cross, people share ideas, people inform themselves and take responsibility about the city, people sell, people buy, people read or pray, people participate in a concert, in a meeting, in an institutional or anti-institutional manifestation, people eat and take a drink, people contact with nature trees, birds and water. The movements of the square, grades, slopes, embankments, plans, lighting, and shadows, adapt themselves to the topography of the place and the richness of this human topography in different seasons with sun, rain, wind or snow. Taksim and Gezi Park is the place where territory and city meet, is the place where nature and artifice connect. Human topography of Taksim continually changes during the years adapting to the socio-political climate of the country and the world. This social and physical transformation of urban space brings new typologies to the public realm and manifest itself on the architecture and lifestyle. In the first place, before the Military Barracks emerge, Taksim was a periurban, mostly cemetery site called “Gardens of cities.” Later, the area, “Taksim Garden,” become the first public park of Istanbul, During the Military Barracks time, the courtyard and the surroundings of the building have significant use for outdoor military exercises, social gatherings, and sports. In a sense, landscape and artifice are inseparable and from the beginning: they do not exist as discrete units in the urban landscape but become a stage for one and other. We pursue a similar notion to our project because we believe a collision will start if they become individual entities of capitalist world views.
Gezi Park and Taksim square coexist in the middle of a very dense urban matrix. Even though their physical properties are distinct, this duality constructs an interdependence of functions and complexity of discourses and actions. The present project recognizes the richness of relationships between nature and artifice, and the plurality of uses in such a vast urban space. Gezi Park is essential than ever in the midst of climate change, and the public space is more critical than ever for social cohesion and equity. Thus this project focuses both on mitigating the effects of climate change and providing a breath of new public functions. .The project starts with seeking elements to create a sense of space. A military barracks historically defined the border of the Gezi Park and provided the square a distinct and clear urban scale. The demolition of the barracks opened the space with a powerful connection to the surrounding green areas, but the square lost its enclosure and legibility. The project does not build the old border. Instead, it develops a strategy to recover the spatially and socially coherent public space. In the project, we will use material content to represent the confluence of people and cultures. The diversity of stones, colors, textures will tell a lot about the importance of cultural diversity as a powerful and necessary element to construct public spaces in contemporary society The current human topography is diverse and with ever-changing needs and expectations from a public space. People with different ethnic and religious backgrounds and nationalities pours to Taksim every day. Also, different age groups and people with various levels of abilities/ disabilities utilize the space. It is a twenty-four-hour flow of people every day of the year..
In the project. we will use material content to represent the confluence of people and cultures. The diversity of stones.colors. textures will tell a lot about the importance of cultural diversity as a powerful and necessary element to construct public spaces in contemporary society. We will also use water to explain the identity of the space. Taksim means, confluence historically confluence of the hydraulic system. In the project. water becomes the support for artistic. reflective. and scenographic interventions as a mirror reflecting a piece of sky or the faces of people and nature.
Existing green areas look fragmented due to historical land use development, mainly occurred after the 1950s. Park No 2 of the Prost Plan changed by the invasion of the hotel and some military campus functions and dissected by transportation Networks, hence diminished in ecological value. The coastal line lack green parks. The main axes of movement lack greening to provide a comfortable walk, especially in summer times. TRANSPORTATION
In addition. we will emphasize diversity not only socio-culturally but also biologically. Biodiversity will become a main theme in connecting people with nature. It will be a lens within which people will understand future technology.
The accessibility of the competition site is possible by different modes of transportation medium and pedestrian ways. Subway and sea transportation brings people from everywhere in the metropolitan area while the public bus and dolmuş also serve to bring people to their jobs and schools everyday. And yet, a significant number of people uses their vehicle which creates traffic jam during the rush hours. LANDMARKS
Taksim square and surrounding environments are the most vibrant areas in terms of historically and culturally significant landmarks nor only from the Byzantian and Ottoman times but also in the Republican era. This rich cultural mosaic reflects a multinational, multicultural, multi-religion context that is unique to the site. The area is not only a center for education, business, and commerce but also a hub of social and political discourses and actions.
