NEO-CRUX / NAZENDE YAREN YILMAZ
Neo-Crux derives from the words “Neo” (new) and “Crux” (core), defining the project as a new urban nucleus for the city of Sivas. The proposal is a contemporary municipality building complex located in the city center, aiming to strengthen civic life through architecture, public space, and technology.
Urban analysis revealed that Sivas functions around a compact but highly active central square, which concentrates social, cultural, and civic interactions. This square became the conceptual foundation of Neo-Crux. The project reinterprets this existing condition by creating a new civic core organized around a public plaza.
The complex consists of three main buildings: a municipality building, workshop spaces, and an auditorium. These volumes are positioned around the central square, with all primary entrances oriented toward it. Vehicular circulation is kept at the perimeter, allowing the square to remain pedestrian-oriented and publicly accessible.
A grid-based urban structure observed in the residential fabric of Sivas is translated into the architectural language of the project. While street-facing façades remain calm and controlled, the façades facing the square transform into fractured geometries, reflecting the spatial breaks found in the city center.
Neo-Crux also aims to revitalize traditional craftsmanship by integrating it with contemporary digital technologies. Workshop spaces support production, learning, and cultural continuity, generating new economic and social opportunities.
Kinetic sun-shading façades and layered open, semi-open, and enclosed spaces enhance environmental comfort. The project further establishes strong connections with surrounding green areas, gardens, and the nearby river, positioning Neo-Crux as an active, resilient, and future-oriented civic core for Sivas.
