Characteristics of Historic Areas and Buildings in the City of Uşak and Recommendations for a Sustainable Conservation Area Approach

Abstract

This article is on creating a conservation framework for the historic areas and houses of the city of Uşak, which represents peculiar examples of vernacular architecture of the Anatolian region. The city of Uşak is an Anatolian city with a rich historical background. Even though the history of Uşak dates back to 4000 years, most architectural evidence of history have disappeared except late 19th and early 20th century houses. They stand as signifiers the historic identity of the city. From the ancient times many different civilizations have settled and developed in Uşak in a wide variety of ways of life, concepts and forms. Uşak has always been a most important regional location between Europe and Asia. Also it has experienced migration and settlement of various cultures and civilization through time. Through the influence of climatic and physical factors of the region and the historical variety of culture, the development of the Central Anatolian house form and culture has been comparatively significant. In Uşak, natural conditions had a direct and strong influence of the form of buildings and their construction. All factors have combined to produce a wide variety of forms and structures. Most of the traditional wooden houses are produced in the “himis” (Turkish traditional construction system which consist of wood and adobe) structural system technique. Uşak houses have been demonstrating qualities such as continuity of architectural identity, sustaining of collective memory, sustaining building techniques. There is an urgent need to include the Uşak houses as a conservation agenda to contemporary planning and design dynamics of the city. A sustainability framework for the conservation and reuse of these homes could be a major objective, fulfilling all or most environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects. In addition to this article aims to provide solution alternatives that provide measures for the conservation (and reuse) of the historical houses in Uşak.