Concept Design Competition for Ürgüp City Center
Purchase Award 🎖️
Purchase Award 🎖️
Urkup: ‘Ur-Rock, Kup-Many’
Ürgüp, with its geomorphological features, stands as a monolithic city within its unique geography. The harmony between natural formations and man-made carved hills transforms this area into an open-air museum. The varying hardness of volcanic rocks has led to the organic shaping of these hills over time, where mountains and peaks have not only served as shelters but also shaped the memory of the land.
From a bird’s eye view, the Mount Erciyes landscape reveals a fragmented yet distinctive natural hierarchy, with Ürgüp at its epicenter. To the east lie Erciyes, Topuz, and Avlağı; to the south, Sinasos; to the west, Gemril, Aşıklı, and Oylu; and to the north, Akdağ and many other peaks, all framing Ürgüp as a natural focal point. This pattern continues within Ürgüp itself, with landmarks such as Kayakapı, Arslangazi Rock, Temenni Hill, Dedeli, and Derventbaşı Heights encircling the project site.
The focus area has unfortunately turned its back on this rich natural and cultural memory. In our proposal, Kayakapı and Temenni Hill act as catalysts, integrating into the project area, enriching it, and creating new social hubs to complete the natural and hierarchical order. This approach aims to showcase these values and reconnect the site with Ürgüp's historical and cultural essence.
Project Team
Süleyman Can Çinkılıç | Bartın University, Landscape Architecture
Melih Yılmaz | Yıldız Technical University, Urban and Regional Planning
Baha Yurttaş | Istanbul Bilgi University, Architecture
Nergis Aşar | Istanbul Technical University, Landscape Architecture
Ekin Şeker | Istanbul Technical University, Landscape Architecture
Assistants
Serra Acartürk | Istanbul Technical University, Landscape Architecture
Yağmur Danışma | Istanbul Technical University, Landscape Architecture
Burak Işık | Ankara University, Landscape Architecture
Murat Kılıçoğlu | Ankara University, Landscape Architecture
