Theodosius Cistern Entrance Building
Estambul TR
Cafer Bozkurt Architecture
2017
Type
Pavilion
Tags
spaces for tourism, heritage sites interventions, traces from the past
Visitability
Allowed
Description
The Theodosius (Şerefiye) Cistern in the Sultanahmet area of the Historic Peninsula of Istanbul is a 1. Degree Historical Monument and well-preserved specimen of Byzantine Water Infrastructure dating back to the 5th century. Built by Emperor Theodosius II, the brick domed roof of the 42.5m x 42.5m cistern is supported by 32 marble columns with Corinthian capitals. Succeeding the 1992 and 2015 restorations of the underground cistern structure, this architectural project features a contemporary Entrance Building to the monument and the design of the surrounding urban landscape. Situated in a dense urban context, this small public space opened up after the buildings previously located right above the cistern were demolished in 2013 with the approval of the IV. Historical Heritage Committee of Istanbul. As a physical trace of the city’s Roman-Byzantine-Ottoman inheritance still preserved today, the Theodosius Cistern is a direct architectural culmination of the impressive infrastructural network, giving physical form to water. Even though these subterranean constructions are visually so silent in today’s context, they were crucial to the survival of the inhabitants of the city for hundreds of years and are spatially particular and exciting to the contemporary architectural perspective. Thus, this project expands cultural and temporal boundaries by generating awareness and increasing visibility of the heritage layers beneath. Today, this small-scale urban design project gracefully fulfills its initial aim to create a contemporary urban space and to provide both visitors to the museum and passers-by an appropriately reflective space to appreciate the surrounding historical context.The main pedestrian and public transportation access to the monument is via the famous Divanyolu Street (the historic Mese axis) from the north of the site. The urban design introduces two entrance plazas on different levels: On the higher north side lies the ‘Cistern Plaza’ situated right on top of the underground cistern. On the lower south side, is the ‘Pierre Loti Plaza’ that is bordered by a beautiful line of grown Plane trees that once lined the former Pierre Loti Street. Located in the middle of the site, in between these two levels, is the new Entrance Building perched right on the corner of the underground cistern structure; in other words, it is situated partly atop the newly revealed main exterior wall and door leading down into the cistern.(Description provided by the architects)