merdiven

The "Şimal Sokak Merdiveni" is a set of steps connecting Refik Saydam and Meşrutiyet Street.

Istanbul is a city of hills and valleys, for which reason it is home to a street dynamic of steep streets and steps. One of these is the "Simal Steps", which appear on the Pervititch maps of the 1930s as an undivided entity but which now terminate at the entrance of Aybastı Street, where they continue as a sloping street.

With the flourishing of street art, the Şimal Street Steps were transformed into an alternative exhibition space, the usage of which has been reevaluated upon their integration into "Apartıman'Belkıs".

The walls flanking the steps have been dressed up with plants and made suitable for the exhibition of art. The incline of the stairs allows the steps to be removed and replaced by temporary seating, and the lower section of the steps now allows for a removable stage to be set up, creating a performance space. The permanent seating areas have been designed as for pedestrians to sit and catch their breaths.

The project conceived for Şimal Street Steps was one of 22 in Europe selected for the PLACES TO BE category of the HUMAN CITIES project supported since 2008 by the European Union Culture program.

www.humancities.eu