Port of Cultures" was a competition to build a new cultural center in Mariupol, Ukraine. The site of the project, a 120-year-old building, was to be demolished and replaced by the new center, but on the same scale, same profile, and the exact spot. During researching the history of the city and the site, we found out that this building has been part of lots of important events and been the field of many diverse programs through time, from a businessman's house to a Girl’s gymnasium, military barracks being established on its premises, a house again. Then during the second world war, a labor exchange was located in this house and finally was burnt down by the Nazis in 1943 when leaving the town. Though the building has been abandoned since then, back in 2014 it was once again burnt in the civil war.

This building has been part of the city’s history, and people's collective memory though it didn't have any heritage value. on the other hand, the city needed a new building with new programs, especially cultural ones. So how is it possible to add a new layer of culturally needed programs to 120 years of accumulated layers? We tried to address this question by both not demolishing everything and not preserving everything.

First, We transformed the existing facade into an envelope by removing the interiors; Unlike the facade which is just an outward appearance, an envelope works both ways and operates inward, too. This also made it possible to preserve the building profile that we had to rebuild. Then we put a box of programms inside the envelope. As a result, we’ve got a building with an old, familiar facade. At some points, the box would break or tear the envelope, so that the transparency provides a visual connection between the inside and out. We strengthened the envelope with a metal structure, which is also the structure for the new building. ­the project will enhance the visitor experience in a multi-functional space, creating spaces for education, dining, and social activities, while better integrating the building into the city.

سایت بخشی از تاریخ شهر و وقایع مهم آن است. ساختمان موجود در دوره های مختلف تاریخی حضور داشته و بخشی از حافظه ی جمعی شهروندان محسوب می شود. ما به این فکر کردیم که نبودن این ساختمان ممکن است برای همیشه یک جای خالی در شهر باشد. از طرفی با گسترش شهر نیاز به برنامه ها و امکانات جدید وجود دارد. بر این اساس تصمیم گرفتیم پاکت ساختمان را حفظ کنیم و یک باکس شیشه ای شفاف شامل پروگرم های مورد نیاز در داخل آن قرار دهیم. نتیجه بنایی با ظاهری قدیمی و پر از برنامه های جدید داریم که در برخی نقاط با شکافتن پاکت ، ارتباط بصری میان درون و شهر افزایش می یابد. در قسمت ورودی بنا بر روی پلازا و کافه ،وویدی عمودی قرار گرفت که علاوه بر ساماندهی برنامه ها باعث ایجاد ارتباط بصری میان تمام فضاها شد. در سمت چپ ووید برنامه های فرهنگی (کتابخانه،نمایشگاه، کلاس ها،...) به واسطه ی یک پله ی سرتاسری که تا بام ادامه پیدا می کند به یکدیگر وصل شدند و در طرف دیگر ووید فضاهایی با دسترسی محدودتر ، قرار دارند

Port of culture site