The Istanbul Merter / Istanbul / Turkey

The Istanbul Merter / Istanbul

The Istanbul Merter office building by GAD is located in Merter one of the busiest districts of Istanbul. The site is wedged into the dense fabric of this part of the city next to a major highway and industrial workshops in a noisy and chaotic node of Istanbul produced by the rapid expansion of the city in the past 10 years. The project is a mid-rise office building on an approximately 5800 sqm site, the building is aligned with the site borders, consolidating the area as a single block consisting of 7 mini blocks and 4 inner courtyards. GAD’s role was to motivate the client to extend the brief beyond business and programmatic needs by providing a human centered environment for office workers above the existing standards in the city.

The human-centered and sustainable design strategy consists of the following: natural ventilation via strategic openings, maximum daylight usage, sunlight collection and control as a renewable energy source, plus green and public space for social use and  sustainable living. More so technical features such as photovoltaic panels are used to capture sunlight as a renewable resource for energy and also to protect users from the high noise and wind of the site. Additional land and spatial usage is achieved in an elevated garden that creates valuable public space on upper floors that is a rare commodity in this central district of the city. These courtyards and elevated gardens are directly connected to the entry with escalators and elevators making these outdoor green spaces easily accessible public spaces. The green rooftop above reduces CO2 emissions and balances heat levels. Rainwater harvesting is another key element for the overall roof design.

To realize an optimal structure within the dense fabric a mix of structural concrete and exposed structural steel was used. This can be seen in the large dramatic steel beams that connect the blocks This difficult site, with long, differentiated facade of many surfaces for sunlight and space presented a design beyond the client’s expectations to advance the human aspects of office building in Istanbul.