A Turkish city was hit hard by an earthquake. The architects showed a design that pays respect to history. The project to rebuild Antioch was selected in an international architectural competition.
The earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on 6 February 2023. Its tremendous force left hundreds of thousands of people homeless. A few weeks later, on 20 February, there was another earthquake of magnitude 6.3 with an epicentre in Antioch. The aftershocks caused the collapse of buildings that had been damaged earlier in the month.
The concept for the reconstruction of Antioch was prepared by architects from Foster Partners in collaboration with Buro Happold, MIC-HUB and Turkish offices DB Architects and KEYM Urban Renewal Centre. The competition was organised by the NGO Türkiye Design Council.
The design included an area that stretches over 30 kilometres. As much as 80 per cent of the city has been destroyed, so rapid reconstruction is needed. The master plan aims to preserve the city’s precious historic spirit and ensure that its original features are restored. The rebuilt town is to retain its local character and atmosphere. This is important so that its inhabitants can feel at home.
The architects have indicated that it is necessary to preserve the historic streets, road network and scale of the buildings. In addition, the new buildings will be constructed with technology that will make them better able to cope with earthquakes in the future.
The rebuilt city is to be prepared to face the challenges of the future, so more greenery has been introduced, special green belts have been designed to improve water management and prevent possible flooding. The city is intended to be resident-friendly, so the street grid is supplemented by tracts that will only be used by pedestrians or public transport vehicles. The planned pedestrian areas and squares are intended to integrate residents, strengthen ties between them and encourage them to spend time together. The banks of the River Orontes (tur. Asi) will be transformed into a linear park.
In total, the concept is to build thirteen new neighbourhoods. They will act as small, independent cities. Each neighbourhood will be surrounded by a network of roads, with shopping and service streets built in the central parts. The visualisations also show the proposed amount of new green space. Residents are to have squares and parks close at hand.
Importantly, the architects from Foster Partners ensure that each residential building will be treated individually. They will not allow estates with copycat buildings; they are keen to preserve the diversity of the city.
When will the work begin? We do not yet know the exact date. Due to the scale of the project, it can be assumed that the reconstruction will be a process divided into several stages and may take up to a dozen years.
project: Foster Partners
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