Rauf Raif Denktaş Memorial
2012
Bridging past and future, rooted in hope.
Discipline:
Architecture
Type:
Culture
Status:
Conceptual Design
Location:
Lefkosa, Cyprus
Team:
Saffet Bekiroğlu, Murat Aksu, Umut İyigün, Olaf Gipser, Buğra Evsen, Yılmaz Kürtüncü, Anday Bodur, Merve Akkılınç, Sibel Kurugül
Client:
KKTC
Construction Area:
1.700 m2
Landscape Architect:
Nevter Zafer Cömert
Structural Engineer:
Seran Aysal
Mechanical Engineer:
Metin Dağıstanlı
Electrical Engineer:
Çetin Kural
Located in the Democracy Park, Denktaş Memorial is composed of two circular masses. The first disk, housing the Denktaş Mausoleum, is embedded in the ground representing the past – the history of one man’s love and sense of belonging for his land. The second disc uses the first one as a stepping stone to elevate itself, representing projection towards a hopeful future.
Challenge
When approaching the Denktaş Monument, which rises gradually from the ground, the ramps surrounding its entrance elevate the visitor to the central, introverted protocol plateau, where they can reach Denktaş's tomb. This plateau rises towards the northwest as a continuous architectural landscape element, forming both the auditorium seating area and the roof of the museum below. In addition to this auditorium seating area and commemoration events, it is suggested that this elevated plateau can be used as a social and cultural gathering area.