1 : 2000 MASTER PLAN
SPATIAL PROPOSALS The proposed green system relies on the existing parks and approaches to the city from a green network point of view. Gezi Park is an essential part of the urban ecology. Because the urban mosaic is very congested, the opportunities are related to the infrastructure lines and coastal front. We propose opening up the garden of the Ataturk Library to the public, and also utilizing the green patch on the other side of the street towards the east as a water retention park. will serve as public recreational space. is currently fragmented by construction sites along the Kabataş- Fındıklı direction. Once the underground transportation projects finish, the waterfront can be a green corridor along the sea. In the green system scheme,
We also propose a coastal green park system which is currently fragmented by construction sites along the Kabataş- Fındıklı direction. Once the underground transportation projects finish, the waterfront can be a green corridor along the sea. In the green system scheme, we also propose a green rail system which is successfully working for Izmir, for instance. The tramway from Kabataş to Historical Peninsula can be much greener. Last, of all, we propose improving the tree cover of all the primary street axes flowing in and out of the Taksim area. These street greening can also benefit from bioswales and rain gardens to collect urban runoff, which is a novel strategy in the proposed project. We propose a loop around the Ataturk Library lot to ease the rush hour traffic on the Taskisla junction. There is a closed street between the library and the military site. This road is also a need for vehicle access to the new AKM building parking structure on the east.
D5A2H9P4
PLAN 1:500 0
5
±
ecological bridge and playground
10
20
30
meters 40
Along the new border. horizontal volumes. with dry. potentially removable structures. provide new public cultural services to citizens and tourists: I) a new Urban Center with information __eoint. multimedia rooms. coffee. librarll. and reading rooms. and the Taksim Information Center 2) The Green House is a Museum of 8iodiversity and Green Technologies exhibiting the complexity and the richness of Turkish Landscape 3) The promenade ending with a vertical boardwalk opening to the sightseeing of the Bosphorus. and 4) Little pavilions. pergolas provide specific places to enjoy local traditions such as the tea house. The structures have been developed with profound attention to maintain all the existing mature trees with punctual reimplantation of some elements with the little dimension or in a critical condition. The proposal includes new green areas and shady places inside the s9uare. The s9uare becomes the place of a new landscape where nature and artifice meet to create a better environment for a democratic. fre.and pleasant use oi the open space. water that is in the essence of the toponomy of the place: Taksim place of confluences. is one of the materials of the project. and it is involved in the project for it s ambient and technical value.
Taksim Museum and metro access
airport shuttle stop
The project maintains and restores some of the existing historical structures. walls. little steps. platforms as a symbol of the entire transformation resulted from the superposition of different histories and ages. It speaks about the history of this place through its stones. We maintain the central fountain. the dolphin fountain. the Republic Monument and its surroundings. all the existing mature trees. and of course. the general sections o fthe levels. The central space. now is an empty and anonymous place. in the project become the place for flexible programs and new urban landscapes. The inclined plane ends with a water basin where spontaneous vegetation becomes the place to host birds and microfauna and provide novel water harvesting and a changing atmosphere and use during the year. In front of the Marmara Hotel. A new Open Air informal theater is the place where the project redesigns the relation between the underground lite with the complex network of connections and transportation system and the square and direct relationship with the new Opera House. The design guarantee full accessibility to disabled people with inclined plan connections transformed in an opportunity to design inspiring spaces and perspectives along the pathways. In th design of publi space. details become a determining factor in the general quality of the intervention. God is in details as modern tradition says and as history teaches us. Materials. green and stones. hard surfaces and soft surfaces will give reference to the history of the site while following a a contemporary sensibility.
new sculpture axis
greeen steps and east - west passage
fountain square
tea garden
LIGHTING MAP 1
new sculpture square
2 3
flower stands and kiosks
4
urban meadow 6
cafes and small shops 5
29
7
28
light corridor Green House green ramp and shops 27 26
tree rows and urban furniture
25
reflection pool
24
8 flower market square
23 22 21 tree shaded seating area
20
d a c
b 28 participation podium and steps
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
10 9
TAKSİM SQUARE
mist and water display new opera house axis open-air theatre and metro connection
Taksim Monument axis
19
a b c d
LIGHTING
gathering area
TAKSİM REPUBLIC MONUMENT
18
ATATÜRK CULTURAL CENTER
MAKSEM
green buffer of Maksem
PROPOSED TAKSİM SQUARE ACTIVITIES 0
0 5 1
±
20
30
1
Linear lighting in the bottom of the boundary along the bridge
2
Bollards (80cm high) for lighting
3
Indirect lighting coming from the museum and the porch of the subway exit and public lighting included in the ceiling of the porch of the Taksim Museum
4
Specific light for the fountain inside and outside the water. This point will need a specific artistic lighting project
5-6
Linear lighting suspended in a steel structure at 7 meters high. Double asymmetric lighting to illuminate both sides of the line. The interior space between the two parallel lines will become a specific space for artistic lighting during the Christmas holidays and particular events during the year
7
Indirect lighting coming from the building and commercial activities in addition to a specific public linear lighting oriented towards the square from the roof of the ramp
8
linear led lighting was embedded in the square’s pavement and architectural street lamps for a general illumination during the winter snow.
