17/03/2021
Complex Co-Existence
The mosque and youth center project in Esenler, Istanbul tackles an issue mostly avoided by the quasi-secular Turkish public: how to create a novel sacred space and surround it with a non-sacred, public space that can co-exist and thrive?
The answer was “Külliye”, a building complex that puts the sacred core - the mosque - in the center and surround it with more secular, yet public buildings like schools, hospitals, public kitchens and bath houses. The Külliye complexes in Ottoman Times were often managed by a single institution, the Waqf (charitable foundation), thus Külliyes both look and operate as a single entity by containing a condensed richness that is city life.
That richness and the Külliye’s ability to be both sacred and secular under the same roof, act as a foundation for degostudio’s design approach. The derelict car park and a worn-out public park are transformed into a contemporary Külliye containing a mosque, a youth center and a brand new park working together to promote a secular public space with a mosque acting as its sacred core.
Our design utilizes fundamental elements of a classical mosque design yet transforms them into a new narrative. The arches dominate the facade design, yet without columns they create a more dynamic outer skin. Like a classic Turkish mosque, the main dome is visible, but it is made of bricks and devoid of any ornament, focusing the attention to its mere form and material. The minaret still stands tall, however due to technological developments, it is no longer a beacon for vocal communication, but a visual signifier of the holy.
