Fragments

Assist. Prof. Dr. Gizem Özkan Üstün (Ph.D.)

Project idea

Every disaster leaves behind a silent destruction; yet the deepest traces of this ruin endure in the memories of those who experienced the pain firsthand, and within the very layers of the space where the event took place. The "Fragments" project stands against the erasing effect of time, taking on the mission to make visible the collective trauma and spatial remnants of a past disaster.

Project description

The core concept of the "Fragments" project is based on translating the acts of destruction and fragmentation caused by the disaster into an architectural language. In line with this, the design aims to keep individual, collective, and spatial memories alive by preserving the layers belonging to the "before, during, and after" phases of the disaster. The deconstructivist theme of fragmentation, which evokes the moment of explosion or fracturing, is embodied through sharp, fractured, and crystallized geometric forms, remaining suspended as "layers of memory" within the mass movements, ceiling, and wall surfaces of the space. Rather than rendering visitors merely passive observers, the structure aims to create a deep awareness in them and reconstruct sensory perception through space by guiding them through a sequence of sensory stages: first trace, encounter, silence, introversion, drift, metamorphosis, touch, remember, deviation, and hope.

Technical information

Material and structural decisions are addressed as the most fundamental elements that embody the conceptual depth and spatial experience of the project. Raw concrete was preferred as the main load-bearing and surface material of the structure to emphasize the coldness, permanence, and tragic monumentality of the disaster. A lightweight yet strong steel structure has been integrated into the system to support the fractured, deconstructivist, and crystallized ceiling and facade forms that articulate into this raw mass. In thematic stations such as the "mirrored space" and the "connection with the outside world," extensive glass facades and reflective surfaces were utilized to bend perception, create dramatic light-and-shadow plays, and increase spatial illusion. At the center of all this new structural composition lies the hotel building itself, which directly experienced the disaster and was burned; this iconic structure remaining from the fire was reinforced with steel structures and preserved, being integrated into the design as the project's most powerful, primary, living, and touchable experience space through which visitors personally pass.

Documentation

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