The Gallipoli Peninsula, at the Western end of Turkey, holds a particular significance for the country as the site of a major World War One battle in which the declining Ottoman Empire repelled an attempted invasion by British forces. Today, it is seen as one of the defining moments that contributed to the formation of modern day Turkey, and the site of the battle is commemorated by a national park which includes a series of monuments and memorials at the southern tip of the peninsula.
Aiming to consolidate these sites in to a more coherent whole, the Çanakkale government launched a competition to redesign the area, in which the team led by Özer/Ürger Architects and ON Design came in third place. Read on after the break to find out about their design.
In response to the disjointed interventions designed in the past, the team chose to use a strategy of removing and simplifying, rather than competing with the existing monuments and tombs and adding to the cluttered park. Removing all excess hard landscaping, they used topography and nature, along with simple and horizontal landscape interventions, to reorganize the sites.
Another important element of the design strategy was to create a clear separation between the peaceful spaces of contemplation and the facilities such as shops, toilets, roads and car parks by using simple landscape gestures.
Describing their design, Özer/Ürger Architects state: "The heavy and dramatic history of Gallipoli, as well as its natural beauty, makes it very special and any design task involving it very hard. Our approach to the task of redesigning six visiting locations in Gallipoli National Park is guided by the respect this land commands as the memento of the war and the resting place of the lost thousands.
"Our main goal is to create simple, calm and peaceful locations that deepen the visiting experience, facilitate contemplation, and enable getting in touch with the natural landscape. We maintain any intervention here should not try to impose meanings (eg, piece, war, victory, death) but enrich the spiritual experience of the very land and accepted reminders of its history. Thus, our design strategy is defined by the decision of ‘minimum intervention’."
Click here to see the first place entry and the second place entry.
Competition
Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National ParkAward
3rd PlaceArchitects
ON Design, Özer Ürger ArchitectsLocation
17900 Seddülbahir/Çanakkale Province, TurkeyÖzer Ürger Architects
Ali Özer, Ahmet Mucip Ürger, Asst. Prof. Emre Altürk, İsmet Güngör, Seda Gecü, Erhan Sevinç, Ercan Koca, Özlem Tavas, Gökçe Ejder, Fulya Altan, Mustafa TekinON Design (Landscape and urban design team)
Dr. Ahmet Oktan Nalbantoğlu, Tuğba Akyol, Burçak Erkmen, Mehmet Cemil Aktaş, Cemil Hamdi Okumuş, Koray Kalay, Çağlar Burak Yayla, Elif AtatekinIndustrial design
Tasarim Üssü (Gülay Gamze Güven)Graphic Design
dgT Agency (Turgut Erentürk, Dr. Tugay Erentürk)Client
Çanakkale GovernorshipProject Year
2014Photographs
Courtesy of Özer/Ürger ArchitectsArchitects
ON Design, Özer Ürger Architects
