Introduction : As it is well known, one of the most challenging problems with the city of Istanbul is the fact that lots of immigrants are allowed to settle down here causing the population number to increase rapidly. The difficulties the immigrants experience in accommodating themselves to the city life in short times have caused diverse social and cultural layers and thereby the alienation they suffer from throughout the city life to emerge. In order to contribute to the resolution of this issue, this project was started in anticipation of ensuring the units of “Local Social and Cultural Activity Center” to function in a serviceable way to allow living, learning, producing and sharing collectively.
Conception : 1 The urban patterns of Gaziosmanpaşa, a district which has been mostly affected by immigration in Istanbul, have been taken as an example; however, it could be any other district of Istanbul which has been affected by the same cause. 2 The utilities thereby have been elevated from the ground plane, faithfully abiding by the speckle of these urban patterns. 3 The roof has been fully enveloped with a “spherical sector” form which represents gathering and togetherness. 4 It has been attempted to exhibit with the parts included in or excluded from the spherical form that no gathering is always perfect and that what matters is to ensure the sustainability of the function of gatherings anyway. Architecturally or plastically, on the other hand, it has been attempted to show that an uncompleted or over-completed form could be much more impressive and exoterical as compared to its plain counterpart, thanks to the effects of its individual components. 5 The translucent spherical sector is a gatherer under or around which you can “cuddle with the sky”. It represents the enlightened and deliberative gathering which is the ideal.
