Carrie Beasly 

Re-establishing the Green Strip along the Theodosian Wall, Istanbul This proposal forms part of a wider masterplan that seeks to re-establish a sustainable water infrastructure for the historic green strip surrounding the Theodosian Wall in Istanbul. A series of architectural interventions are strategically positioned within the landscape, each acting as a local water-harvesting and distribution node.

Rainwater and filtered greywater are collected, stored, and reused to support both public and ecological programmes across the site. Each intervention combines four interconnected elements: a public building, a public garden, a water cistern, and housing. While sharing a common environmental strategy, the individual proposals respond to the specific character and needs of their surrounding neighbourhoods. In the southern section of the site, where the green strip is characterised by extensive allotments and urban agriculture, three greenhouses are positioned in rhythm with the historic wall turrets. These structures diversify agricultural production while reinforcing the spatial order of the landscape. Beneath them, a large water cistern stores harvested water throughout the wetter months.

​ As water is gradually consumed over the course of the year, the retreating water level reveals a sequence of stepped platforms and public terraces. These shaded, cool spaces offer respite during Istanbul’s hot summers and create opportunities for social gathering. Above the cistern, an orange orchard forms a productive landscape that connects a public café with the piazza below, creating a continuous relationship between water, cultivation, architecture, and public life. Through this integration of environmental infrastructure and civic space, the project reinterprets the historic role of the cistern as a vital urban resource while establishing a resilient and sustainable future for the landscape surrounding the Theodosian Wall.