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Space Between _ City Streets A model for the re-construction of Golden Horn’s shore line.

Part 2 Project 2012
Katheryn Zigomalas
New York Institute of Technology | USA
The struggle of designing in an ancient city lies somewhere between its past and its future.

With such a dynamic past of shifting empires, from Byzantine Constantinople, through the Ottoman Empire, and now into the Turkish Republic, the city of Istanbul has been able to constantly evolve its culture and urban fabric throughout centuries. The evolution of a city can be a very beautiful thing, and in Istanbul in particular, all of these layers of history have grown to coexist naturally, as is evident throughout it’s streets.

The people of Istanbul live their lives in their streets. Streets to them have always been more than just a connection from one destination to another, they are the civic spine that drives the entire city. They are fast paced markets and slow picturesque moments. Teeming with community, they are extensions of many lives, and have become the social, civic, and communal spaces at the heart of daily life in Istanbul. This aspect of life in Istanbul has been a constant throughout its extensive history; one that transcends centuries, empires, beliefs, and religions.

Inspired by the energetic street life of Istanbul, this project attempts to carry the energy of the city to the shoreline as a continuous promenade in the form of a wall. The wall as the continuation of the streets of Istanbul allows the civic and social center of the city to grow naturally while giving focus to the beautiful Golden Horn waterfront. This promenade mimics the footprint of the ancient sea walls of Byzantium and incorporates it's remains into the design. The premise is to rethink the idea of urban public space from a node into a line, and to question the "space between" and the potential of in-between transitions in architecture. The wall becomes a journey that seamlessly stitches the urban waterfront, providing remedy for all of the neglected moments along the way.

The wall is a model for the re-construction of Golden Horn’s shoreline . It creates a clear vision for the natural growth into the future with respect to Istanbul’s past; exploiting the space between.

Katheryn Zigomalas

Tutor(s)
Sima Kunttas
2012
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