Abstract:

Located along the Bosphorus waterfront in Istanbul, Katman was formed by a site that was set to be demolished. Originally a parking structure scheduled for demolition to be replaced with a public space, extensive archaeological remains were discovered during excavation, exposing layers of multiple civilizations. The city later proposed a mixed-use development that would celebrate the ruins.

Build-to lines were drafted and asked to fill out the site, which makes it hard to reuse the ruins in a public way. The route that was taken sought to preserve the city’s original ambition for a central public space and took the build-to-mass and cut it in 4.

The central public space works like a vertical park, with a ramp that pulls the public to the rooftop. The initial 150’ span of the ramp is lined with retail, then the ramp gradually transitions into planted park space, drawing people inward and upward. Fully accessible, the ramp system adheres to ADA standards, allowing anyone to take the journey up.

The ramp ends at a shared rooftop, pulling the public space up and framing views of the Bosphorus, a strand of water very important to Istanbul. Conceived as an added katman, a layer, the project does not resolve the site through replacement, but through addition. The ruins already reveal civilizations built upon one another; this new architecture continues the process, adding a public layer that allows past and present to exist together.