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