A breathing stop between the gaps of memory
ANTAKYA KOPRUBASI URBAN DESIGN
#competition, #urbandesign, #antakya, #orantes, #asiriver, #riverside, #waterfront, #design, #publicspace
Bilgi
ANTAKYA KOPRUBASI URBAN DESIGN
REMEMBERED TIME
History that transcends geography is passing us by. Many have benefited from this water. Many civilizations were established here, many languages were spoken. Sound of the place is quite crowded. This water brought lots of things from neighboring countries, carrying from here to there as well..
Are there any traces?
This water divides the city in two. The old city faces the new. The past inevitably overlaps with the present. Remembered time coincides with the time to remember. This is a rare present where the irreversible past and the future are connected, and they shoulder each other as they connect.
This is a place for River Orontes to breathe.
Orontes will overflow, leave what it carries. They will come alive and arise. What will come from Orontes?
Kismet...
Whatever comes is welcome.
Müşteri
Antakya Metropolitan Municipality
Konum
Antakya
Boyut
20500 sqm
Awards
1th Honorable Mention
programı
Urban Design
Durum
National Competition
ortak çalışanlar
Merve YAVUZ (Landscape Architect)
Cihan ŞEHLA (Urban Planner)
Sena Şeyma CAN
Enver Yiğit DOĞAN
Berfu OKER
WHATEVER THE CITY BRINGS...
We are on a threshold. The old city and the new city touch each other. Passing River Orontes strengthens the threshold effect. Thresholds have a lot of potential as they contain elements that are not on either side. The old city, the old bazaar, the old texture exist with their own dynamics, and so as the new city. Instead of trying to describe this interaction, we prefer to establish the infrastructure in which they can exist and leave the rest to this texture that shows the threshold character.
We are constructing a memory table that is fed by the natural flow of Orontes by the water and by the city with the ordinary flow of daily life, the infrastructure of which is created and the rest is left to this rich texture that shows the ecotone character.
The trans-geographical ancient Orontes is unqualified due to various political conjectural situations and lack of control. But, the city's natural infrastructure, valleys, mountains and channels leading to Orontes from its side streets provide a very suitable infrastructure to make the river lively and flowing again.
River Orontes has an exciting journey that starts from the Humus Lake. It passes through various geographies and is fed by many rivers and comes to Antakya. Its folding journey somehow is taken in restraint as son as it meets civilization. We let it flow through the concrete channels without touching us, we go over it, and its enough. But water carries civilization. Water holds a treasure beyond geographies: the seed. The seeds that the river carries from all the geographies it passes –all the way from Lebanon to Syria-, offer a trans-geographical opportunity.
The relationship between River Orontes and Antakya is extremely battered. The water, which has carried civilization for hundreds of years, is stagnant and stinking. Therefore, we see the issue not just as a project area with defined boundaries, but as reorganizing the water. Primarily, we prefer to make the water flowing and healthy, and then we prefer to rely on the seeds given by the river instead of a designed landscape. This water has carried seeds, culture, language and civilization for hundreds of years. At this point, we set up the necessary systems and withdraw. There is no harm in the overflow of Orontes, we created our gene pools for the seeds it will leave when it overflows. We see the river’s overflow as a blessing. We give it an opportunity to let go of what it has carried for 571 km.
Orontes will overflow, leave what it carries. They will come alive and arise.
What will come from Orontes?
Kismet...
Will be welcomed whatever comes.
