The historical consequences of the Industrial Revolution were felt in the Ottoman Empire as well as around the world. As a result, Istanbul is home to a diverse range of industrial structures that have played an essential role in the city’s history. Industrial buildings are worth protecting because of their technical, social, cultural, historical, and architectural characteristics from the period they were built. However, it is also crucial that the structures that lose their function do not turn into ruins. Industrial buildings built to match the conditions of the time may become unnecessary and need to be addressed over time. This situation could be caused by factors such as the progression of current conditions or a change in the user profile. Instead of demolishing these structures, they should be re-functionalized and returned to the city.
Even though the industrial structures that remain in the social memory and are valuable in forming social and cultural identity are no longer useful in their functional dimension, they can be kept alive in the structural dimension by adapting them to the new cultural identity. As a result, some industrial structures maintain cultural, architectural, technical, social, and economic characteristics of the era in which they were built. They keep their physical existence, a physical expression of their characteristics. Structures structurally deficient but physically existing must be re-functionalized to impart moral values to the future without being abandoned to extinction.
As part of the “Istanbul Industrial Heritage Mapping Project”, DGA’s research team researched and documented Istanbul’s industrial heritage structures. According to DGA, most examples of industrial heritage that have survived to the present day are neglected or, unfortunately, silently demolished; only a few are re-functionalized and evaluated for various uses. Nonetheless, these structures have significant potential for the city; many are placed at strategic sites in the city centre and provide fairly big expenses when regarded as urban areas. Museum Gazhane, formerly Hasanpaşa Gasworks Complex, continues to exist in the centre of Istanbul today as an industrial building included in the re-functioning.
History of Hasanpaşa Gasworks Complex | Müze Gazhane
Hasanpaşa Gasworks Complex is one of the best examples of a re-functionalized industrial building in Istanbul. The Hasanpaşa Gasworks complex, built in 1892 to meet the Anatolian side’s energy needs, is a gas factory where coal is burned to produce gas, which is then utilised for heating and lighting. It was liquidated in 1993, and the manufacturing function was discontinued, leaving it in the city’s memory as an industrial history.
The Hasanpaşa Gasworks Complex was used as an Istanbul Electric Tram and Tunnel (IETT) warehouse and garage, scrap yard, waste dump, and coal warehouse when its activities ceased in 1993. The remaining components were dismantled in 1994. The destruction was halted due to locals’ protests and the help of non-governmental organisations, and Hasanpaşa Gasworks Complex was declared a protected area. The restoration file developed by ITU (Istanbul Technical University) between 1998 and 2001 was authorised by the Conservation Board in 2014 and was tendered by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality on January 8, 2014. The project was carried out with the help of numerous specialists and students and was overseen by architect Afife Batur and directed by Gülsün Tanyeli and Kani Kuzucular. The restorations, which began on March 7, 2014, and were scheduled to be finished in 2019, were completed in 2021. The facility, known as the ”Museum Gazhane”, opened on July 9, 2021, as Istanbul’s new culture and arts centre. The museum even hosted one of the exhibitions created in the 2022 Istanbul Biennial.
Design Approaches of Museum Gazhane
According to the designers, in planning the function, the functions of the buildings in the factory process and their relationships with one other, restoration decisions, and today’s needs were the determining criteria. In this way, museum buildings, a temporary exhibition space, a scientific centre and workshop, a bookstore, and a museum store were created in collaboration to form an event island. They were incorporated into the function scheme as “Museum Buildings.” On the other hand, the library, co-working spaces, and cafe were developed collaboratively and integrated into the function scheme as ‘Library Buildings’. Museum and exhibition building re-functioning, interior and furniture design, science centre and workshop, library, bookshop, cafe and information building, climatic museum space, and display design were all implemented.
According to the designers, while working inside the buildings, each of which is a machine of the factory, the goal was to create flexible and transformable spaces while attempting not to damage the existing structure and aesthetic of the building and touching the building as minimally as possible. The design comprised structural features, machinery, machine bases, and all extant parts from the factory period inside the buildings. In addition to these criteria, using natural and recyclable materials was prioritised. The interior layouts of the industrial historic buildings are designed to allow for flexible usage, are pleasant, and provide space for people of different ages and profiles. The use of public space was supported with open event space suggestions. With all these decisions, it was aimed for the Gasworks complex to take its place in urban life as a holistic area.
Reference List:
- İtez, Ö. (2022). Müze Gazhane – Müze ve Kütüphane Binaları Yeniden İşlevlendirme ve İç Mekan Tasarımları. [online] Arkitera. Available at: https://www.arkitera.com/proje/muze-gazhane-muze-ve-kutuphane-binalari-yeniden-islevlendirme-ve-ic-mekan-tasarimlari/.
- ERYİĞİT, Z.B. and ANIKTAR, S. (2021). Yeniden İşlevlendirilmiş Endüstri Yapılarında Mekân Algısı. İDEALKENT, [online] 12(32), pp.708–734. doi:https://doi.org/10.31198/idealkent.802512.
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- Merkezi, A.M. (n.d.). İstanbul Endüstri Mirası Haritalama Projesi. [online] Arkitera.com. Available at: https://www.arkiv.com.tr/proje/endustri-mirasi-haritalama-projesi/8285 [Accessed 2 Apr. 2023].
- bienal.iksv.org. (n.d.). Müze Gazhane. [online] Available at: https://bienal.iksv.org/tr/17-bienal-mekanlar/muze-gazhane [Accessed 2 Apr. 2023].
