Purpose and Method

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The design of Patch Park is aimed to create a human space beyond direct two and three dimensional design. Priority has been given to the creation of an environment that contains cultural values ​​such as human and its collective memory, thoughts or traditions in Patch Park. In this concept, the location of the Weaving Factory in the historical city constituted the starting point of the design. In this direction, two questions guided us in the design of the project: What makes a spatial space functional and participatory, and how can the characteristics of Mediterranean architecture be reflected in the modernist and constructivist influence of the Weaving Factory?

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Socks That Have Become a Problem

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The history of industrial weaving began in 1583 when William Lee abandoned his studies at Cambridge University and returned to Calverton, England, where he was born and raised to become a priest, and Elizabeth I's people decided to wear knit caps. Seeing her mother and sister knitting all day long, Lee explained this situation with these words: “The only way to produce such clothing items was through knitters, but it took a lot of time to finish the product. I started to think. I watched my mother and sister, who were sitting in the dark of the evening, working with knitting needles. I thought, if the clothes are made with two knitting needles and a row of yarn, why not a few knitting needles that take the yarn.”

 

This idea was the beginning of the mechanization of textile production and finally in 1589 the knitting machine was ready. Lee exhibited his machine in the presence of Elizabeth I in order to obtain a patent, but he could not achieve his goal with the answer of the queen, "Your goal is too high, Master Lee, your invention will take away the jobs of my poor servants and turn them all into beggars," and England waited another 180 years for the age of machines.[1]

 

Cotton King

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Arkwright, the inventor of the weaving loom in the early industrial period, not only invented a machine in 1768, but also redesigned the production process, laying the foundation for the modern factory. Arkwright, the Ford of his age, moved the weaving process from small workshops to his factory on the riverbank to utilize water power. A child under the supervision of an adult could spin as many threads as ten adult masters could produce in one day, and this performance he achieved through the exploitation of child labor made Arkwright known as the "Cotton King". Arkwrigt, the undisputed father of the modern factory, together with other inventors such as Watt, Trevithick, Brunel, lit the torch of the industrial revolution and gave birth to differentiating social classes by weaving the existence-labor dilemma.

 

Weavers of the Revolution

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The revolution that Chile experienced between 1970-73 constitutes an important point in the history of Latin America. Unlike Cuba, Argentina and Mexico, the revolution that took place in Chile did not happen by brute force. This short 3-year socialist revolution will end with General Pinochet's coup supported by the United States. The signs of the change in Yarur Textile Factory were based on the differences of opinion advocated by the old and the new. The differences of opinion of older employees, “Old Minds” and “Young” advocating dynamic, modern change were clashing in the factory. The change began when many of the Old Minds who supported Amador Yarur, the boss of the factory, sympathized with the ideas of the Young. Yarur's answer to the striking workers was clear: "No one can tell me how to run my business."

 

Yarur's statement that he would fire those who voted in favor of socialist Salvador Allende in the elections ignited the fuse and resulted in workers taking control of the factory on April 25, 1971. Previously, there was a strike for wages, union rights or working conditions, but this time it was understood that the situation was not an employee-employer relationship. It was a change in the management style that was desired. The workers wanted a pluralistic factory approach with the participation of the employees, as opposed to a single big boss, under whose yoke they worked.[2]

 

Antalya Weaving Factory

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Established in 1933, during the first modernization period of the Republic, the Sümerbank Factory served as the locomotive of young Turkey in the industrialization phase. As a continuation of these breakthroughs, Antalya Dokuma Sanayi Türk Anonim Şirketi was established on April 4, 1955 with a capital of 11 million liras. The construction of the factories was completed in 1959 and production started in 1961. Within the production campus, which consists of various building groups, not only production was carried out, but the buildings also represented a new way of life, a new living space order. In addition to providing educational seminars and courses and organizing social events for the training of qualified weaving workers, football and basketball teams playing in amateur leagues were established in the factory. Thus, the Weaving Factory offered a different living space to the people of Antalya, who were unfamiliar with large industrial enterprises and facilities until then. The time spent eating together, chatting in the garden, playing football or volleyball enabled the reproduction of social relations for the factory workers. While New Year's entertainments or celebrations were held for retired workers in the local, the cafeteria was used as a wedding hall on weekends. On weekends, tours were organized around Antalya with the factory's service vehicles, and when there were sports competitions, they would all go to the stadium together. The fact that the factory, which has a considerable activity in sports activities, has football and basketball teams playing in the amateur league, played a major role in the socialization of male employees in particular. For the matches of Poplinspor, which takes its name from the poplin produced, the workers were taken to the matches by shuttle vehicles. With its social and sports activities, Antalya Weaving Factory has not only functioned as a workplace, a business institution for its employees, but also as an area where social relations and experiences are shared and collective living practices are developed.[3]

