One of Turkey’s most extensive production facilities, a former paper factory, has been transformed into a cultural and recreational hub. Nowadays, the site contains a large park with coastal views, an interactive science centre and a paper museum.
İzmit, in the province of Kocaeli, is a coastal city approximately 100 km southeast of Istanbul that is one of the biggest industrial cities in Turkey. From the end of the 1920s onwards, the young Republic of Turkey was developing initiatives to stimulate industrialisation and domestic production. One of the areas of attention was paper production, for which Turkey entirely relied on imports up until then. [3]
In 1934, the build of the first paper factory of Turkey started on an allocated terrain of almost 122.000m2 in the bay of Kocaeli. In 1936, the factory was ready to start production. [3;4] Throughout the following decades, the factory was important for the city, not only from an economic but also from a social perspective. Living accommodation and services for employees, including an educational campus, a hospital, and various leisure services, were being built around the factory. [3;4]
In 1998, it was decided to close the factory due to its inability to meet modern technological and environmental standards. A process was started to transfer the factory into private hands, but due to resistance from employees and the local community, the factory was transferred to Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality. The transfer included a commitment to transform the factory campus into a public green space. [3] During the process, inventory was taken of which buildings were suitable for redevelopment. Due to the poor structural quality of some buildings, these had to be demolished. Other parts of the complex, including the former paper mill that now functions as a science centre and museum, have been renovated and repurposed. [3]
The Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality has led the transformation of the area into a cultural and recreational hub in one of the most significant urban regeneration projects of Turkey [2]. In 2007, the first regeneration efforts were focused on creating a multi-purpose park along the coastline. SEKA City Park, covering almost 580 acres around the bay, has walking- and bicycle lanes and provides ample green space for leisure activities and outdoor events. [1;2;3]
In 2015, the Kocaeli Science Centre opened, being one of the first science centres in Turkey. People can explore science and technology in the centre through interactive experiments, exhibitions, and events. [5] In 2016, the SEKA Paper Museum opened its doors to visitors. [4] The museum provides an archaeological and historical background of the site and insights into the history of papermaking and paper manufacturing techniques. It also has space dedicated to the daily lives of employees of the factory and the effects of the factory on the development of Kocaeli. [4] The museum uses contemporary technologies, like augmented reality and other digital imaging methods, in its exhibitions. [3]
The Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality owns the complex of the former paper factory. Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality has brought together a large team of experts from different fields, including archaeology, museum design and graphic design, to conduct the regeneration. The municipality hired KA.BA Architects to implement the project. [4] Throughout the process, the municipality looked for cooperation with other stakeholders, including, for example, associations established by the workers and employees of the SEKA Paper Factory, the Kocaeli University, and other (public and private) museums. [4]
The Kocaeli Science Centre was realized through a cooperation between the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality and The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, TÜBITAK, and a training programme from Exploratorium Global Studios, a US-based public learning laboratory. [5]
It is unknown how this initiative has been financed.
SEKA Paper Museum, organisational website, sekakagitmuzesi.com, accessed on 14/02/2022
Ouz, D., Saygi, H., & Batemur, C(2010)Urban transformation process and its contributions: Sekapark case-Izmit, TurkeyAfrican Journal of Agricultural Research, 5(17), 2418-2425.
Muşkara, Ü., & Tunçelli, O(2019)Digital Representation of SEKA Paper Mill’s Industrial HeritagePLANLAMA-PLANNING, 29(3).
Yeşim Kartaler, Y(2018) The SEKA Paper Museum: Transformation of Life into Memory, Memory into Museum and Museum into Life Again MuseologistConference proceedings ICMAH 2019, available on icmah.mini.icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/sites/56/2020/02/ICMAH-2018-Annual-Conference-Istanbul-Part-2.pdf, accessed on 14/02/2022
Exploratorium Global Studios, Kocaeli Science Center (video), available on www.exploratorium.edu/video/kocaeli-science-center, accessed on 14/02/2022