Kahramanmaraş, Turkey
Arkinom Sport Hall and Youth Center
Üngüt Youth Centrer is a planned project in Kahramanmaraş, the capital city of the eponymous province in Turkey. Maraş was officially re-named Kahramanmaraş in 1973 with the prefix kahraman ("heroic") to commemorate the Battle of Maraş. The project was designed for the municipality by Arkinom Nominative Architecture, (principals Neşe and Erdem Dokuzer), and initiallly made possible by seed funding from VNG International, the development cooperation agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (which focuses on strengthening local governments worldwide).
This center has two primary goals – first, to create a public, community space which incorporates the neighboring city park and brings together the youth and other city residents, and, second, to function as a disaster relief center during and after an environmental disaster. Kahramanmaraş was at the epicenter of Turkey’s February 2023 earthquakes.
With a basic understanding that space is not only a physical space, the youth center and the city park aim to function as a part of social interaction, cultural accumulation and social context. In this way, the youth center is designed to be a place that supports the creativity of young people, increases social interaction and provides integration with other age groups within the city.
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A. Theater and Cinema B. Ateliers C. Sports Hall D. Cafe and Offices
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1. Distribution and Logistics Center 2. Helicopter or Aid Delivery Point 3. Mobile Communication Vehicles 4. Information and Missing Relatives Search Desk 5. Assembly and Information Center 6. Medical Intervention and First Aid Station 7. Volunteer and Aid Coordination Center 8. Generators 9. Solar Panels
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It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.
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Description goes here -
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It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.
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It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.
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Description goes here -
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Description goes here
The project’s focus transforms the center to be an extension of the city park. This integration involves connecting to the park with a public street through the youth center without blocking the entrance to the park. Designed using the natural slopes of the land, the youth center adapts to the city park and at the same time is a symbol of the park. The façade made of transparent materials integrates the interior with the outside world and carries the activities in the youth center outside. This design positions the youth center and the city park not only as physical spaces but also as dynamic structures that interact with their surroundings. The project will enrich the city life in terms of social, cultural and educational aspects and will make significant contributions when successfully realized.
The center’s secondary function is as a disaster relief center during an environmental disaster. Designed with the 2023 earthquakes in mind, the theater, ateliers, sports hall, cafe, offices and green roofs can be repurposed as communication centers, medical and emergency resource areas with helicopter and aid delivery points, and shelters with emergency power sources to serve Kahramanmaras, a province among the most impacted by the 2023 earthquakes. Given its location by a waterway and in the middle of a densely populated neighborhood, the center is easily accessible to both the immediate surrounding community and the broader region in the event of an earthquake, well-suited to a resiliency hub.