Square Redesign

01 Idea

The square at the heart of Çanakkale’s historic market is today used as a car park and traffic junction. Together with the municipality, we propose freeing it of cars and returning it to people. We started the project not with a design but with observation: for weeks we recorded who crossed the square from where, where they stopped, where they sought shade. Our proposal builds on these traces: paths already walked will be kept, places where people already pause will become seating.

02 Space

The square is proposed as a single-level, kerb-free surface; the separation between pavement and road disappears. At the centre a large, empty area is left where market stalls can be set up on Sundays; along the edges sit groups of trees, shaded seating islands and a ground-level fountain where children can play. Service and emergency access is resolved within the surface as a time-restricted route.

03 Material and construction

For the paving we propose andesite, the region’s traditional stone, laid in varied sizes and finishes like a single carpet. The fountain will be fed from an underground tank collecting rainwater. Seating will be made of solid andesite blocks with oak tops. The two existing plane trees will be kept, and root cells will be prepared underground for the new trees that will join them. We are currently turning the preliminary design into models and drawings for public consultation meetings.

04 Light

The market buildings on the square’s southern edge cast long shadows in the afternoon; we positioned the seating islands along this shadow line. We are choosing deciduous trees that give dense shade in summer and let the sun through in winter. Night lighting is proposed to gently wash the historic facades and leave the middle of the square relatively dark, so the edges of the square are defined while the square itself stays calm.