Earlier this semester, with colleague Merve Şanlı, we have participated in a student competition called Docexdoce. METU was a host for this competition and we went there to develop our design. The competition lasts 12 hours. The project is announced in the morning and the submission is due in 12 hours later.
This year’s design problem was to come up with a proposal for a project in the heart of Zurich, Switzerland. The site was the centre of the city, where the Globus building used to stand.
The place is currently used by Coop supermarket but is soon to be demolished. There are many proposals being made for the area. It is particularly important because the site has been a symbol for many things. When the government wanted to demolish it in 1968, the youth of Zurich took to the streets and started what would be called Globus Riots. They wanted this urban site to remain urban instead of a privately owned structure. The riots led to a debate in society and politics. Several leftwing parties as well as alternative forms of trading and housing such as cooperatives were spawned by the 1968 movement in Switzerland.
Another particular thing about the site was that the historical building behind the site was partially destroyed by a fire in 2018. So the site included the harmed part of the plot as well, so that we were free to make an interpretation of the area.
We wanted to create an urban area for cultural encounters and manifestations. The urban structure links the past to the future, the landscape to the urban and people to the city. Including libraries and cultural facilities it still remains an urban park for everyone to manifest themselves. Here is our competition poster:
Ecem Olgun 