70_InOut811 by konkuristanbul

InOut811

Place as a Platform

PARQUARE © / Taksim Urban Design Competition

InOut811 Parquare as a new spatially uninterrupted whole.

The historical setting with its emphatic islands of greenery is retained.

PARQUARE © / Taksim Urban Design Competition

1 / 15

InOut811 Taksim Square and Gezi Park are historic sites of huge changes, projects and controversies. Together, they constitute some of the last prominent free public zones in Istanbul and need to be preserved as such, some parts upgraded with new meaning imparted to the whole. Before devising interventions into the space and making our urban design proposals, we posed questions about the potentiality of this zone of the city to be special in terms of identity, to be innovative and different from other squares — what the factors of differentiation would be, locally, in Istanbul, and globally?

PARQUARE — To date, the square and the park have been handled as two close but distinct areas (emphasised in the different height levels). They have been the subjects of separate competitions, layouts, phases and approaches to urban design. We are, then, designing a space that will have a single and united identity, beginning as coexistence of park and square. We have branded it as the first urban design typology that integrates the two, the park and the square — the parquare. Some of the great squares of the world have parks as adjuncts, as separate, isolated zones (Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park, Times Square and Central Park) but in this design we are providing integration and complementation.

A contemporary place for the 21st century — For the new Parquare to be positioned in the city in relation to the other great square — Sultanahmet (with its two historical mosques)— the emphasis is placed here on its contemporaneity, in parallel with a respect for and retention of some modern spatial points (fountain and monument). It will become the focal point of the city of the 21st century — for both its contemporary manner of using the space and the introduction of genuinely new technologies/applications.

Place as Platform — We propose the newly devised space as platform liberated from its previous spatial barriers, now enabling large free gatherings. Parquare will become a physical platform for socialising and for the practice of public life. In parallel we propose the making of a digital application via which it will be possible to book parts of the park for socialising, organisation of events, open-air teaching, mini-theatrical events and concerts. Parquare will thus become a platform for inclusive, democratic and participatory public life. There are particularly many young people in Istanbul, the average age being below 25. They have grown up in the time of vigorous globalisation and the age of the internet and using the application will not present them with any problems. They will find it easy to look upon the square as a platform for the exercise of their civil rights and for interpersonal coordination through the virtual world.

Space of 2000 trees, 200 paths, 20 attractions — Parquare plans to retain the maximum of the existing natural part, introducing new paths and points of attraction to encourage users to use it intensively. In this way nature is not only preserved, but curated, an integral part of the planned improvements. At the same time, Parquare wants to create the feeling that the citizens are really participating in the growth and development of Taksim and Gezi Park, feeling it their own, making the decisions about it. We propose that zones or islands of the park be left, within which, in time, the inhabitants of Istanbul will be able to plant trees of their own (1300 > 2000). Total participation is enabled — the citizens will themselves make decisions about which trees to plant and when, and so not everything will be defined in advance by the decision of architects or city administrators. Istanbul is in permanent want of green oases, and this approach allows for the creation of the much-longed-for nature within the dense texture of the city.

Parquare as multi-dimensional space — instead of in the way in which the theme of square has been traditionally been perceived, as a flat, level, plane, Parquare is imagined as a space through several layers or floors, which gives it additional complexity, greater use-density and fully equal linkage of the hitherto covert underground parts with the above-ground surfaces.

2 3

Our design includes a single and united space that begins as coexistence of park and square, branded as the first urban design typology that integrates the two, park + square = parquare

PARQUARE © / Taksim Urban Design Competition

2 / 15

InOut811

PARK

SQUARE

PARQUARE — The new spatial unit of Parquare is created by the emphatic cascaded lowering of the park to the square (the south of Gezi Park), with new spatial paths and links with all sides, the introduction of fountains, constituting an artificial extension of the nature of the park into the square.

A contemporary place for the 21st century — On Parquare today there is nothing older than the 20th century, unlike Sultanahmet Square, which has historical buildings and characteristics. Parquare will now be upgraded by contemporarily interpreted fountains, by bridges and by greenery that will no longer be only ornamental.

SULTANAHMET SQ.

PARQUARE

Place as Platform — Citizens will be able to use the space of the new connection of square and park as an open platform that has been reprogrammed for 21st century needs, the previous fragmentariness having been “tidied up” so as to create a large open public space, the space being simultaneously used online via the digital platform Parquare Istanbul.

