Social Centers Architectural Project Competition / Soup Kitchen

Project Year: 2021

Project Team: Yilmaz Deger, Elif Ekinci, Elif Akman, Selen Catal, Sinem Ozturk, Yagız Dogan Keser

Location: Eyup, Istanbul, Turkey

Organisor: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality

The project area, which is adjacent to Pierre Loti and Eyüpsultan Cemetery at the northern end of the Golden Horn, is also in a location accessible to the locals and those in need. The most defining inputs of the site are its sloping terrain and the relationship that the cemetery establishes with its urban landscape and centuries-old trees. In the design decisions, the cemetery was not considered as a wall/a border, but as a value that reminds the essences of the culture and the bond between life and death. The building, on the other hand, has the qualifications to meet the requirements of this social center; in addition to the primary spaces, it has been designed to accommodate spaces suitable for publicity and to allow for different encounters and interactions. In addition to the physical benefits of accessible different elevation layouts, the visual relationships offered by different elevations provide unique and spatial experiences that will enable “encounters”. The “social terrace”, which is a unifying element of the social center, not only offers a vista with its view of the cemetery and partly the Golden Horn but also provides a place of socialization and belonging for locals and users from outside the neighborhood. A sustainable approach is aimed throughout the project, and a façade design that provides passive air conditioning according to the needs in different aspects with 4 types of brick masonry was made in order to minimize the active air conditioning systems, which is the biggest problem of public buildings.