Architectural Design in Historical Areas: Urban Regeneration Areas in Istanbul

Abstract

In Turkey, it is observed that, the design projects in sites declared as protected areas with the urban regeneration law enacted in 2005, neglect the universal principles and legal regulations set forth in the protection of cultural heritage. Consequently, architectural design works distorting the integrity and changing the identity of the historical texture are commonly seen. Today, contemporary architectural design in the historical environment is handled together with the subject of conservation aiming to protect the value of cultural identity and transfer it to future generations in the light of various universal studies. Taking design principles into account which are continuously being discussed on international levels regarding new designs within the historical environment will help protect the cultural heritage by constructing the new buildings in the light of context, continuity and historical texture. In this regard, the current study focuses on the questioning of Fener-Balat, Suleymaniye and Tarlabap renovation projects, which were declared as regeneration areas in Istanbul, within the scope of universal protection and architectural design principles. In the study, initially, the concepts of conservation of historical environment and architectural design in the historical environment were examined through the lens of international literature and the related legal and institutional arrangements in Turkey, and then, the architectural design criteria in the historical environment were specified within the scope of these concepts. This study aims to reveal the design problems in the regeneration projects of designated three regions. To this end, the projects in question were evaluated in terms of the specified design criteria and the external factors affecting the design studies in Turkey through a survey held with experts on the field. The results reveal that context, continuity and periodical readability are neglected in the renovation projects in question and the political and economic situation in Turkey affects the design works.