Underearth - Exploring medieval living - beneath the ground

PREMISE

In the present-day context, underground structures have always solely been for functional purposes such as parking, subways, and bunkers. The safe atmosphere that comes with the concept of underground structures has always yielded to the misconceptions of their closeted and uninteresting designs. Some of these mundane concepts also come with features of a seamless transition between spaces and a cozy environment.

They also had the added advantage of insulation. But such eccentric projects come with the additional costs of ventilating the space, additional spending on circulation and lighting too.

The rise of underground structures is comparatively older than people assume it to be.

Current trends and radical designers globally are changing this trend from ‘ground up’ with various experiences built tailored for underground which brings new energies to this typology. 

BRIEF

Every city needs a statement, to stand the tests of time and narrate its stories. Underground structures today at cities like Cappadocia may exist but every building has an expiry. 

Museums are one of the many ways that this can be made relatable to today’s world. There are over 200 underground cities in Turkey and the most prominent ones are Derinkuyu and Kaymakli.

Challenge - Design a gallery/museum whose structure stands as that testimony to Turkey’s underground tunnel systems.

Space is to represent the culture that existed in those cities and to show that to the visitors rather than them just focusing on its aesthetics. The gallery is to act as an immersive experience for the users. 

The underground city of Derinkuyu can be taken as a specific study if need be.

https://uni.xyz/competitions/underearth/info/about