The change of function in traditional house and its effect, case study of Eski̇şehi̇r Odunpazarı

The social structure that has been changing perpetually throughout the history changes the physical environment where it exists, as well. The cities that carry the cultural , political, economical and historical traces of the social life form the physical examples of this alteration process. Nevertheless, the fact that the alteration in our cities is going on faster than the controllable line since the 19th century, has led to a conservative approach to come out since the middle of the 20th century. Therefore it has become important that the traditional urban texture which includes the historical and the cultural heritage within be conserved and transmitted into the future generations. It seems that the majority of the historical structure stocks in the urban site are the houses which are the samples of civil architecture. It is observed that the protection of the physical presence of these areas is not enough, therefore these structures and sites have been refunctioned and a sustainable conservation approach has been adopted. It is clear that the restoration activities that became fact by adding new functions to the traditional houses in which tourism is the main determination have led to permanent damage to not only the site itself but also the cultural system regarding the cultural heritage. Modern conservation problem that is mentioned in this study has been evaluated by analyzing 11 traditional houses located in Eskişehir Odunpazarı Urban Site, the documents of which have been hardly accessed, restorated with different functions through the pressure coming from the tourism. In terms of the data gained from the inspected buildings, the right and the wrong cases and the problems faced during the process of adding new functions to the traditional houses of Odunpazarı have been determined. The aim of this study is that the unique residential structures be taken into consideration and that this structure is one of the most important criterias forming the residence's unique historical values. It is one of the end result goals desired to be achieved that in similar conservation area like Odunpazarı Urban Site, these values form reference in restoration activities and reducing the mistakes that come out of the wrong functions given to the houses to the minimal point.