ISTANBUL STUDIO FALL 2010 All Images and Text © Weldon Pries 2017
Istanbul - The Historic Peninsula
Special Topics Studio ARCH919 5th Year Fall 2010 Professor Weldon Pries
Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and the Sea of Marmara
Istanbul and Turkey are emerging as Western, Islamic, and secular societies. Strategically located at the intersection of Europe and Asia, and at the center of world trade routes over land and sea. Istanbul expresses historic and present-day cultural influences in its layering and form. The evolution of the city and it urban design and architecture embrace the diversity of its people, cultures, and civilizations. In 2010, Istanbul will become the European Capital of Culture, with the theme of the Four Elements, connecting Europe to the East.
The Historic Peninsula, where the soaring mosques, palaces, and Orthodox churches rise, is surrounded by the shimmering Sea of Marmara and Golden Horn, a natural harbor of transportation and commerce. The majestic skyline of domes and minarets of the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque form the backdrop for the city on the water. Within the Historic Peninsula are the communities where ethnic groups of Muslims, Jews, Armenians, Greeks, and Europeans, and recent immigrants have settled. The Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and the adjacent Topkapi Palace are the symbolic entry and center for the city, located at the intersection of the Bosphorus River, Golden Horn, and the Sea of Marmara -- where Europe and Asia intersect.
Istanbul Project - Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and the Sea of Marmara
The studio addresses the role of cultural influences and architecture in the evolution of the city and its form and urban design, with the unique relationship of the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque to the Sea of Marmara. The focus of the studio is the future formation of the architecture of the water’s edge as the symbolic architectural threshold for the city, with facilities for dwelling, culture, commerce, and recreation, and the environmental restoration of the harbor for transportation.
The project phases include research and documentation of urban design with focus on the methodology of analysis for cities, urban design proposals of “urban modification” in the Historic Penninsula, and related architectural design projects for the new formation of the city and the water’s edge.
This project will contribute to the understanding of a significant “world city” in a critical geopolitical region, and of urban design in cities globally. Student travel to Istanbul is planned for the beginning of October. During the time there, a workshop on Istanbul urban design is being planned with students and professors at Istanbul Technical University and Mimar Sinan University.
Team Urban Analysis
Students
Nishat Alam, Jesse Baiata-Nicolai, Rashad Baniabbasi,
Mark Blomstrom, Elizabeth Cilley, Matthew Doyle,
Sonya Grozdanic, Keith Loranger, Colin McConville,
Bryan Premont, Stephen Skolas, Brian Slozak, Christine Vu
Figure Ground Drawings - Evolution of Istanbul
Urban Analysis
Spatial and Plan Analysis
Topography and Urban Massing - City Sections
Urban Conceptual Anaylsis
Urban and Spatial Impressions
Digital Model
Student Urban Design Projects
Nishat Alam
Jesse Baiata-Nicolai
Rashad Baniabbasi
Mark Blomstrom
Elizabeth Cilley
Matthew Doyle
Sonya Grozdanic
Keith Loranger
Colin McConville
Bryan Premont
Stephen Skolas
Brian Slozak
All Images and Text © Weldon Pries 2017
