Aesthetic paradigm and the pure/poetic/bold materiality of industrial heritage buildings: The case of Zonguldak coal washery area


Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture, Turkey

Approval Date: 2018

Student: İREM ÇÖREK

Supervisor: İNCİ BASA

Abstract:

Industrial areas have been the symbol of cultural milestones that have an important place in urban development as well as technology and power. They have displayed the changes that lived from past to present. These areas are influential in the formation of the identities of cities along with their economic, social and spatial aspects. The existence of these areas, which are no longer functional or abandoned due to their insufficiency regarding fulfilling the needs of the present time, is in fact important in terms of creating personal and collective memory. Today, many institutions and organizations carry out works and analyse values on such buildings for designating of industrial heritage. This study investigates the concept of "aesthetics" in conjunction with multi-dimensional phenomena in the evaluation of industrial heritage buildings. Uncovering the aesthetic value of industrial heritage buildings and emphasizing its aesthetic value as an essential component require establishing a theoretical framework. In this sense, "aesthetics" appears as an important concept to be scrutinized and reframed. Through the case study of Zonguldak Coal Washery Area (1957), arguments on the poetic materiality of the industrial heritages are developed and an insightful analysis is integrated. Within this context, the study aims to demonstrate and validate the aesthetic aspects of industrial heritage buildings as a fundamental value, and to put a special emphasis on the importance of such areas as reminders of socio-cultural and spatiotemporal changes through their continuing existence and specific aesthetic languages.