Location: Istanbul, Turkey.
Architect: ERA Architects.
The project is a transformation of an old industrial chemical factory land into a technology company campus for a Turkish bank. The campus is located between major highways of Istanbul, D-100 and TEM, in the proximity of Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Pendik, Istanbul. The campus programme is configured into three major sections: 53,500 sqm of open offices, a 16,000 sqm auditorium, educational spaces and cafeterias, 72,500 sqm for parking, a Tier 4 data centre, a sports centre, common spaces, archives and service areas. The building’s main structure is a flat slab concrete system at the offices and an exposed frame structure at the lower levels. The campus has received a Leed Gold certificate. The campus is inspired by the natural topography around the site and the desire of creating a clear contrast to the surroundings’ unorganized urban fabric. The main working environment is a crystal volume lying gently over several artificial hills sheltering various functions such as two 600 and 200-seat auditoriums, educational meeting spaces, cafeterias, lounges on bridges, data centres and many other functions. The horizontal floating volume connects the two plots of the site by the introduction of hanged bridges and glazed screen walls over 30 meters spans. The user circulates through the outdoor ground levels following a path which undulates like a creek between the artificial hills. The elevated volume has been designed to allow an experience of the journey for the everyday user. Ponds are designed to enhance the cooling effect on the outdoors as well as on the glazed facades to reduce the temperature gain during hot seasons. The building implements sustainability principles overall from single and double-skin facade systems with dynamic sun shading integrated with lighting, to special heating & cooling systems providing the inner spaces with a hundred per cent fresh air. During the initial stages of design when the site has been acquired, the old chemical factory has been removed. The soil has been checked further for contamination. The remainings have been dismantled into several different categories and have been sent for recycling and certified. The existing pine trees from the old factory have been kept and a few displaced into newer locations within the site. Rainwater harvesting is used for the landscape mainly. The green hills were obtained by a system of cables embedded into the sedum surface from top to bottom of the artificial hills.
Photo credit: Cemal Emden.