Location: Ankara, Turkey.

Architect: Yazgan Design Architecture.

The Merkez Ankara Sales Office/Showroom is a building in Ankara, Turkey that serves as a sales office and showroom for the Merkez Ankara Project, which includes residences and offices. The building is designed to integrate nature into architecture, with different spaces organized in a sequential manner and separated by horizontal inner garden strips. Atriums ensure that natural light reaches every corner of the building, blurring the distinction between inside and outside. Inner courtyards allow users to observe daily and seasonal changes of nature, making the interior space a dynamic entity in which one can interact with nature. The building’s function changes gradually, starting from the entrance and waiting hall, leading to an area where physical models of the project are exhibited and sales representatives are ready to give relevant information, and ending with the display of fully furnished sample apartment units. Service areas and circulation cores are gathered on the eastern façade, while administration offices are gathered on the western façade, leaving the center solely for the display of the project and inner gardens. The effect of shadows was an important consideration in the design process, with the folded shell that wraps around the building serving as a material for sun shading while drawing a strong image of the building differently during the day and night.

Photo credit: Yunus Ozkazanc, Aylin Kose.