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Bursa: KAT-MEK Spatial Improvement of Public Buildings through Participatory Design: The Case of Bursa City Council Campus

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The primary objective of the KAT-MEK practice is to pioneer the redesign of public buildings through a 'Participatory Design Approach' by extending Bursa's long-standing tradition of local participation into a spatial dimension. The practice focuses on improving the Bursa City Council building in line with user needs. Spatial inefficiencies, orientation difficulties, and accessibility issues within the complex necessitated establishing a balance between preserving the historical fabric and meeting modern civil society needs.

The practice was carried out using a 'Tripartite Sector Cooperation' model, bringing together local government (Bursa Metropolitan Municipality), academia (Bursa Uludag and Bursa Technical Universities) and civil society (Bursa City Council). The methodology consists of a seven-stage framework that places the user at the centre of every stage of the design process. The process began with data obtained from a digital survey answered by the users of the building. Design decisions were then concretised through a 'Preliminary Design Workshop' attended by academics, design students, council volunteers, and representatives of municipal subsidiaries using different areas on the same site. Five different spatial alternatives produced by design teams consisting of undergraduate and postgraduate students from the Architecture and Landscape Architecture Departments of the city's two universities, were presented to the public and stakeholders for voting through a 'Design Colloquium' and exhibitions held in both physical and digital environments. A thematic analysis of the collected user feedback identified the most popular design elements. Based on this data, the design team collaborated to create the final design.

As a result, KAT-MEK has transformed public buildings from mere administrative structures into 'social dialogue laboratories' shaped by the common wisdom of the city. This pilot model, which advocates the principles of 'co-governance' and 'right to the city' against the tradition of expert-focused architecture has been documented, gaining the status of a scientific guide applicable to different public structures. It has contributed to the institutionalisation and sustainability of participatory democracy and reinforced the transparency of the process. In the future, as this methodology is implemented for different public buildings, the aim is to maximise social belonging and spatial efficiency.

More information about: https://www.bursakentkonseyi.org.tr/ 

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Bursa: KAT-MEK Spatial Improvement of Public Buildings through Participatory Design: The Case of Bursa City Council Campus

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