Project . Egirdir Marketplace
Client . Eğirdir Municipality
Area . 4.500 m² Site . Isparta / Turkey Year . 2016
Award . Turgut Cansever National Architectural Awards . Achievement Award
Program . Sales Units, Landscaping, Indoor Parking
Project Team: Ali Sinan, Başak Kalfa, Cem Dursun, Hasan Okan Çetin, Nehir Biçer, Nuran Özkam, Okan Mutlu Akpınar, Tuğba Kayakök
It is difficult to put one more rock in the nature, that is strongly showing itself despite all the loutish behaviors the humankind has been implementing over. However the current governance and the public acting together for a particular reason make this difficulty more of a thrill.
A governance with urban conscious rather than a rent-based understanding converts a shopping mall approach sitting entirely on the lot to one human-scaled market. Public opinion is taken whilst productive discussions are held with the managers along with the historical, economic, cultural researches. Thus a common ground is achieved at the end. To take one step forward to the future without ignoring the past and considering the city scale become the main criteria. The market area is aimed to create a new perception with the combination of local traditional stones and contemporary materials.
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GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Mainly environmental factors play important role in building organisation. Since the land is at the intersection point of Eğirdir’s historical tissue and recently developed area, the building is consisted of these two inputs. Without any doubt, The Castle of Eğirdir and the city square are the two significant elements in this context. (Venice Charter,1964.Article 14: The sites of monuments must be the object of special care in order to safeguard their integrity and ensure that they are cleared and presented in a seemly manner…) (Venice Charter,1964.Article 1: The concept of a historic monument embraces not only the single architectural work but also the urban or rural setting in which is found the evidence of a particular civilization, a significant development or a historic event. This applies not only to great works of art but also to more modest works of the past which have acquired cultural significance with the passing of time.) The fact that the castle cannot surpass being only a visual element today and the city square’s not working properly are the two main shaping factors in the market design. Although today’s existing market doesn’t suffer from any functional defect, it creates a set to the east-west axis of the city. The valuable design decisions area taken according to the above indicated facts and problems.
CONTEXTUAL APPROACH
The new market hall would not be only a market in the existing tissue. Taken as an urban regulator, the building would enhance the quality of the city square, strengthen the relation between the port and the city center and function-wise promote the important cultural heritage, the Castle of Egirdir.
While implementing all these factors, a respective attitude towards the historical context should be taken. The building should not speak loud by itself but care for a gentle harmony between the history and today. (Burra Charter,1999.Article 5.1: Conservation of a place should identify and take into consideration all aspects of cultural and natural significance without unwarranted emphasis on any one value at the expense of others.
Hippodamus of Miletus is the first city planner who lived in 5th century BC. He achieved grid plan in his urban design and believed it to be the most functional plan of all. In this grid plan, streets cut each other perpendicularly. What is the most important part in his plan is the central open area. This open area is the “agora” that is to be the commercial and social zone of the city. The planning rule clearly visible even today in Miletus guided many other Aegean cities. The urban plan of Eğirdir and existing market-city square relation have the resemblance of Hippodamus’ plan.
It is indicated in the Paris Declaration published by ICOMOS in 2011, “Traditional historic buildings are a treasury of architectural experience. They are an inexhaustible universal source of inspiration for modern and innovative architecture, in terms of materials, construction methods, layout and design, contributing to a high quality of life”( A Return to the Art of Building). In this respect, the steel construction used in the ground floor is for the respectful attitude towards the mighty castle standing there for centuries while the surrounding walls made from lake stones create a harmonic silhouette with the castle and historical context. The market courtyard is referred to traditional market typology while making the market utilization more functional.