Space of 2000 trees, 200 paths, 20 attractions — For the sake of negotiation and agreement about the planting of trees and the choice of locations, the inhabitants can use the proposed digital application. This inaugurates teamwork, the inhabitants, together and democratically, creating their own space of habitation in the city, coming together, negotiating, voting and sharing the public space.

Parquare as multi-dimensional space — By the introduction of new height levels and linkage of them withtexisting underground storeys, a density of programmes is obtained, urbanity and dynamics of interaction are achieved, with the addition of interesting vistas, delving into the ground and transitions with emphasised stairways from lower to higher levels.

PARQUARE © / Taksim Urban Design Competition

3 / 15

InOut811

Unique views onto the Bosporus The Taksim-Gezi Park project area is distant from the waterfront, but it is possible to make the most of the unique view from the park onto the Bosporus, which is mooted via the introduction of a new look-out point from an elevated bridge.

Taksim Square — space for the 21st century Unlike other great squares in the city, Taksim is already positioned as a modern public space with contemporary surrounding buildings and programmes appropriate to the 21st century.

Istiklal Street — Istanbul culture line Mapping reveals the density of cultural contents along the traffic line that extends from Sultanahmet Square to Taksim, and now it can be extended via the project area of Parquare.

Sultanahmet Square — historical The new Parquare is placed as a counterpoint to Sultanahmet Square, which is defined with ornamental greenery, historical mosques and exotic monuments such as obelisks.

Bridge of connection The zone covered by the competition is already connected by a bridge with areas to the north, which can become an element to be further used in the rest of the project area for Parquare to be linked with the city in the direction of other cardinal points.

Urban outdoor gallery A study of the character of Siraselviler Street suggests that the theme of commercial premises be continued alongside Gezi Park as well, but instead of the current chaos of diverse aesthetics, unifiedly formed openings with spaces of public programmes have been designed.

Diagonal as bridge The emphatic diagonal orientation from the south-west has been perceived, one not so far incorporated into the handling of square and park. So as not to impinge too much on the historical matrix of Gezi, it is turned into the diagonal of a raised bridge.

Extension of pedestrian movement The use of a large part of Taksim Square and Gezi Park is based on underground movement, and this network of under passes can be continued into other pedestrian zones, involving them in the Parquare system, for which Inönü Street has a particular potential.

PARQUARE © / Taksim Urban Design Competition

4 / 15

InOut811 Bridge as diagonal and new pedestrian attraction.

Look-out point with water wall for gathering and views off to the whole of the square, mosque and monument.

PARQUARE © / Taksim Urban Design Competition

5 / 15

InOut811 Assuming the creation of Parquare as a clear and directed identity that integrates park into square and vice-versa, it is necessary to define such strategies and tactics of the space as to be able to provide principles on which the truly physical space is organised and presented to the city. In this case bands are used to create a unit that at last consolidates the previously fragmented space. Via the tentacles of bridges, underpasses and streets, Parquare links up to the surrounding zones. Islands are defined as spaces that will enhance the attractiveness of the new approach. As well as horizontal organisation, there is a verticalisation that points up the metropolitan density of life. Greening is implemented so that Istanbul, so deficient in green zones, should at last acquire a first-class landscape space integrated into the thickly built-up texture of the city.

Strategy of unification and bands — instead of the previous fragmentariness, the space begins to be handled integrally on the square and by being grouped into linear bands within the park. The great undefined space of the square (acquired after the historical banning of traffic) is now handled with a single formal language and freed of all vertical barriers, the sharp boundaries between Taksim and Gezi Park are done away with, the Park gradually coming down to the square level in great slopes and cascades, while grouped lines of programmes are implemented in the park.

A tactile octopus — with its tentacles, that is, its passages of bridges and underpasses, Parquare reaches into the surrounding spaces that will now form a great integrated network of public spaces and create a continuity, and all the parts covered are activated so they should not be abandoned, remaining a part of the city that is neglected and run down.

Strategy of islands and reprogramming — the existing high-quality points are preserved as green (square) and attracting (circular) islands. New islands of the archipelago with inserted contents are introduced as circular focal points that will become a part of the activation of the space. In this way the problem of the lack of contents is settled, for the newly injected programmes / circles are evenly distributed over the whole of the space, are designed in such a way as to involve all parts of society and for the activation of zones with no contents, often felt to be insecure if unprovided with programmes.

