Fibra / Melike Kılıç
Fibra is more than architecture; it is a manifesto. A manifesto for renewal, adaptability and collective resilience. Located in Kahramanmaraş, a city heavily affected by the 2023 earthquakes, the project reclaims and transforms the existing Necip Fazıl Kısakürek Cultural Center through adaptive reuse. Instead of erasing, it builds memory. Instead of wasteful demolition, it adopts minimal intervention; extending the life of a building that still breathes.
By integrating a lightweight, modular steel frame system, the new structure grows from the old and around it, allowing the architecture itself to speak of continuity, transformation and layered time. The approach aligns with the principles of the circular economy by embracing reuse and reversibility, where each piece can be disassembled, reused and reimagined.
Functionally, the building operates as a Textile-Based Social Innovation Center deeply connected to Kahramanmaraş’s rich history in yarn production. It transforms the traditional textile cycle (from raw fiber to recycled material) into a spatial and social experience. Within this framework, it includes repair workshops, circular design laboratories, local production units, community exhibitions and a concept that promotes value over waste.
In times of disaster, the structure adapts: container modules can be quickly added to provide emergency response areas or temporary shelters; extending the building’s purpose beyond everyday life, strengthening its role as a resilient urban organism. The technical assembly of the structure facilitates its adaptation to future use by leaving voids for installations.
Its architecture celebrates openness and change: raised platforms, bridges and semi-open gathering spaces create a porous network of encounters. These spaces act as a living public infrastructure that encourages interaction, making and dialogue.
Above all, the project stands as a statement of intent. It asks: How can architecture embody healing? How can buildings respond, evolve and contribute to a shared future?
This is not just a building; it is a spatial manifesto for sustainable renewal, community-driven transformation and hopeful reconstruction in a fragmented landscape.
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