TACTILE FLUX / TUĞBA ERSOY

With my project Tactile Flow, I aimed to combine Sivas’s deep-rooted craft tradition and historical heritage with a contemporary urban center design. From the very beginning of my design process, I considered the city not merely as a landscape to be observed, but as an experiential space to be touched and felt. In my Cultural Route analysis, I transformed the line flowing from historical focal points of Sivas, such as the Gendarmerie Building and the Gök Medrese, into a modern finish and a new public beginning in my project area.

I bent the mass according to the urban circulation axes, creating inward recesses to block the wind and orient it towards the landscape. By gradually raising the structure vertically, I achieved a fluid and inviting form that does not lose touch with the human scale. This curvilinear approach allowed me to transform the building from a cold, formal institution into an urban shell that draws the user into the courtyard.

In my material selection, I drew inspiration from ‘Wood and Stone’ craftsmanship. By incorporating the region’s texture into the facade and interior spaces, I wanted users not only to see the building but also to ‘touch’ and feel it.

In designing the program, I targeted all age groups. I integrated the municipality’s administrative units with social amenities such as a library, exhibition areas, a kindergarten, and sports facilities. Thus, I transformed this space from a building used only during working hours into a vibrant center where children, young people, and the elderly interact throughout the day. In short, Tactile Flux is a holistic living space that blends the memory of the past with the fluidity of the present.”