BITLIS KENT MEYDANI, ETRAFINI
SARAN TARIHI KONUT DOKUSUNA
UYUMLU ŞEKILDE TASARLANDI.
TOWN SQUARE OF BITLIS IS RESPONDING
TO THE HISTORIC RESIDENTIAL CONTEXT
SURROUNDING THE SITE.
values. Against the indiscriminate implementation of
mass housing projects by the agencies of the central
government in large cities, local officials in smaller cities
instead have focused on local identity to distinguish
aspects of the cityscape particularly city centers and
public areas. The dilemma for many Anatolian cities is the
creation of that urban identity through public construction
projects that simultaneously sometimes has the reverse
affect of erasing aspects of local urban identity. Despite
these complications an increasing number of urban
planning projects with a focus on creating urban identity
that emphasize historical and cultural values are being
implemented throughout Turkey today. Projects in
locations such as Gazipaşa, Şişli Building Complex and
Kayseri-Nar Town Square that were covered in previous
issues of Natura reflects this trend. Even though many of
these projects may never be realized, their well-crafted
designs, 3D visualizations and models presented to the
general public and publicized on the municipalities’ web
sites, exemplify administrators vision for the future of the
city and act as their political ideas in architectural form.
A recent example of this type of regionally developed
urban planning project is the “Town Square” project for
Bitlis, Turkey, 2013, by two young Istanbul offices, SO?
Architecture and 8 Artı Architecture and Urban Planning
Studio . 8 Artı, founded in 2006 by urban planner Dr.
Sertaç Erten and architect Dr. Devrim Çimen, provides a
wide variety of design and architectural services from
macro to micro scale. They have received numerous
awards the latest being their first prize for Ecopark at
OSTIM Ankara, and several other projects like Ödemiş
Town Center, Küçükçekmece Town Square, Dicle ValleyCulturepark and Fiskaya Falls, Yenikapı Mevlevihanesi
Square, which are being implemented. So? Mimarlık
and Fikriyat consisting of partners Oral Göktaş and
Sevince Bayrak was founded in 2007 and focuses on
architectural and urban design. In addition to many
architectural awards, the office is also known for their
exhibitions and installations including their latest
installation “Sky Spotting Spot” at the Istanbul Modern
Museum. The two Istanbul practices project for Bitlis
Municipality reflects the collaborative efforts and design
philosophy of both teams for developing sustainable
designs respecting the local context, a characteristic
of many young architects in Turkey as a generation are
increasingly sensitive to environmental values, urban
context and public spaces.
Bitlis is a small city located in eastern Anatolia, on
the West coast of Turkey’s largest lake, Lake Van, with
a population of approximately 65,000. The city has a
rich cultural, historical, archeological, and architectural
heritage site and is known as the location of Mount
Ararat, a UNESCO World Heritage that is the location
of ancient statues dating to the 1st century that are
among the most significant archeological findings
at the acropolis of the mountain making the site a
major tourist attraction for the area. The city itself is a
collection of the remnants of various civilizations that
includes the remarkable remains of Greek, Armenian,
OCAK - ŞUBAT 2014 / JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2014 • NATURA 51