Theodosius Harbour Visitor Center

Symbiosis
Yenikapı serves as a bustling transportation hub where various transit systems converge, prioritizing urban mobility over its historical and cultural significance. This center witnesses high pedestrian traffic, primarily facilitated by the Marmaray-Metro transit system. Despite its vital role in urban transit, Yenikapı remains predominantly associated with concepts of speed and movement in daily urban life. Its historical and cultural background often goes unnoticed, with city dwellers passing through without engaging with its deeper historical context.

The design challenge revolves around transforming Yenikapı from a transient stop into a place of cultural awareness within the city fabric. Addressing this challenge requires radical urban design decisions to uncover and showcase its historical potential. The proposal aims to remove existing idle structures and establish the area as an archaeopark, offering a holistic view and vision of its past. Connectivity to the rest of the city will be facilitated by Marmaray, Metro, and a proposed cultural and historical train line. Pedestrianization of Namık Kemal Street, running north-south through the area, will enhance local connectivity, including a proposed pedestrian overpass for coastal access.

Visitor Center
Ih addition to revealing the site’s historical depth, the symbiotic relationship between the existing transit station and the excavation site informs the design of the visitor center. The concept of Symbiosis aims to integrate the visitor center seamlessly with the metro station and excavation site. The structure, designed to blend into the pedestrian flow, seeks to enrich the visitor experience by incorporating Marmaray-Metro transit into the center’s narrative. Suspended along the curtain wall between the metro station and excavation site, the visitor center will showcase historical data while providing views of ongoing excavations.