A Cultural Heritage From the Past to the Future: Yavuz Sultan Selim Primary School


Küçük Karakaş B., Sadıklar Z.

Urban Futures - Cultural Pasts: Sustainable Cities, Cultures & Crafts, Barcelona, Spain, 15 - 17 July 2024

  • Publication Type: Conference Paper / Full Text
  • City: Barcelona
  • Country: Spain
  • Karadeniz Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Period buildings are structures that embody the aesthetic, technological, economic, and socio-cultural characteristics of the period in which they were built and carry the traces of the life they witnessed. Thus, they contribute to the formation of the identity of the city they are located in. These structures serve as tools in the formation of social memory, reflecting the social life in which cultural consensus and, at times, cultural diversity are expressed.

Period buildings that have survived to the present day also contribute to energy and resource conservation when the existing building stock is utilized instead of constructing new buildings. Buildings representative of the period in which they were built transfer the value they carry from the past to the present, while also contributing to socio-cultural sustainability through their current use achieved via re-evaluation. Therefore, the preservation of historical buildings, their adaptive reuse, and their transfer to future generations are of increasing importance.

Within the scope of this study, the Yavuz Selim Primary School building, an educational structure built in the 19th century, was examined. The history of the school, its significance today, and its potential transfer to the future as cultural heritage form the focus of this study. The aim is to identify the factors that necessitate the school's preservation as cultural heritage and to explore methods for its future transfer. For these purposes, firstly, the architectural features of the period when the building was constructed were identified through literature and the restoration report. Secondly, the building was compared with other contemporary educational structures. Finally, the study explains why and how the building should be evaluated as cultural heritage, preserved, and transferred to future generations.

This study emphasizes the importance of the adaptive reuse approach in preserving cultural heritage and focuses on the Yavuz Selim Primary School structure, which has been understudied in the literature. Thus, it aims to contribute to the relevant literature.