Fatma Ana Cemevi and Culture Center / 9016

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The project area is located on Kavakli Dere river basin in Beylikduzu district (Istanbul), which the architects described as a 'public corridor' for its communal role. The project aims to have a significant association with this corridor, which implements the project's publicity to form a social unity in the neighborhood. The project area is 7800 square meters with 2230 square meters of built space, one of the rare examples to find in a metropolitan city. Having a minority-religion center, together with a culture-center functioning, is a vital decision for such cities as Istanbul.The project area follows a rectangular shape, and the three building blocks are placed coherently within a rectangular landscape organization. While creating a connection with the park and guiding the flow of people, the blocks metaphorically mimic the Alevis' cultural value of togetherness. The Cemevi building is a combination of three separate-looking but interconnected prisms, which act as the primary space for religious events. There is a continuous stream between each function while offering a public space for the neighborhood, besides the project's prominent role.Text description provided by the architects.Studio 9016's architectural design proposal for a Cemevi and Culture Centre was selected as the Winner of Istanbul Beylikduzu Municipality's competition in 2015. As completed in 2020, it is the first Cemevi competition-winner project that was built in Turkey, chosen from 82 projects. Cemevi is the name of the gathering place for the Alevi-Bektashi population, which is a religious minority group; and Beylikduzu Cemevi and Culture Centre creates a distinctive presence for Alevis in Istanbul.The Alevis' understanding of nature has provided an inspirational ground for the project. The building was carefully laid out by creating a visible but subtle appearance of its religious program. The project considers the Alevi culture's values of togetherness, by offering a cultural center not only for Alevis but for all the neighborhood inhabitants. The site plan is an investigation of the search to form such a connection while 'making the invisible more visible', both physically and meaningfully.Introverted (religious) functioning programs are combined with extroverted ones (such as the conference room) with harmony both on an urban and interior scale. Vertically, the project generates a public space between the park and the housing zone by forming a social platform. The fragmented layout of the project site has inspired the organization of the building. The Cemevi Square, proposed as the central open area as the entrance of the project, constitutes the horizontal link as a response to the topography while acting as a welcoming area with its 7.5-meter-high wooden structure.While different materials give character to each program in the building, there is consistency in the use of the pure form of each material. The use of natural stone forms the continuity of the tangible elements surrounding the project area with a link to the park. The use of timber differentiates the Cemevi area as a private and sacred space while providing intimacy. The result is a combination of programs, where a minority-religious group interacts harmoniously with the neighborhood.