Haydarpasa Gari - park, loop, foyer
stimulating the transformation of a former railyard through a catalyst of nostalgia
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Abstract
Once, the Haydarpasa Railyard in Istanbul was a key link for railway traffic between Europe and Asia and a gate to the Turkish hinterland and Middle East. After the opening of the Bosphorus-crossing Marmaray Tunnel, it has lost its function and became abandoned.
Taking into account the various historical layers as well as the place of the site in the public memory, the design project proposes transforming the site into a park. This park is defined by the loop, a walkway on the path of a former sidetrack that defines the perimeter of the park and connects its different zones.
Along the loop, several interventions related to the different historical layers of the site and the inherent nostalgia are introduced. One of them is the ensemble of a panorama on top of an old turning disc as well as an existing ruinous locomotive shed, together forming a catalyst of nostalgia at the entrance of the new park. Now, after the train-traveling has stopped, this new Eastern gate to the park enables travels in time.