Social Innovation Hub-Esra Betül Ağdemir
This project is designed as a community-based creative production and social entrepreneurship center shaped by the transformation of an existing public structure in Kahramanmaraş. The design aims to offer not only a physical structure proposal; but also a dynamic platform where different user groups such as women, youth, children and entrepreneurs can produce, learn and socially interact together.
At the heart of the project is the preservation of the existing building and its transformation into a welcoming and common meeting space. The design that starts from here continues with the coworking space and library placed opposite each other; the semi-open social space between these two units supports seasonal use. The multi-purpose hall located on the upper floor of the library is connected to the digital production workshops via a bridge. These workshops, together with the exhibition hall located on the lower floor, create flexible areas where the content produced in the project can be shared. The digital production units are also integrated with the maker lab education workshops via the upper floor bridge. On the lower floor of the maker labs, there are women’s entrepreneurship workshops, STEM areas for children, a café and product sales sections.
The project is shaped around social improvement, sustainability and innovative production. The aim was to increase urban resilience after the earthquake, to strengthen individuals and to integrate technology into society. The balanced distribution of open, semi-open and closed areas was supported by biophilic design principles; a strong spatial connection was established between nature, technology and community.
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