ANALYZING MODERN PUBLIC INTERIORS THROUGH PASSAGES AND BAZAARS IN KEMERALTI, İZMİR, TURKEY (1960s-1970s)

Abstract

Passages and bazaars, examples of public interiors, are types of buildings that have a variety of functions, like providing social and economic needs. However, due to changes in shopping habits in modern times, these public interiors are losing their commercial and social significance, along with their architectural functions. The study aims to analyze the urban, architectural, social, and cultural patterns of the modern public interiors while emphasizing the passages and bazaars built after the 1960s in İzmir, Turkey. For this case study, the characteristic commercial buildings of the modern period, Havuzlubey Bazaar (1961), Şan Passage (1968), and Salepçioğlu Foundation Bazaar and Office Building (1971) located in the historical Kemeraltı Bazaar in İzmir, have been examined. These buildings have distinctive architectural features and construction methods that have reflected the architectural culture of their period in terms of forms, functions, materials, and details. The method of the research includes a literature review, on-site observation, semi-structured interviews, photography, and analysis of the architectural and interior characteristics of the buildings. The findings show that throughout the years, these buildings have lost their importance in politics, economics, as well as daily life; thus, their sustainability has been negatively affected. The study’s contribution is raising awareness about the importance of values of modern public interiors in terms of documentation, urban identity, architecture and interior, functionality, commercial, sustainability, memory, and originality.