"Abstract borders and physical limits" - Pinar Salman

junior discussant

What are borders and limits in architecture and town design? What is the role of architects and landscape architects in designing limits and borders?

The aim of this text is pointing out the meaning of border as abstract concept and the meaning of limit as physical element. We start explaining the relations and the differences among the limits and borders and show the role of the architects and landscape architects in this case. First, the limits and borders in general, in addition to this the relations and some little meanings of limits and borders. We can easily understand that limits are designed but the borders are just a concept.Then the similarity of them: ‘variablity.’And start to separate limits and borders from each other because there are differences according to their meanings and use. Then I focus on the architectural limits and the landcape architectural limits and talk about their materials with examples. In addition to this, I talk about what they are doing together. Lastly, I explain what is a border and divide it in two parts: abstract border and natural border with examples...

The relation between borders and limits...

The relation between borders and limits is like an object and its environment. Borders include lots of limits in themselves. Limits can move and change anytime. While we are thinking about the limits, we have to think of our point of view because the view can change depending on the position. Therefore, limits are in our everyday life but we can not always care about them. Sometimes we can make our limits. It means these limits are artificial and they help the city developments. For example, we can look at the city as a border inside of that city, there are lots of things such as streets, ways, buildings, pavements, public areas, parks and historical places. All these things limit each other but it is not a negative thing because without street, parks..., we can’t live in that city. Therefore the architects’ and landscape architects’ roles are very important in that situation. In addition to this, nobody can give sharp definition to borders and on the other hand we can recognize limits whenever we see inner or outer places. The streets are limited by buildings, in this case the role of architecture is crucial and also the streets orient the people where they can go or not...

Piazza Del Campo- it is not exactly circle but the building around the square give it circular view. It means that the buildings limit the square, we can reach it through small passages and narrow streets.

The similarity between borders and limits...

The one similar thing between border and limit is variablity. Variability of borders and limits is related to their changeable position. After that, we have to think about ‘How is it possible to change?’. The important role of these variations belongs to architects and landscape architects. Because they can easily form the limits using color, functions, time and architectural elements and they use all these limits in their designs but sometimes they use existing conditions. The point of view is very important in some cases. For instance, the city can extend but nobody can see that differences because nobody knows the exact border of a city or the architects or landscape architect can easily change limits according to their design. If the limits are not suitable for them they convert the situation into a useful condition. In Istanbul there is a big arch on the middle of the Cıragan road with historical value ,architects prefer to use it and it becomes landmark on that street in the present. Today, that road is used like a connection way and that arch is both passage and historical monument.

Cıragan caddesi in Istanbul. “This street and the arch have very important role in Turkey’s history because one of the most important palaces was found near that arch. Today this street still protects its historical values. But the city enlarges from time to time so that arch is only used as a passage.”



What is architectural limit and its materials...

We can divide limits in two : architectural limits and landscape architectural limits. Both of them use some materials while buinding walls, buildings, stones, middle height walls on the highway, pavement, stairs, doors, pavement materials (concrete, stone) and colors. Thanks to these materials, they can make artificial limits. Architectural limits are also the relation with urban limits. The most important example is the wall which sometimes is used for seperating or sitting on it or climbing and jump on it. Berlin wall (1961-1989) would separete the east from the west part of Berlin. It was the ‘Physical barrier erected by German Democratic Republic(East Berlin) completely encircling West Berlin. This wall shows us exact limit in one border.’

What is landcape architectural limits and their elements...

Landscape architects also use some materials to form the limits with architects such as; fences, green plants’ wall, small stone walls, grading the land so we can reach some part of the land, ramp or stairs in the garden, big trees. For example in Renaissance time, the artists played the role of landscape architects, so they designed the garden and made limits with green plants. People know that where they could walk or where they could enter the garden. Therefore, the Renaissance garden has its own identity so that limit is not a negative physical things. We can touch and we can easily change according to our useful conditions. ‘The renaissance gardens always have restricted entrance and walkway. They all have their own symbols and also you can’t pass limits whatever you want in these gardens.’

Architects and landscape architects can be as a group...

Sometimes architectural limits and landscape limits work together. For instance, the city parks. They also make limits because sometimes they can be linear and they are between the buildings and the main way. On the other hand, it can be a big square park, it also prevents the people from passing on the other way. It makes limits for people. For instance the Rittenhouse park in Philadelphia, Goztepe park in Istanbul, Seymenler park in Ankara. Rittenhouse square park is one of the five original open space parks. Its limits are 18th. Street to East,Walnut st. To the north. Rittenhouse square west and Rittenhouse square south. Making the park approximately two short blocks on each side. Caroll Creek park is an example of linear park building a limit as in any case, linear parks seem to produce in the town . Goztepe park in Istanbul connects the main road in the north and the other road near the sea in the south but in the nightime it also becomes a limit nobody wishing to use it for passing by. Seymenler park in Ankara is nearly in the centre of Ankara and it divides two parallel main roads of the town.

Abstract and natural borders... what is abstract border...

We can also divide them into two parts, abstract borders and natural borders. Actually, we canntt touch and we can’t exactly identify both of them. Abstract border are generally among different cities and/or countries. Because it is about political, cultural differences which we can’t draw a line and these situations aren’t easily changeable. For example, in Turkey, there are lots of dıfferent cultures, religions and political groups and all of them have their own identity. Inspite of the fact that they are located in a certain area, there is no line to prevent the other cultures from getting in. The concept of the buildings in Turkey doesn’t have any relation with these identifications. It is instead related to the climate.

What is natural borders and the relation between the artificial limits...

The other type of border is the natural one. It is completeley out of our control. The major example for this type of border is the sea and the coastline relation. We can’t draw a line along the coastline. Whenever we start to swim or our feet are wet, we understand that we are in the sea. We can’t say when we cross the line. This natural borders are also dynamic, these can be changed depending on place and time. We sometimes use artificial limits on natural borders. It is like a condensation on water and they develop the cities, for example Hafencity in Germany; the city is developed in the same size of the old city. It gives a new meaning in one city. On the other hand, some cities have some houses near the sea but it doesn’t mean that there is no natural border anymore. It is just an artifical limit and if there is nothing in that place we still can’t talk about the line of sea. Another example about the natural border is Turkey’s sea, noone can tell where the Blacksea joins the Marmara sea and then together join to Aegean sea and Mediterranean.

In Hafencity, Hamburg, Germany, the new settlement is nearly the same size of the old city. Its architecture rebuilds the artificial limit between the town and the harbor and in the new waterfront we can recongnize the forms of the contemporary border between the river and the ground. But the dynamism of the water shows us that we cannnot draw a concrete line of separation in any case.

In conclusion, when we think about the border as a circle, limits are the infinite points on it.