A Heterotopic Place: Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center

Architectural structures have survived for years, witnessed different periods and can be re-functionalized for different uses according to the form and location of the building. These structures are designed by taking into consideration that the previous function does not adversely affect the new space organization, and it transmits the indicators of the previous function and the feeling of that period to its users. Some structures can make the user feel new and old at the same time. In this way, the user detects the space in a fragmented manner, but the integrity is not eliminated and is heterogeneous. It serve as ‘mirror’ with Foucault's expression, giving the user experience of ‘other space’. Michel Foucault, one of the 20th century philosophers, focuses on the premises of the institution. Besides, he developed the concept of heterotopia about conceptual space. Similar to the effect of heterotopic spaces on the user, the equivalence of urban designs and structures with the concept of heterotopia has been the subject of research. In this study, the city of Istanbul, which has an important history, hosted several civilizations and had many historical buildings, was thought to be the structures that conform to the concept of heterotopia. The Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center in the Tophane district has been investigated as a heterotopic space. While preparing the study, it was aimed to determine the qualitative research methods by using the general screening model. Michel Foucault's texts on space and heterotopia were scanned. Then, written texts about the history of Tophane-i Amire were examined. The aim of this study is to evaluate heterotopically the selected space as research object and to examine the concept with a concrete example