Strategy of metropolitan verticality — on squares and parks, one-dimensional open spaces tend to be created, more appropriate to historical times. In order to achieve the dense and urban complexity of programmes, happenings and interactions that this square, one of the centres of a city of a population of 15 million, certainly merits, a complexity of vertical levels is introduced. There is indeed a multi-storey complexity of buildings applied to Parquare, not, however, with development and privately owned structures but one that has a public-use character, a free-of-charge facility used by every citizen. Verticality is a social condenser that achieves density without architecture.

Strategy of preserving and producing nature — a greening in which all the inhabitants can take part is provided for, with the motto of preserve and produce nature. The dominant green parts of Istanbul currently to be seen from the air are the cemeteries, the city having a deficit of public greenery. For this reason zones with a potential for the planning of trees at some time in the future are foreseen, greenery also being inserted on the other vertical levels (−1 or +1). The inhabitants will thus learn how to share the space — not in just a small garden, but in one of the biggest public squares in Istanbul. This might seem to be but a small intervention, but instead of large new architectural undertakings into the square and park, we are planning the common growth of a common public space.

1 2 3 4

The multi-storey complexity of buildings is applied to Parquare, but with a public character of use. Verticality of public space becomes a social condenser that achieves density without architecture

PARQUARE © / Taksim Urban Design Competition

6 / 15

InOut811

Strategy of unification and bands — The space of the square is freed of the previous sedimentation of spatial barriers and at last achieves urban integration. Four grouped programme lines are implemented in the park — with commercial features in Cumhuriyet Street and lines of art, entertainment and education within the greenery of Gezi Park.

1 2

A tactile octopus — Thus Parquare is extended to the smaller units that have hitherto been split off, like the park with the Atatürk Library building, the pedestrian zone in Inönü Street in the south east. Some parts go below as underpasses, some parts are raised as bridges.

Strategy of islands and reprogramming — Tschumi-style cross-programming is applied to the use of public space — inhabitants of various confessions, different sexes, young and old, all use the public space in common, the new handling giving the ordered spaces as platform for the equal use of all.

Strategy of metropolitan verticality — The underground parts that are now disorderly, gloomy and unsafe acquire perforations, more vigorous and programmed-defined links with the zone of park and square, and at the same time parts of Parquare are raised a storey and turn into a vantage point to provide a complete overview of the space.

4 1 2

Strategy of preserving and producing nature — Apart from a maximally preserved existing stock of trees and grassed areas, also planned is an increase in the number of trees from their current about 1300 to 2000, citizen volunteers themselves planting and caring for them — we grow the park together.

PARQUARE © / Taksim Urban Design Competition

7 / 15

InOut811 Sitting and gathering place in the heart of Gezi Park.

Built-up part of the project area with service and artistic programmes.

PARQUARE © / Taksim Urban Design Competition

8 / 15

InOut811 If we define the solution proposed at the conceptual level, it can practically be presented through the five key points of Kevin Lynch — districts, landmarks, pathways, edges and nodes. Each of the layers addresses the existing problems of the square and park as they are, offers concrete manifestations of the strategies proposed and ultimately makes concrete the suggested identity points of Parquare.

Built up district — along the western edge of Gezi Park, development is planned to be sunken so as not to dominate the park, but still enabling interaction of the zone of the park and of the street and additionally thereby eliding the current split into totally separated spaces. Now strung all along Cumhuriyet Street will be art galleries, service areas of restaurants and cafés and a whole run of ramps and steps that enable a direct access to the park. Thus the development will be not only a space for commerce but an activator of the street and a link between nature and the city urban tissue, and to an extent the memory of the space of the historical barracks whose facades were turned to this side of Gezi Park.

Focal points — circles, the acknowledged dominant formal emblem of the current square, circles that are a formal element of the memory of the space, will become by further multiplication the epicentres of events in the whole of Parquare. The new circles are spaces of vertical communications, key focal points for big events, new contents, attractions for tourists or else covered spaces for bicycle parking. The landmarks are distributed according to the number of paths, the volume of pedestrian traffic and the number of intersections, and are located in zones in which the most intensive use is predicted. Activation points are additionally illuminated and are pronouncedly material as compared with the rest of Parquare.