9
Lighting of the facade of Maksem will enhance the nightscape of the historical building. The illumination of the façade will pro duce an excellent scenography for the square and will indirectly illuminate the public space. Besides, some architectonic street lamps will be placed along the bench.
10
Specific lighting for the monument
11
Linear led lighting under the seat of the new circular bench around the monument.
12
Indirect lighting will come from the inside of the subway exit; also, public linear lighting will be embedded in the entrances’ exterior ceiling.
13
Linear lighting embedded in the bottom of the steps
14
Linear led lighting embedded under the handrail of the pedestrian ramp
15
Linear led lighting embedded under the railing of the parapet
16
Digital screen (50mtx2mt). It will need a specific artistic design
17
Artistic multimedia and interactive lighting and music installation. It will require specific artistic intervention.
18
Lighting sculptural towers to be used during crowded events and manifestations
19
Lighting inside water clouds coming from the pavement. This point needs a specific artistic intervention
20
Linear led lighting embedded in the pavement.
21
Soft lighting embedded in the bottom of every tree illuminating the foliage
22
Indirect lighting will come to form the interior of the Greenhouse; also, there will be specific public lighting in the exterior ceiling of the entrance and the bottom of the linear bench along all the perimeter of the platform
23
Linear LEDs embedded under the steps
24
linear led lighting along the square blocks containing the trees
25
Soft multimedia and interactive lighting under the water illuminating the foliage of the surrounding vegetation.
27
Linear LEDs along the border of some blocks of the Greenhouse
28
Linear led lighting under the bench along the perimeter.
29
Linear lighting to underline the connection between the East and West side of the park
e rs m et 26 40 Street lamps in two different elevations for the street and the pedestrian walkway
D5A2H9P4
GEZI PARK
WATER The square has large impervious surfaces. Therefore rainwater immediately starts surface flow to specific directions. This pattern has no intention of water harvesting though it is possible. The new project proposes a novel rainwater harvesting and storage scheme to enable climate-resilient and water sensitive urban design. Three major interventions hierarchically include water reflection pond and meadow. a retention pond. and cistern. Cercis silliquastrum
A Prunus serrulata Kanzan
WATER STRATEGIES EXISTING RAINWATER SURFACE FLOW
B B
SUGGESTED RAINWATER COLLECTING POINTS
Juncus Cotonaster horizontalis Nerium oleander ‘Nana’
C C B
A
Tillia tomentosa
D
C
D
SECTIONS
BIODIVERSITY Although Gezi Park houses a large number of plants. it does not reflect the rich floral content of Istanbul’s nature and lacks in demonstrating the role of plants in Turkish culture. The overall effect of the plant mass from a biodiversity point is limited to a certain degree. The soul in the park is compacted close to the high circulation areas. The current composition puts a lot of maintenance and budget pressure and falls short on providing spatial coherence. aesthetic and functional properties. Therefore. we will follow the strategies below to create a biologically rich. ecologically functional. culturally significant. aesthetically pleasing. environmentally sound. and sustainable urban ecosystem. Mature trees are essential for the ecology and image of the park. It is also critical to environmental aspects. Therefore we protect all the mature trees in the park. However. some of the tree-like species on the site don’t perform well because of shade or other peripheral circumstances. We propose transplanting them to appropriate spaces either in the park or in the surrounding green areas. The new structures for public functions will find their final location after the transplantation of such relatively small and transferable trees. The new planting scheme will introduce more trees from Istanbul flora and also include different types of plants Ce.g,, shrubs. groundcovers. vines. bulbous plants. and perennials)
Existing plant composition has some inspirational aspects such as linear lines of mature trees Ce.g. Aesculus hippocastanum) large groups of fragrant shrubs Ce.g. Pittosporum tobira) or seasonal show of the flowering native plants CCercis sili9uastrum) Lack of spatial coherence undermines their effects. The proposed design uses these elements and emphasizes its effects. Moreover. it introduces many species from the rich flora of Istanbul. The native species of fall color or spring bloom will be a dominant feature in the new plant composition. Users will learn about plants and flora of Istanbul and engage in the multisensory experience with the biodiversity in the park.