The Urban Redevelopment around the Theodosius Cistern breaks down time barriers by bringing awareness of the hidden historical heritage

Located in a dense urban environment of Istanbul, this small public space opened up after the buildings previously located right above the cistern were demolished in 2013, with the approval of Istanbul's Heritage Committee. The new project by Cafer Bozkurt Architecture expands the cultural and temporal boundaries by generating awareness and greater visibility of the layers of heritage that lie below the current level of the city. A small-scale urban redevelopment project that gracefully achieves its goal of creating a contemporary urban space and providing both the museum's visitors and passers-by with an appropriate space in order to appreciate the surrounding historical context

The main principles of the project include discovering, restoring and improving the perception of the underground cistern. In this context, after the removal of the accumulated debris from the top of the historical monument, the geometry and structure of the Theodosius cistern, including the properties of material, colour and texture, are projected towards the hardscape above, on the surface of the Cistern Square. On the other hand, the Pierre Loti Plaza, in continuation of the geometric order and alignment of the cistern, offers a gathering area in front of the Entrance Palace and exposes the old axis of Pierre Loti Street using the space of the existing trees. This square is detached from the Entrance Building by a reflecting pool. The entrance to the cistern is through this water feature as a reference to the water reservoir underneath, thus allowing a subtle transition from the public domain to the historic space below, in low light and silence

The new access building to the Theodosius Cistern is designed as a highly transparent, light and in a contemporary design of glass and steel, in order not to compete with the architectural materiality of the Historic Cistern. As well as responding to the architectural concept and accommodating all the ancillary needs of the museum, bars, toilets, services and technical spaces, the design and dimensions of the glass box are determined in proportion to the surrounding open spaces and relevant buildings, particularly the historical buildings such as the Mosque and the Tomb of Köprülü Mehmet Pasha, while harmoniously integrating and dialoguing with each other

The steel structure, wooden floors, metal roof and glazed façade were chosen not to obstruct the historic underground structure. The secondary façade consists of horizontal glass louvers as solar control elements. Ventilation openings located along the edge of the roof allow passive cooling during the hot summer months.  The wet spaces, service areas and cafeteria kitchen are hidden from view in an opaque wooden block inside the building's glass box

This project received the "Design/Preservation Category Award" in 2016 from the Chamber of Architects during the 15th National Architecture Exhibition, as well as the "Committee Incentive Award" in 2020 from the Arkitera Architecture Center as part of the Arkitera Client Awards