Celaleddin Çelik
Zeytinburnu Mosaic Museum is a contemporary structure designed to protect and exhibit one of the largest floor mosaics located outside the historic city walls of Istanbul, while also serving as a complementary architectural element within its historic context.
The primary decision of the project was to preserve the mosaics and associated findings in-situ. For this reason, the design sought to shield the mosaics from open-air conditions, make them easily accessible to visitors, and allow them to be experienced with the naked eye as directly as possible.
The location of the mosaics, the expansive surface area, and the presence of another heritage structure nearby, the Ottoman military hospital, created significant constraints for the new building. In response, a protective shelter was designed that does not touch the mosaics or the Ottoman-era structure. To achieve this, a steel system that could span large distances was selected. Another advantage of the steel structure was its lightweight character and its ease of assembly through dry construction with bolted connections rather than extensive welding. This also ensured that the structure could be dismantled and recycled in the future should new excavations or developments take place.
Continued in: Aktüel Arkeoloji Magazine, Issue 96, “The Story of a Discovery”
