K - PLAY

2018 - 2019

Situated at the Syrian border in Reyhanli, Turkey, Karam Park is a community space that serves both the displaced Syrian community and the Turkish host community, creating opportunities for them to interact, gather, communicate, and play. Reyhanli is the Turkish city nearest Syria’s afflicted Idlib province, where hundreds of thousands of refugees have been displaced. Due to the influx of Syrian refugees, the town has become a cultural mix of Turks and Arabs, giving it a unique identity.

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Karam Park is a result of a collaborative effort across borders, initiated and funded by the Karam Foundation in Chicago, IL, designed in Beirut, Lebanon, and produced in Reyhanli, Turkey. It is a product of local research and design that caters to the needs and habits of locals. The project sources the local know-how and expertise, and uses the materials that the land has to offer, providing a neutral ground that serves both communities amidst a tense socio-political conflict in the region.

The design leverages modularity to create a robust, efficient, yet flexible system to which play elements and spaces can be attached or detached with ease. It is centered around a complex column detail that iterates to create unity between multiple grids and systems. The mechanism is a technical solution to modularity and flexibility, but also a social solution to marry two cultures in the form of play. The modular design is meant to create a collaborative initiative within the shared space, thus harnessing collective and creative thinking within the mixed cultures.

Over time, children will define the space they play in, modifying together as they see fit, while the iterations of the column hold their ground. Children and teenagers will be able to alter the spaces of gathering and play, and as the space grows with the community, the column-based framework will ensure complete access and sensitivity to the immediate surroundings and environmental conditions.