Common Life Stop

Fayton Meydani (Fayton Square) developed as a border area between the old centre and the new centre as a result of the morphological changes of the coast. This border is also where you can experience the status of “standing between the past and the future”. At every stage of the development of the coast, the Fayton Square is located in the focal centre of the island. It takes its name from “faytons” which means the horse carriages that once were a common tourist transportation. After the public concerns about horses’ well-being, the government put a stop to this activity. Now this fayton stop is looking for its new purpose.

  From past to present, the Fayton Square has sometimes hosted donkeys, horses, birds and other street creatures and sometimes provided temporary accommodation. It is aimed to transfer the “stationary state” of the square, which consists of the experiences of horses, to the experience of another living thing. At the intersection of the pedestrian axes reaching the square, a “plane tree” is positioned at a point that can wink over the Clock Tower. 

The Plane Tree, which directly communicates with the Clock Tower and the pedestrian axes is intended to be the focal point, to become the new observer species of the square, which can experience the square from its centre and offer the same opportunity to bird species through the “state of being a station”.  Within the framework of the proposal, 3 different spatial divisions were made from west to east in line with the existing functions of the surrounding structures in the Fayton Square, which was defined as the Common Life Stop. The first of these has been defined as the “Activity Area” since the buildings to the west of the square currently have functions such as a warehouse, hardware store, woodworking workshop, and carpenter. In this area, activities such as creative cultural industries, open-air cinema, live music and dance performances are considered. The Plane Tree in focus and its east are defined as a “Green Area” where the local species can be hosted and act as a stop for all living creatures to pause and rest. This area is considered with a holistic approach with the Plane Tree and it was aimed to be a stopping point for the residents of the island. The easternmost area of ​​the area was defined as the “Recreation Area” in line with the existing functions. Trees and various plants on a human scale were considered in order for the cafes and bookshop proposals to work in this area. It is supported by a water element where the rainwater collection axis ends to recreate the connection with water in this area that previously lost its connection even though it is very close to the sea. Providing experiences through the use of different senses is aimed as well. 

Softscape species are selected from the flora of the island. The herbs that are very valuable for the ecosystem were used in the vegetative design of the focal and impact areas of the Fayton Square. A holistic characteristic is provided by placing the pink flowers and bougainvillaea trees, which form the characteristics of the islands. At the same time, cedar trees, which are abundant in the gardens of many mansions, monasteries and churches on the islands, were used on the roads leading to the square and used to refer to churches and important structures.