Yenikapı Transfer Point and Archaeo-Park* Area

The Nexus in the 21st Century Istanbul
Building New Living Spaces and Opportunities

In Yenikapı, infrastructure is ideal in terms of functional rapport yet what’s missing was the articulation of the urban space; as a method of styling the joints in between the formal elements, architectural design was the major requirement to build the relation; city space is expected to extend from surface to subsurface, and vice versa. Avoiding imposing an icon, the structure is not aimed to perform a dominant attitude; on the contrary, the structure is considered as one of the elements in building the space. The objects of urban living integrate seamlessly with sunken public piazzas of the Center, being its coupling interface with the city. Yenikapı becomes the nexus of all underground connections related to the city surface smoothly in the course of the lower piazzas created under a semi-permeable roof system. The protecting shield designates the space; the permeable elements filter the daylight into the sunken piazza that creates a holly vision, besides feeling of spaciousness, exploring new possibilities of contemporary temples where people meet. The passerby’s or the stroller’s curiosity is first piqued by the display units of the City Archive, located in the piazza; challenged with the first encounters at this strata, one may choose to become a stalker towards the Archeopark* and the main expedition area that is designed as the site museum; the units of exhibition is stretched towards the Archeopark area, preserving the street level building relation. Museum is designed in relative pieces which may be consumed separately or totally in an order.

*Excavations undertaken during the application of the transportation projects, both the remains of a 1600-year-old “Theodosius Port” together with the “35 antique ship remains” of the World’s largest fleet collection and more than 10.000 archeological founding were unearthed. At the same excavation area, 8500-years-old settlements of first Neolithic age were also found.

Yenikapı Transfer Point and Archaeo-Park* Area by TABANLIOGLU ARCHITECTS in Turkey won the WA Award Cycle 22. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.