Bursa Hanlar Region Urban Design | 2024

Hanlar Region: A historical dialogue space from past to present
Bursa is a city of flow, a place where history courses through its veins, and green stretches endlessly along its paths.

Due to its strategic location, Bursa has been influenced by both Asian and European cultures throughout history. The city bears the marks of Hittite, Lydian, Phrygian, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman civilizations. Archaeological studies conducted in the city’s center, now known as the Hisar region, reveal its history dates back approximately 8,500 years.

In the Hanlar Region, a magical urban dialogue emerges from the interplay between structural rigidity and organic fluidity. Individually, the hans, baths, mosques, and bazaars stand firm and geometrically resolute. Yet their seemingly free arrangement within the city gives rise to corner nooks, meandering organic streets, sloping paths leading to intimate neighborhoods, and small squares at the intersections of roads, all key elements in shaping this enchanting dialogue.

Main Concept / Approach: The unique and invaluable urban articulation established by these historical structures serves as the foundation of our approach. Drawing insights from old maps and historical readings, we began crafting a composition that sometimes fills voids, sometimes preserves absences as silent reminders, and sometimes blends them with the beauty and narratives of contemporary life. As we delved deeper, we realized that the site’s steep topography inherently fragments the area into smaller, human-scaled terraces and leads us to small platform. This revelation highlighted that the seemingly free layout of the existing structures—their varied orientations and the intermediary spaces they form—was guided by the geography itself.

Thus, rather than writing a new text, our work took on the nature of completing the unfinished sentences of an existing narrative. Small urban courtyards emerged, following the han courtyards, connected by pedestrian pathways, and complemented by plane trees and lindens that greet the greenery cascading down from Tophane.

Sustainability: Our project emphasizes sustainable practices in an era of climate crisis. Locally sourced materials played a pivotal role in our design. Bursa stone and Söğüt stone, procured from the nearest quarry, were brought to the site and used in conjunction with schist stones unearthed during excavation. By prioritizing vernacular approaches, we minimized the carbon emissions associated with logistics, while the use of natural materials prevented the heat island effect.

Concrete usage was avoided across most of the site, ensuring permeable ground surfaces. This approach mitigates the risk of flooding caused by steep slopes while allowing the seasonal changes to manifest naturally. In spring, the ground greens; in autumn, it turns golden, telling the story of climate transitions through the living texture of the landscape.

Category:Public SpaceLocation:Bursa,TurkiyeArchitect: Ece Avcı Kantarcı, TurkiyeArchitecture Office:Ece Avcı Kantarcı, Kantarcı Avcı ArchitectsDesign Team: Ece Avcı Kantarcı, Bahadır KantarcıProject Team:Egemen Onur Kaya, Merve Kalkan, Ertuğrul Yıldız, Gün Rodoplu, Yunus Emre Görgüç, Sıla KutluContractor:Metikar ConstructionClient: Bursa Metropolitan MunicipalityPhotographer: Egemen Karakaya