Integrated digital survey of the urban tissues in Galata waterfront, Istanbul. A typo-morphological approach

Abstract

Over the past centuries, the Beyoğlu district in Istanbul has hosted a variety of peoples and cultures. In its urban fabric, and specifically in the historical core of Galata, we can recognise different architectural traces are visible, dating to the Byzantine, Genoese and Ottoman periods. During the international workshop “Urban Façade”, held in March 2019 at Ozyegin University, Istanbul, we carried out an integrated digital survey of the blocks facing the western waterfront of Galata. Through the integration of data acquired with laser scanner and digital photogrammetry, together with the direct observation and study of historical sources, it was possible to define a three-dimensional model including the facades and a description of their preservation state. The quantitative and qualitative data deriving from the survey and the historical sources are indeed a useful tool to describe analytically the relationship between the architectures and the urban tissues. These findings do constitute a first step of an ongoing joint r esearch, including University of Florence and Ozyegin University, on the formation process of the urban tissues of Galata and the role of the built heritage within the typo-morphological analysis