In parallel with the existing main gasometer and factory buildings, proposals for the decovil line and the other three gasometers were developed, which were traced to the ground. The elements of the site’s identity were ‘re-grounded’ on the site, but this time with a contemporary language.
A BRIEF HISTORY
During the Ottoman Empire, the gas lighting system, successful in illuminating the Dolmabahçe and Beylerbeyi palaces, was later used in public domain. The Yedikule Gasworks, the first gasworks built for this purpose, is a very important and valuable part of the city in terms of its relationship with the Kara Surları (Land Walls) of the settlement area, which is within the boundaries of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Construction of the building for the first gasworks established to serve the public in İstanbul started in 1873. Yedikule Gasworks, built by the municipality for the French enterprise, was opened for production in 1880. After serving for many years and switching hands between public and private companies several times, the gasworks began to lose importance with the introduction of electricity generation after 1920s. Yedikule Gas House was transferred to İETT in 1945 and served under the roof of İETT until its closure in 1993. Yedikule Gasworks survived to the present day as an isolated compound of the city.
DEMANDING A SOLUTION
It is cut off from the sea by major roads, particularly the Coastal Road, with poor functioning junctions and the railway line. As a result, access for vehicles and pedestrians is very difficult and limited. Temporary units in the area are generally unable to participate in daily life of the city and are used almost exclusively for storage purposes. Relationship with Kara Surları and Mermer Kule is neither visually nor physically adequate. One of the main objectives in the area that is not accessible to pedestrians, is to facilitate access for citizens and define programmes and buildings that would make use of the area for cultural activities.
WHEN THE CITY WAKES TO THE NIGHT
The neighbourhood connection with archaeologic remains, one of the most unique aspects of the gasworks, is of primary importance for the settlement and the programme on site and for the architectural reference system to be produced. Walkways created in front and along the boundary of the Land Walls construct the western periphery of the site, transforming the relationship of the site with the Land Walls and Yedikule. During design research, continuity of structural elements identified in old maps as well as structural elements lost, dismantled, reassembled or relocated were taken into consideration. The decovil line and the gasometers that are no longer on the site were reintroduced.
- Land Walls Cultural Route: This is the wide pedestrian route in the area, created to highlight the historic and cultural value of the southern end of the Walls, linking the site to the Marble Tower and Yedikule.
2.Yedikule War Museum:The museum reiterates the lost trace of Marmara Sea Walls within the building’s boundary and shapes the existing topography. It contributes to the revival of the feeling of the urban threshold. The museum is one of the most important places that refers to historical identity of the area with its closed, semi-open and open spaces.
3.Pedestrian Corridors:Pedestrian corridors are the most important feature in integrating the Land Walls Archaeological Heritage Site and Culture Route with the gasworks industrial heritage site. These provide the flow between the masses, while the Land Walls are placed in perspective at every turning point.
4. Creative Technologies Production Center:Yedikule Gasworks factory buildings, which originally produced electricity for ‘physical enlightenment’, are re-functionalised as ‘cultural enlightenment’ production spaces. The buildings renovated for this intent include workshops and co-working spaces.
5. Gasometer Cultural Monument and Planetarium:Preserving the original architectural and spatial identity of Gasometer 1, an iconic symbol of the site’s industrial past, it has been transformed into a monument. The enclosed area on the ground level has been repurposed, completing the complex.
6. Gasometer Urban Stage and Lower Square: Designed using the circular footprint of Gasworks 2, which was dismantled after 1993, this performance centre integrates both indoor and outdoor spaces, establishing itself as an urban stage.
7.STEM Game and Science Center:A multi-purpose centre designed to provide children with fundamental design experiences, encourage creativity and production, and allow them to engage with archaeological and industrial heritage sites through play.
8.Gasometer Hotel: A unique urban hotel designed to offer an unconventional accommodation experience, featuring the faithfully reconstructed Gasometer 3 in its original location, preserving its distinctive geometry and structure with modern technology.
9.Industry and Technology History Museum:A museum designed to ensure cultural sustainability by showcasing the site’s industrial past through historical documents, information, and restored large-scale machinery, including chimneys, water tanks, warehouses, and cooling units. The museum building also anchors the Yedikule entrance, enhancing the site’s visibility as a cultural production space.
10.Accessible Attraction Areas:In addition to pedestrian mobility, shared micro-mobility vehicles follow the traces of historic decauville railway lines, ensuring continuous movement and access throughout the site.
