Rethinking the Entrance of a Historical Urban Garden / Istanbul Yildiz Park

Abstract

Nevertheless Industrial age, western cities were grown by immigrations from the country sides and villages. Architects and urban planners work together to design parks and gardens that integrate nature, zoos, planetariums and public squares such as Central park in New York, Hyde park in London, Tuileries Garden and Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris, etc. While this urban planning revolution acted on western cities, in one of the most important eastern city “Istanbul”, the processes of using gardens displayed differences, use as part of Ottoman palaces, used only by royal members. Yildiz Park is a historical, urban garden in Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, which is located in Yildiz quarter between the palaces of Yildiz and Çırağan. It was once part of the imperial garden of Yildiz Palace. Extending down the slopes from the palace, this high walled, park was reserved only for palace dwellers. But unfortunately, because of perceiving as a shortcut transportation corridor between Beşiktaş residential area and seaside of Ortaköy, and varying from garden to car parking area; cause decreases on awareness of its historical background and being remembered as an urban public space, used in our daily life. With the scope of increasing the awareness of Yildiz Park and also trying to teach the importance of historical buildings and places to the junior class students, which are in the first year of architectural education; we have decided to make a second semester architectural studio “Being in Yildiz Park” in Istanbul Kultur University. In studio works, first year architecture students tried to design new entrances of Yildiz Park without interfering with its existing historical doors and walls. And also they made design alternatives to provide Yildiz Park to be an attractive and memorable place for citizens again. The aim of this paper is to determine the results from the architectural design studio works to make new design decisions of increasing the awareness on historical buildings and places in architectural design education.