As a matter of the essential dialectic pattern, cities have been reformed for years as the social, cultural and historical space of changing life. In terms of such reformation, it has become fundamentally significant today, just as other problems whose solutions are being sought, that it should cause no new problems or at least the problems it may cause should be minimized when producing solutions to today’s phenomena.
The central theme of the project is not only to leave as an integrated culture to the future societies the partial city memories formed by the society on partial architectural structures and urban spaces, but also to allow structures preserved with new functions and designed public spaces for both socio-cultural and public needs of the city.
All buildings and green spaces with regard to type along and in its vicinity of Mustafa Kemal Avenue, one of the important axes of Eskişehir city, which binds Odunpazarı and Porsuk Stream have taken their place in the life story of those inhabiting there and occupy a space in the memory of the city. Therefore, rather than defining the existing memory as “meteoric space” and giving it new characteristics, the idea was worked out to preserve and introduce to the society the current urban and social memory and to blend it with new functions in a way to provide clear answers to the phenomena and problems of future societies. The project area we have described as an idea project has been taken as a whole consisting of Atatürk Stadium, Air Hospital, Occupational High School and surrounding registered and public buildings. The project suggests, as a criticism of the introvert structure of public buildings with only one entry in a way to isolate itself from the society, supporting of the ground floors of the public and registered buildings with functions toward realization of the social and cultural activities of the entire society. It is important that the upper floors of these cultural assets are given new functions to continue public service, and thus that the existing city memory is preserved. It is suggested that the urban memory will be reinforced and introduced to the city and society by binding the environment considered as a whole to the main axis through alles to be formed at low elevations, and that the project area turning into a public campus will become a center of gravity in the city.
As to Ataturk Stadium, the most important input, as we discussed above, will be ES-ES tribunes taking their historical place in the memory of the society and the city like the arenas in antique roman period where gladiator fights occurred. The objective in transformation of Atatürk Stadium in general and ESES tribunes in particular is not total destruction of the city and society memory, but the idea that the past experiences are stand before us to be questioned as a reality, today and in the future. ‘Colesseum’, a structure representing death in Antique Rome, shares with the society the undeletable marks of history in today’s Italy. It is suggested with the stadium transformation recommended that the existing ESES tribune be preserved and the lower part of the tribune be transformed into a museum area reflecting the history of football in Eskişehir, as a constant reminder to the society of past experiences. Furthermore, demolishing the tribunes in front of ESES tribune and an ascending hill and a woodlot recreation area in its stead are recommended. Thus Atatürk Stadium will not only show off with its current mark left by people, but also fulfill its mission in revival of the memories, but also be transformed into a green recreational area freely available to the society and the youth in its new form. It is proposed that Ataturk Stadium no longer be a place of introvert sport activities as aimed, but that it be turned into a symbol of social and cultural sharing of the society.
Michael Braungart, with his phrase “public space has always been the fundamental space of social cycle’, bases his opinion on the fact that the path to planning, within the pattern of mutual relationships of the city and people, passes not only through accommodation and work spaces but also, as a fundamental factor, through the resting, entertainment, meeting etc. cultural spaces.
The idea project proposed in this context has 2 fundamental purposes:
– Based on the opinion that the area described as “meteoric space” has an urban and social memory, preservation and leaving to the future societies of such memory
– Ability of the recommended architectural structure and urban spaces to provide clear answers to the phenomena and problems of today in terms of public use
In brief, leaving the mark of ESES stadium preserves social memory, and turning of the stadium into a hill provides the possibility to create a recreational area that could be the heart of the city. By opening the ground floors of the surrounding public structures for daily life, the district becomes a public campus and the public gravity of Eskişehir is reinforced and revived in the area.
