The Copper Innovation Hub: Where Heritage Sparks the Future- Büşra Serbest
Located in the heart of Kahramanmaraş, the Copper Innovation Hub is a dynamic architectural
response to the city’s rich copperworking heritage. Rooted in centuries of craftsmanship and
community labor, the project reinterprets this deep cultural identity through a contemporary
lens—bridging the artisanal and the digital, the past and the future.
At its core, the design honors the memory of place. The preserved vertical entrance element of
the existing Necip Fazıl Kısakürek Cultural Center becomes a symbolic threshold, maintaining a
visual and emotional connection to the city’s collective memory. Around this preserved
fragment, a new architectural language unfolds—one that embraces open learning, creative
production, and digital transformation.
The site is organized into various interactive zones: traditional copper workshops, digital
fabrication labs, maker spaces, and exhibition areas. These spaces allow artisans, students,
and visitors to engage directly with both manual and high-tech copperworking processes. A
semi-open Copper Bazaar surrounds the central structure, inviting public interaction and
supporting local entrepreneurship. This blend of commercial and educational functions creates
a living, evolving ecosystem.
Landscape design plays a key role in softening the geometry of the site and guiding circulation
through planted axes and shaded courtyards. The integration of copper-toned design elements
throughout the architecture reinforces the project’s material narrative.
The Copper Innovation Hub is more than a building—it is a cultural platform. It tells a story of
transformation, preserving what is meaningful while embracing what is possible. It positions
Kahramanmaraş not only as a guardian of tradition but also as a center of future-oriented
craftsmanship and creativity.
Click to Watch Project Animation
