Hasanpaşa Gasworks Park and Museum Complex / DS architecture

From one public service to another- Hasanpaşa Converting Gasworks into a public park and museum complex. Former Hasan Pasha Gasworks is an industrial complex consisting of 22 production machinery, storage units and service buildings, located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, on a site of approximately 30,000 square meters in Kadikoy. After the factory was closed in 1993, the site was abandoned and remained abandoned. Hasanpaşa Gasworks is one of Istanbul’s most important industrial heritage sites. The establishment of the factory dates back to the late 19th century. At that time, Kadikoy was a small district, expensive to develop and operate, and not organized enough to require such a large public service.

Kadikoy’s new gas plant was established as a result of changes in the living structure of the neighborhood and was an example of the empire’s technological imports. French businessman Charles George was awarded a concession in 1891 for the establishment and operation of the plant. Since its inception in 1982, various French, German and Italian companies have been hired to make some improvements and additions to the plant, in line with technological developments in gas production and in response to increasing demand. I was.

Hasanpaşa Gasworks has three major historical stages. The only document on the founding period is the German cadastral map of Istanbul in the 1910s. During this period, the gas was produced in a horizontal retort, the cleaning and purification plant was in place of Building A, the gas was stored in a single gas tank, and the work shop was in Building T. PervititchInsuranceMaps show that this first period lasted. Until 1938.

In the second phase, some buildings were reorganized, but new gas tanks increased the capacity of the plant and the plant itself was upgraded to another unit to produce carburetor gas. During the last period of the gas plant, French and German companies built vertical retort batteries and cleaning and purification plants, while Italian companies added compressors and the third and largest gas tanks. The plant reached its peak capacity in this third period. This has been going on for nearly 10 years. The local architectural characteristics of the building, as well as the structures and equipment imported from various European countries, make this complex a unique example of Turkey’s industrial heritage.

The site retention history was led by an NGO called Gasworks Volunteers. Thanks to their great efforts, this site was listed in the national catalog in 1994. Following this decision, the first restoration project was prepared by the ITU team in 2002 as a pioneering example of the interdisciplinary and multi-actor process in Turkey.

The project began in 2000 with the documentation of the site. The main restoration approach was on-site preservation of all industrial facilities, not just buildings. A detailed historical analysis of the site led to the decision to intervene. The project was conceived as a cultural site that serves the entire metropolis of Istanbul, not just in its immediate vicinity. To maintain the integrity of the space in its original location, 20 buildings have been redesigned and two non-existent gas tanks have been visually reconstructed with modern materials.

New features on the site include museums, educational facilities for children, workshops and galleries for artists, libraries, multipurpose auditoriums, virtual performance centers, terraces, restaurants and cafes, underground parking and administrative spaces. After a long period of oblivion, uncertainty, and finally construction, one of Istanbul’s most important industrial monuments has been reopened. This site is owned and maintained by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Hasan Pasa Gasworks is now rejuvenated as Müze Gazhane first reached the general public in July 2021.