Lines of movement — currently there are tracks within Gezi Park and the pedestrian zone on the square, but without any clear directions of movement and frustrated by a mass of barriers. Strong indications of direction that create a density of pedestrian and bicycle traffic are proposed, emphasising the importance of the movement of users of the square. New lines of bicycle lanes, pedestrian paths, and bridge links. The basic division of lines of movement is into flat, strong strips, diagonal flat accents in the area with bridges (as continuation of the thrust of Tarlabasi Blv.) and opens up spaces of the square that provide freedom of movement and gathering. Movement through the park is made more feasible and the underground levels are now accessible with emphasised ramps, facilitating the use of public spaces by persons with special needs.

Grid of greenery — a new grid has been formed evincing a sensibility for the memory of the space and the original design of the park, with maximum preservation of the historical matrix of grassed islands. The Parquare motto is “grow, don’t build”, reflected in the vigorous planting of new trees. It is trees and not buildings that will become the city-building catalyst for urban atmospheres, and provide the key identity for the whole project area. Preservation of greenery and planting of new trees is also a cost-effective approach to urbanisation and in a big city like Istanbul, giving public space a high quality branding, enabling it to become a sustainable ecosystem that will have a direct impact on CO2 emissions.

Fountains and blurred boundaries — the combination of trees in Gezi and the artificial nature of the fountains on Taksim will blur the borders between park and square, the project area becoming a spatial whole united by the experience of water, greenery and extensive areas. The borders no longer have a hard height differentiation; through the descent of the ramps and the greenery in its cascades towards the square an unbroken connection, a continuity, is created. The lines of water, discreet fountains that jet out of the surface of the square, are treated as natural material that spills over the square, the intensity of water depending on the number of users — a larger number of users activates fewer fountains and more space is available for movement and inversely — a reduction of the number of users means more fountains are switched on and the surface for movement is reduced.

The Parquare motto is ‘grow, don’t build’, which is reflected in the vigorous planting of new trees. It is trees and not buildings that will become the city-creating catalyst of urban atmospheres

PARQUARE © / Taksim Urban Design Competition

9 / 15

InOut811

Built up district

Focal points

Lines of movement

Grid of greenery

Fountains and blurred boundaries

park extension

planting trees

rest area

music performance temporary performance

planting trees

cycling/jogging

picnic

dog walking open air exhibition

public gallery

play zone

open air yoga

open air lecture

sculpture park

urban dining

student exibition

art display art display

art performance

viewpoint

bicycle parking urban waterfall ‘tree island’ fountains

public gathering

fountains

10 / 15

InOut811 Accentuated approaches to the park with entry ramps and accompanying cascades of contents.

Night-time activation of the lines of fountains and illuminations.

11 / 15

InOut811 The idea of programming Parquare is for it to be transformed from a mere transfer zone into an active and participatory space, a destination in itself. The approach is focused on programming instead of on dramatic redesign, for the space of Gezi Park and Taksim to become a repository of scenarios and experiences during use. The programmes and scenarios change through the seasons and the time of day, while for the second phase, a detailed proposal for urban management is provided for (particularly through public-private partnership), predicted by the project. The application mentioned earlier, Parquare Istanbul, has been prepared for numerous programmes. Through the urban furniture, solar panels and smart sensors will be installed to collect urban data and through the application provide numerous transparent data for the citizens.

main pedestrian lines

cycling paths attractions

bicycle parking education zone gathering zone

tram line

12 / 15

InOut811

Public gathering — After the numerous historical fragmentations, the square will now in this new approach become an open platform for various events and large gatherings, including concerts and celebrations of the sporting successes of the city, film festivals, screenings and dance performances. A —

dance performance city festival C — movie screening B —

Movement — Through the introduction of new paths, bridges, ramps and stairs the park will become a dynamic setting for a healthy and active urban life, a zone for cycling, jogging, urban walks in both intimate and open zones, open-air yoga for all ages or for simple dog-walking. A —

urban walk cycling / jogging C — open-air yoga / picnic B —

Art / culture — The line of the interface of park and square turns into an oasis of culture and art with inserts of hospitality facilities, pop-up food trucks. The spacious walls of the built-up zone of Parquare are suitable for art displays, there are open spa ces for open-air exhibitions, and the indoor galleries open up with their faces onto the public space, becoming, in fact, a natural extension of it. A —

