Project Concept & Atmosphere
The Educational Community Hub in Kahramanmara offers a unique environment for education focused on the textile industry whether physical, conceptual, or intellectual. Positioned between a busy highway and a historic neighborhood, the project forms a symbolic and physical bridge between tradition and modernity. Kahramanmara, long known for its textile production, becomes the ideal context for a space that empowers local communities through familiar yet evolving practices.
Inclusive and age-open, the hub welcomes everyone from children to elders, and from able-bodied to disabled individuals. Its spatial arrangement centers around a communal courtyard that naturally connects all major functions: a textile library, material preparation lab, design studios, and weaving/cutting workshops. Terraced seating and wide stairways turn circulation into interaction, creating opportunities for gathering, resting, and learning. Specialized rooms such as study areas, conference halls, and drying zones support a range of learning types: practical, visual, conceptual, and social.
Structurally, the building combines glass, steel, and tensioned reinforced concrete with ceramic tile cladding and steel panel details, creating a contemporary language that contrasts yet respects its context. Passive design strategies such as shaded facades and natural airflow combat the region’s heat, while multiple vertical circulation points ensure easy access throughout the site.
A Day in the Life of a Student
As a first-time visitor, Im drawn to the caf, where I see people weaving and sketching nearby. Someone invited me to a public lecture. Afterward, I find myself studying textile patterns in the library, and then joining a small group to co-design a bag. We collect materials from the storage area, prep them in the lab, let them dry, and spend the afternoon cutting, stitching, and weaving. By evening, our piece is complete. We decided to exhibit it. This space isn’t like a traditional school; there’s no fixed schedule. We learn by doing, by choosing, and by sharing.
