Euterpe
Music
Research
Institute
Throughout history, people have built bridges between past and the future by telling each other stories and memories they have lived. In our subconscious, a place, an event or a city can only be kept alive by memories. These memories keep the feelings of that city alive in our minds by establishing the relationship between daily habits of the city and urban fabric through auditory and visual perspectives. Feeling the spirit of a city is directly related to memories made up of sounds and images that are reflexively recorded in our mind, although we are often unaware of it. Therefore, two most memorable things about a city are sounds and visuals. These values, which are an integral part of daily life, culture and the spirit of the city, have not been fully transferred from the past to the present. Images can survive through painting, but disappear when sounds are not recorded or archived. Especially in cities like Istanbul, which have a dynamic life and a multi-layered history, voices change very rapidly. Therefore, the preservation and accessibility of a city's characteristic sounds are important for the sustainability of cultural memory and intangible cultural heritage. In this context, Euterpe MRI (music research institute) is a research center, a collective field of study where sounds that are a part of Istanbul culture are researched, protected and recorded. The subject of the project is to increase the awareness of voices with urban and cultural memory. These sounds of the city will be examined in 4 different time periods considering the historical background of Istanbul. At this point, the framework of the research concept will be the music and instruments of 4 different historical periods.
Various relations have been established with the Gazanfer Aga Complex and Valence Aqueduct, which are of great importance in the historical context, also with the streets around the project area. The openings on the facade of the building facing the Valence Aqueduct side are planned in parallel with the Valence Aqueduct openings. Thus, when viewed from Fatih Park, a visual relationship is established with the interior of the building from the outside. With the event stairs positioned towards Serdap Street between Valence Aqueduct and the building, a linear axis was built on the building, Valence Aqueduct and Fatih Park. With this axis, Serdap Street, between the building and Valence Aqueduct, gained new identity and the relationship of the building with the environment was strengthened.
Polycarbonate is used on the facades of the building facing Valence Aqueduct and Gazanfer Aga Complex side. These polycarbonate facades are intended to make people walking on the street between Gazanfer Aga Complex and the building and on Serdap Street feel the historical environment more with its reflection (blur effect) feature. In addition, reflections on these facades partially conceal the building, while at the same time, the building has the traces of historical buildings through the visual relationship established. Corten was used on the other two facades. In relation to the concept, the rhythm of the music was chosen as a parameter. Therefore, unlike the linearly designed polycarbonate façade, the choice of a wavy corten façade created a contrast between order and disorder. While the old image of corten as an innovative material, and the new look of polycarbonate create another contrast, also these two materials are in harmony in terms of being modern.