 

Patch Park

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The English word “Patch” is used to mean a small area that is somehow different from the area surrounding it, or the local area where someone is working. Today, it is a tailoring skill, also called patching, created by the combination of fabrics that do not make sense on their own. Its Turkish equivalent is “ulama” or “kırkyama”. It is used in the sense of patching or repairing a garment, putting it together. Based on this meaning, we see that the Weaving Factory and its campus bring together the workers and the people of Antalya with different combinations of functions.

 

The factory covers the area as a general inclusive volume that crosses long spans, providing uninterrupted visibility. People under one roof strengthen the sense of togetherness in the same daily activities. The crowd treats. This is the factory atmosphere that is told in Ömer Lütfi Akad's movie Diet and should not be confused with the open office logic of today.

 

The factory, which was the main element of the Weaving Factory in history, offered a peaceful working life as an inclusive volume. We aim to present a design park with the inclusive volumes in our project Patch Park. One of the main goals of the project is to enable people to interact easily with their environment and people around them with these masses, which are designed to bring people from many parts of the society together under one roof.

 

What the Field Says

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The results of the analyzes of Kepez district showed us a very important factor: An average of 10 million tourists come to Antalya annually. This shows how many visitors the park to be designed will have. Tourists from many countries of the world, either in groups or individually, will form a large part of the park's aura. Imagine a park where a Dutch backpacker couple, a South Korean caravan and the people of Antalya share the same space. Thus, in accordance with Patch Park's concept, a part of many "life-patches" exist together. The location of Patch Park, which is aimed to have the highest level of interaction, communication and sharing, is also on the transition from Antalya center to western Antalya, which is a holiday destination. Thus, transportation to the park, whose accessibility is supported by the tram line, is 6 minutes from the bus station, 10 minutes from the center, 15 minutes from the airport and 25 minutes from Anfaş.

 

In terms of location, Patch Park is surrounded by education, shopping, housing and MKEK recreational facility area. This is an indication that the young population in the surrounding area will be attracted to this area. It has revealed the necessity of considering the dynamic and youth-oriented functions in Patch Park.

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When the related graphs are examined, it is seen that the active green area per capita of Kepez is 4.2 m2. This figure is low, but considering the green area analysis, it has been determined that Kepez is actually a green zone. This is due to the fact that single trees are in the majority and passive green could not be converted to active green.

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Dressing a Nation

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In the years when the struggle of the Turkish people during the establishment of the Republic left its place to the struggle of reason and science, design was first introduced in the production of weaving patterns. It was inevitable to express the traditions, patterns and ornaments that belonged to them by transferring them to the prints. In addition to the elements of nature, modern line and color designs were also used as patterns in the prints. Nowadays, when this rich accumulation is on the verge of disappearing with the closure of the weaving factories, it is thought that the wealth of the Weaving Factory will be used in the seating unit designs of Patch Park. It is indisputable that these patterns will add a unique identity to the design, not only in the seating unit, but also in other urban furniture (eg bicycle park poles, bollards, water secondary grids, manhole covers, garbage cans and lighting fixtures).

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Residential

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Considering the interaction between the City - Weaving Factory - MKEK resting facility lands, there are two main purposes in the settlement of Patch Park: First, the axis of the weaving factory in the same direction as the entrance and the green cover extending parallel to this main axis are integrated with the park and continue. ; the second is to create collective sharing spaces within themselves, in terms of the positions and arrangement of the units in Patch Park.

 

Roaming and Connections

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Patch Park has been designed according to the scenario where visitors come to the area primarily aware of the historical background of the Weaving Factory and other buildings. The park should also be able to function as a backyard of the weaving factory area. For this, it is envisaged that the circulation on the axis of the Weaving Factory will be connected to the Patch Park with 3 pedestrian axis at the level. It is foreseen that the cadastral road between the two building blocks will be covered with cobblestones and reduced to two lanes, and speed limitation will be applied in the traffic flow. Putting the vehicle traffic under the ground with a "sink-out" project was not seen as an appropriate solution in terms of distance length and cost. The western end of the linear pedestrian axes in Patch Park is intended to be integrated with Bauhaus and Erasta AVM. The north axis will connect with the MKEK campus, and the south axis will connect with Antalya University Vocational School, which has a strong young population.

