ReLink: Encounter.Blend.Transform-Elif Ceren Aksoy
ReLink is a layered adaptive reuse project proposed within the site of the Necip Fazıl Cultural Center in Kahramanmaraş. Shaped around the motto “Encounter, Blend, Transform,” the project aims to reshape the collective memory of the city through cultural production, bring together diverse age groups and communities, and promote sustainable social and economic development through culture. The project is grounded in a strategic vision that supports cultural innovation at local, regional, national, and international levels.
In response to the city’s identified lack of a cultural route, a new path has been proposed by selecting key sites of historical and cultural significance, with the ReLink project site positioned as its focal point. This cultural route not only serves as a physical framework for the project but also embodies its conceptual backbone by aiming to revive fading cultural values through reconnection essentially, reviving the bond “from people to people.” Moreover, the route is designed to integrate with cultural routes and festivals in neighboring provinces, creating an experience that intersects urban circulation with cultural engagement.
The architectural masses within the site are shaped according to the axes drawn from both the cultural route and the surrounding neighborhood. Each structure is designed to serve this overarching narrative. The spatial layout facilitates not only physical connections but also planned moments of spontaneous encounters between visitors, which aim to spark collective memory and reflection. In this way, social interaction becomes a deliberate and meaningful outcome of the spatial design.
Functionally, ReLink is organized into three main categories: Explore, Share, and Develop. The Explore zones include exhibition areas, digital art galleries, and thematic research spaces that encourage the discovery of cultural heritage, art, and craft. The Share category emphasizes communal life and interaction through public stages, festival spaces, a cultural café, local gastronomy points, and gathering areas. The Develop section supports creative production and cultural entrepreneurship by providing co-working spaces, workshops, and studios designed for collaborative making and innovation.
Ultimately, ReLink is a comprehensive project that redefines urban identity through a cultural lens, fosters encounters, and intentionally designs spaces that cultivate interaction. Reimagined within the Necip Fazıl Cultural Center site, ReLink becomes a new-generation public space a place where culture is lived, created, and shared, by the people and for the people.
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