Çekirge Square

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Type: Competition / Status: 1st Prize / Team: Hayrettin Günç, Erdem Tüzün, Elif Tan, Yelta Köm, Mehmet Gören, Janice Tung, Tarik Keskin / Year: 2017

ÇEKİRGE

Not until so long ago Çekirge was an attraction point not only for it's inhabitants, but also for visitors and outsiders, reflecting it's own era with historical heritage, architecture, topography and the rich cultural & architectural heritage it possesses.

Today Çekirge is considered more of a transation spot, instead of being a destination. Inappropriate use of resources and rapid, uncontrolled grow of the city caused a dissolution of the neighbouthood's tightly formed integrity throught years.

This proposal includes short-term and long-term strategies which aim to render the area an attraction point and a sub-centre once again, taking Çekirge's historic values, interactions and cultural heritage in it's focus.

Aerial View: Çekirge Square -at the bottom- connects to the Mosque Square through a street with tramline.

GENERAL STRATEGIES

Çekirge is a historic town founded on the skirts of Uludağ Mountain, located on the north-south axis between the Uludağ Mountain and the Gulf. Being on the Uludağ Mountain Route, and close to the city center, Çekirge is a town with strategic importance.

The project determines three main strategies:

Reveal : Evaluation of underlaying potentials / cultural heritage found in the area.
Connect : Increasing accesibility via shrinking and growing different uses of programs.
Experience : Creating multi-functional, versatile spaces that can potentially gather the inhabitants, outsiders and visitors.

FOCAL POINTS

The project suggests focal points considering and evaluating the topography, historical buildings of the area and the cultural texture. Multi-scaled focal points are connected with continuous pedestrial axles:

Axonometric illustration of the project area, showing the Main Square, Hamam Square and reorganized motorized circulation.

ÇEKİRGE SQUARE

Çekirge Square is a node covered with a high density network of motorized traffic. The current state of the Çekirge Junction disrupts the communication between the mosque and the square, disassembling the connection between the visitors and the town. Therefore, rearranging the density on Çekirge Square is a primary focus of the project.

Design of the square takes reference from the underlying shattered tectonic structure of Bursa, in terms of form and aesthetics. Instead of resolving the plan & functions on a single level, it offers multiple levels at different scales, each with a unique texture.

Çekirge Square is the largest focal point. It is designed to be an underground connection, at the same providing spaces for recreational uses.

HAMAM SQUARE

Hamam Square offers a historical and refreshning experience to it's visitors by the mist fountain. Mist fountain offers a chance to cool off during hot days, reflecting on the cultural side of the water element / importance of water to Çekirge in the past centuries.

Hamam Square is a focal point which offers a chance to cool off during hot summer days.

URBAN ACUPUNCTURE

Small / tiny scale plannings focusing on the current state and course of existence of the neighbourhood are put together to create permanent changes in the town. Foreseen consequence of these plannings is the natural diffusion of these tiny acupuncture points, supporting and deepening the personal relationships within the neighbourhood.