open-air exhibition art display C — public gallery B —

Attractions — The basic matrix of the park and square are retained, but because of the creation of an additional dynamics, points of attraction are introduced for holding small live performances, enjoyment of the watery ambiences, sitting on urban stands and exploring historical monuments. A —

public stands viewpoint C — ‘tree island’ B —

Entertainment / education — Parquare as a whole provides the possibility for entertainment contents within the open public zones — a small theatre for local musical or dramatic appearances, debates and speeches, and for the large number of students from the nearby university, provide areas for play, recreation before and after lectures and for open-air teaching and learning. A —

play zone student exhibition C — open-air lecture B —

13 / 15

InOut811 After the initial phase, there will be an expansion of the team for further development of the landscape architecture, a more detailed elaboration of the urban equipment, of graphic design and signage for a more precise plan of deployment of plant species as well as construction drawings of the built-up part with the art galleries. The emphasis will be on synergetic collaboration with experts for art, sociological aspects, traffic, energy efficiency and the urban management of Parquare.

Authors — team

architect (project leader) — will manage the functional and programme proposals for Parquare, detailed elaboration of the built-up part of Parquare, work on the making of the architectural design for the underground spaces and their activation with the new programme, commercial premises, galleries and public contents with which they can be opened to members of the public (+ two architecture assistants) urban planner (project leader) — the placing of the design approach in the wider context (Parquare should be additionally integrated into the urban texture of Istanbul), elaboration of the interconnection of park and square, details of urban equipment, additional spatial and programme solutions for the development of public participation and for the involvement of all strata of society (+ two urban design assistants) landscape architect (project leader) — will propose a detail selection of materials (for walks, green zones, relaxation zones and various other contents) and provide a plan for the development of flora and fauna in the park graphic designer — it is proposed there be systematised graphic design for all fonts, signs, colours and forms that appear in and around the Parquare zone, the elaboration of logo and visual identity of the new urban typology that is proposed in the current approach and its detailed branding through graphic material

Collaborators (experts and consultants)

sociologist — will provide a more detailed elaboration of the sociological picture and additional possibilities for the creation of the complexity of interactions appropriate to the 21st century arborist — will propose a plan of planting and a list of selected plant species while both selection and proposals will be worked out in such a way as to be appropriate to the character of park as urban green oasis programmer — will work out in detail a digital application for connecting citizens together, for the acquisition of spatial data via sensors and in general for putting place options for the socialising of citizens civil engineer — parts of the project approach require more detailed calculations for the cantilevers, the bearing capacity of the soil, the lowering of the levels of parts of square and park, particularly in the case of the implementation of the bridges attractive but structurally demanding architect conservator — will work out guidelines for proper linkage of old and new — through principles, strategies and particular materials urban management consultant — will elaborate the urban management plan for the space – a calendar, a system for the selection and coordination of volunteers (for tree planning, keeping the park clean and tidy, educational and tourist guided tours), public-private partnership with numerous sponsoring firms and “friends of Parquare” who will provide the financing to ensure a high level of constant good order, reference examples, Central Park and Bryant Park energy efficiency and sustainability consultant — the computation of CO2 reduction by the introduction of a large number of new trees, the use of solar panels (lamps, benches, information boards), the use of water through the collection and re-use of rainwater and its use for the control of the micro-climate (cooling in summer, tempering the air in the square in winter) art consultant — the development of the art programme through the year in Cumhuriyet Street, in individual zones of the park and inside the galleries (choice of artists, theme, duration and generally the concept of what type of exhibit to be presented traffic consultant — a detailed plan for the movement of cyclists, drivers and pedestrians with possible changes to the surrounding city space, a detailed traffic proposal for connecting the underground pedestrian passages with the system of mass transit (without any very great constructional interventions) security systems consultant — fire alarms and signalling, evacuation routes, access for emergency vehicles, very heavy rainfall, back-up drainage systems; earthquake response scenario, high seismic risk zones; public safety, video surveillance points, placing of cameras, passages and sectors that can be occupied during large public events; antislip surfaces, disabled access municipal infrastructure consultant — horizontal network and vertical stratification of infrastructure systems (water supply, drainage, electricity, lighting, thermal conduits, gas, telecoms, underground waste containers)

14 / 15

InOut811

15 / 15