Ulus, Ankara, Türkiye
2022
Professional Competition + Group Work
Winning Project Entry in “100. Yıl Çarsısı”
(100th Year Bazaar) and Its Suroundings’ Design Idea Competition

Contribution*: collaborated with 
Aynuz Uzdu, Ilgın Senses, Nur Dilan Özdemir, Kaan
Özdemir (equal contribution)

“... to protect it; not to repair or remake it, but to reconstruct it in a complete state that perhaps never existed...” 1
“...the architect should despise the ‘ephemeral’ (stylistic and formal aesthetics) and look at what is ‘leftover’ in life. In this way it will find form (which is what remains as life passes; a nice contradiction) ...” 2


Concept
Ulus 100th Year Bazaar is one of the iconic structures of Ulus, which has taken its place in the memory of the citizens. The form of the building, the interior setup and the façade design make it appear among the modern structures of 20th century Ankara. The building has the potential to maintain its economic and social value, both with its location and with its interior space that is resolved to support urban public practices. Ankara Palace is located at the intersection of “Atatürk Boulevard” and “Cumhuriyet Caddesi”, bordered by the First Parliament, Ulus Business Center and the Central Bank, and the existing 100th Year Bazaar, which can be directly associated with Ulus Square, is an empty, useless place due to the neglect of the building giving the impression of a mass pile. Due to the fact that the bazaar cannot fulfill its function and due to the historical and cultural potential of the area, it is envisaged that the project area will be given a cultural function that keeps the multi-layered and cultural values alive and keeps the history alive, and that the bazaar functions are kept alive on the other side of the main road.



Design Approach
The design proposal started with the decision to utilize, repair and re-function the Ulus 100th Year Bazaar while looking for ways to reintegrate it into the daily life of the citizens. In its current use, the building has come to the point where it cannot show many of its features, and it has become a building that cannot be noticed by the passer-by with interventions that disrupt both urban and social sustainability. One of the main reasons for this is the destruction of the façade elements of the building, the pollution of the signboards hung on the façade, and the additions made by the users in the interior over time. In addition to these, weak aspects such as the negative effect of basement floors on the perception of space in the existing bazaar and the lack of open spaces have also been effective in national culture design decisions.

The design proposal is, in principle, the decision of keeping the facade decisions of the old bazaar building, reflecting the strong design understanding of modern architecture, bringing the users together with the cultural courtyard created inside, making the space accessible to everyone and freeing it from the perception of dark space. In line with this decision, first of all, the destroyed original facade of the building will be preserved and restored in principle in the new design proposal. In particular, the precast facade elements and joinery that meet Atatürk Boulevard and that have been cut and deformed in the current situation will be repaired and reproduced in accordance with their original form. 

1 Dictionnaire Raisonné de l’Architecture Française du XIe au XVIe siècle
* 2 Gio Ponti, In Praise of Architecture G. & M. Salvadori (New York: F.W. Dodge Corporation, 1960), 99.