ROU-HUB / SALİHA BÜLBÜL

This project proposes an urban and municipal center for Sivas, reinterpreting the city’s collective memory through the concept of “urban rituals.” The main historical reference is the arrival of the railway during the Republican period, which marked a major transformation in the city’s spatial, economic, and social structure. The former railway facilities and Cer Workshops became catalysts for production, movement, and public life, and this layered history forms the conceptual foundation of the project.

The main design concept is the “WYE” form, a triangular railway system used for changing the direction of trains. This geometry is translated into an architectural and urban strategy that represents connection, intersection, and orientation. The building masses are organized according to this form, creating a clear spatial order that guides movement and frames collective urban experiences. The project aims to transform a formerly industrial and infrastructural zone into a new civic focus for the cityPublic functions such as exhibition spaces, gathering areas, and social facilities are placed at the core of the scheme in order to support daily urban life. Cultural units and museum spaces strengthen the relationship between the city and its historical memory, offering scenarios where visitors can experience Sivas’ industrial and social past through contemporary spatial interpretations. Educational, administrative, and office units support the continuity of this civic program.

Circulation is designed as a continuous public route that connects all functions and encourages interaction. This route becomes an urban promenade where users encounter cultural, social, and administrative spaces along a single spatial sequence. Rather than isolating functions, the project blends them through shared axes and transitional spaces.Overall, the project aims to create a new urban hub that connects past and present, infrastructure and daily life, and memory and contemporary use. It offers Sivas a strong civic center that redefines the former railway zone as a place of encounter, culture, and collective identity.