Other site considerations that influenced the design were the underground tunnels leading from the nearby Byzantine church that prevented deep excavations, local business owners insistence on a design that didn’t obscure their shop windows and very narrow medieval streets that were unfit for large vehicles to enter the area affecting delivery.

To achieve a welcoming appearance, the primary façade or surface was punctured along the site’s border resulting in a dynamic sweeping form in concrete that allows programmatic and circulation elements to easily mix and flow. The design was developed into a simple yet iconic concrete and steel seashell-like form covering the entire site with large openings at street level. The sturdy porous shell provides a column-free interior space, optimizing the project’s programmatic needs, while also providing a dramatic market and public space at the street level. The aim was to allow the circulation paths to easily connect the internal space to the larger, extended historic urban fabric of the district of Beşiktaş. In this way despite the principal shell form being quite strong to balance the hard volumes of the nearby buildings there was a dynamic, open flow of space to facilitate circulation and commercial activity that was the main intent of the design.The new design presents a contemporary and pragmatic solution for the famous Fish Market in this important urban location; it has become a proud beacon of the community’s effort to improve their market and neighborhood. GAD working collectively with the primary stakeholders, the municipality and fishmongers, realized a design that met the programmatic needs of the Fish Market as a retail outlet but perhaps more importantly realized a modern public space with an innovative approach to form and materials in the traditional fabric of the city.