THE SIVAS NEXUS / ZEHİYE ÜNAL

This project addresses the dual challenges of Sivas’s harsh continental climate and its fragmented urban social fabric. Located at the critical border between the City Center and the University district—currently severed by the Mismil River—the design functions not merely as a municipal building, but as a vital “Urban Integrator.”

The ground strategy is the core of this integration. Rejecting the closed nature of traditional government buildings, the ground floor is designed as a porous urban interface. It does not block the urban flow; instead, it invites the city in. By aligning with the “Main Trade Axle” and creating multiple entry points, the building acts as a transparent filter that physically stitches the disconnected University zone back into the city center, allowing pedestrian life to flow uninterrupted through its courtyards.

Unlike isolated administrative blocks, the upper massing establishes a respectful dialogue with the surrounding urban texture. The structure is fragmented into interconnected volumes that respond to the human scale of the neighboring residential fabric, rather than overpowering it. This configuration forms a “Microclimate Oasis”; angled facades block harsh prevailing winds while framing visual connections to the river and adjacent green belts.

Programmatically, the aim is to unify governance with public life. The Municipality is spatially interwoven with social functions such as a Library, Youth Center, and City Memory Exhibition. Acting as a “Living Bridge,” the structure transforms into a collective living room where governance meets daily life, healing the isolation of the context.