 

The connection between the Weaving Factory campus and Patch Park has been tried to be strengthened by maintaining the green texture. This effect is strengthened by the arrangement of the two-dimensional landscape parallel to the three-dimensional Weaving Factory. It is planned to create two uninterrupted groves by extending the green areas along the north-south line of the park.

 

Structures and Settlements

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The buildings, consisting of square units with a front length of 45 meters and specializing in each other, are located on both sides of the main axes of the park. Trade, catering, exhibition, education, entertainment and accommodation units combine aesthetic values ​​and functionality. It is aimed to design the units as easily accessible and to increase the experience of the people in the park. The buildings will privatize the park with their own interior landscape areas by creating permeable covered spaces.

 

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Patch Parking Functions

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01. Info Structure: A structure where people who leave Dokuma Park, which is the first place to visit according to the scenario, can benefit from up-to-date and mainly touristic information about the park area and Antalya. It is a place where promotional booklets and books are sold and you can reach general information about Antalya interactively.

02. Exhibition Structure: A building that can create a large foyer area with the parking area in front of it, where various exhibitions can be held.

03. Reading Structure: A structure that serves activities such as reading books and studying. There is also a bookstore for the sale of books.

04. Commercial Areas: 2 unit structures housing shops and sales units.

05. Restaurant: Fully equipped dining area for 172 people.

06. Open Air Cinema: A structure that combines the past and the future with the open-air cinema experience with the cinemas played as daily sessions. Patch Park is intended to contribute to night use.

07. Pond: An artificial pond with a diameter of 30 meters. It is positioned in the middle of the east-west axis of the park by creating a resting point in this area.

08. Children's Playgrounds: A structure where the borders are minimized so that children can play freely.

09. Gathering Area: It can serve various functions; A structure where meetings such as promotions, seminars and interviews can be held. Patch Park is intended to contribute to night use.

10. Camping Area: It is a camping area where tourists and tourists who come to Antalya for the first time can stay.

11. Gray Water Conversion Structure: The structure where the water collected from rain and toilets is purified and transformed for the irrigation needs of the park.

12. Parking Areas: The parking area, which includes especially the buses carrying tourist groups and additionally 228 vehicle parking spaces.

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Endemic Plants to be Protected

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Considering the biodiversity of our country as a whole, Antalya is one of the richest provinces in terms of the number of plant species. It has been observed that one-fourth of the approximately 12 thousand plant varieties identified in Turkey so far are within the borders of Antalya province. Within the scope of the "Antalya's Five in One Place" project prepared by the Antalya Orchids and Biological Diversity Conservation Association (ANTOK), 5 plant species that are about to disappear have been taken under protection. These are Kemer Orchid, Olympus Saffron, Side Monstera, Kaputaş Andızotu and Kangay. In addition to these, 44 more endemic plant species are unfortunately endangered in Antalya.

By creating botanical gardens in the green areas of Patch Park, in addition to these plants, the Antalya Bell Flower and Karya Inverted Tulip, which are also native to Antalya, are added to promote and protect these species. In a smartphone application to be designed, it is planned to scan the flowers visually and obtain information.

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Patch Park - Building Units

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It is planned to design 12 different building units in the area. Inspired by the wide openings of the Weaving Factory, the units were designed as pavilions of 45*45 m2. It is aimed to allow the coexistence of differences with a single volume of gold. For maximum visual connection and simplicity, cassette flooring supported by 4 reinforced concrete columns is spatialized with glass and gabion walls when necessary. It is thought that abstract spaces are owned more than user-defined spaces, and Patch Park units are designed with movable seating units open to personal customization and rational forms.

 

[1] Daron Acemoğlu, James Robinson “The Fall of Nations - The Roots of Power, Wealth and Poverty” (Istanbul: Doğan Kitap, 2013): p. 172

[2] Peter Winn “Weavers of Revolution: The Yarur Workers and Chile's Road to Socialism” (1986)

[3] Selda Tuncer “Factory in the City, City in the Factory: Life Stories of Antalya Weaving Workers” (January, 2011)