Tomorrow’s Heritage: The New Meeting Spot in Namık Kemal Square, Famagusta Old Town
“All ships and all wares must needs come first to Famagusta.”
– 14th century German traveler
John Everett: The Famagusta Cathedral, 1950.
Time is a complex phenomenon for human experience as well as architecture. Our lives consist of space and time. The transformation of our physical environment is result of our changing lives and inevitable architecture is in this circle of change. As Juhani Pallasmaa (1996) wrote in his book The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses: “Architecture emancipates us from the embrace of the present and allows us to experience the slow, healing flow of time.” In this sense, historic structures have their own charm however since change is inevitable in life, so does architecture. Cities, streets, buildings evolve and change according to the needs of their inhabitants to meet new dynamics of life.
“One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again.”
– Renzo Piano
Famagusta had been the island’s most important port city and a gateway to trade during the Middle Ages therefore has a rich culture both in terms of, history, architecture, as well as social structure. It was said that by the middle of the 14th-century, Famagusta’s citizens had built some 365 churches -one for every day of the year. As layers of history visible in the remains of buildings, today there are almost 200 buildings in the Walled city reflecting Byzantine, French Gothic and Italian Renaissance architectural styles. The changing urban fabric of Famagusta over time has been problematic due to lack of enough restoration and revitalization as well as not well-planned contemporary developments within the city walls. If there would not be political dispute between the two major communities of the island, Famagusta as a city of such enormous importance would normally receive millions of dollars of monuments aid each year.
This project based on the scenario that political problems have been overcome, Famagusta became UNESCO Heritage site and with the initiatives of the local authorities the entire plot next to Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque has been served to create a new city icon which will serve to the public.
City’s new meeting spot
“The beauty of the landscape – where sand, water, reeds, birds, buildings, and people all somehow flowed together – has never left me”.
– Zaha Hadid
This new city spot aimed to bring the locals, students and well as the tourist together based on a specific program. However, designing next to a 700-year-old monument is not an easy task. While adding new layers to the historic urban environment, the context you need to be carefully recognized, interpreted, and sustained the heritage values including culture, history and architecture of the city. The geography and history of the place should be significantly considered because designing new buildings in such historic contexts must integrate the qualities of the past with the present. Without a doubt, past of the city provides an enormous source for building the future of the city. All these in mind, changing dynamics and situations regarding to the city of Famagusta are to be thoroughly searched and known for the improvement of design ideas.
In that sense, high level of respect and respond to the values of the past and present societies and enhancement of them is required for the benefit of all people ranging from local people, students to the tourists in the city of Famagusta and the island. Such new designs in historic environments are always open numerous discussions amongst, scholars, practices, politicians, etc. It is therefore in this project a great attention is given to consider every design attempt as a strong response and respect to every artifact in every sense of urban life in a Mediterranean city. Along with the socio-cultural attributes of the environment, a special attention is expected for the consideration of proportions, scale (height and massing) of neighboring buildings, solid-void ratios, building materials and detailing, architectural elements and typologies, urban density and pattern, etc. In brief, ‘architecture of the city’ is to be well known!
Good design will surely increase the attention and care of people towards this area. They will know how to use and behave in this area by developing their sense of attachment. Also, increasing public interest in this area will be notified by investors and cause enhancement of the area and the surrounding environment with more investments.
