Permeability and flow at ground level weave the building into the city’s daily rhythm, making encounters with municipal units feel less like coincidence and more like choreography—transforming the building into a lively, interactive, and participatory urban presence.
Active Units on the Ground, Social Units Above
The five masses on the ground are the units that directly serve the citizens, namely the Public Relations, Police, Planning and Project Directorate, Nursery, Zoning and Urban Planning Directorate, Social Services and the Support Services. It creates a preliminary threshold area that welcomes, guides and invites participation at the ground level before drawing the user into the building. Social areas such as dining hall, gymnasium, open terraces placed on the top floor offer both an opportunity for the city dweller to establish visual contact with the city and make the municipal building part of daily life.
A Participatory, Interactive, Vibrant Urban Actor
The building is connected to the surrounding social, cultural and commercial areas through soft transitions. Thus, the ground level becomes not only an area allocated to administrative units but also serves as a permeable public floor that allows the public move freely and allows the continuity of movement. Thus, in the flow of daily life, this permeability and movement make contact of citizens with municipality units not random; but it turns the building into a participatory, interactive and lively urban actor.
Multiple Connections
There are two other important buildings in the neighbourhood that have a strong place in urban memory. In addition to Kadıköy Marriage Office and Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium, there are many cultural and social foci within walking distance of the area. The design well transforms the municipality compound, which is the most advantageous point of the region in terms of accessibility based on pedestrian circulation, with its multiple existing and proposed transport connections. Pedestrian spines are designed to connect both the public foci within the project area and the surrounding residential areas, integrating the network with natural topography and existing open space system.
‘Massive piers’ to the Fragmented Masses Sitting Superstructure
Five main masses, placed partially on the site, are integrated into the structural system of the building. These elements, which work like “massive piers”, carry the top three-storey office block. While this large-scale rectangular frame defines the architectural character of the building, functionally it provides an efficient organisation of service units. This frame is designed as a steel bearing system with a giant urban carcass that transfers all superstructure loads onto five reinforced concrete masses through earthquake isolators. These isolators, which are used at the upper levels, will ensure that the steel frame, which has itself already lightened the total possible deadload, will be minimally affected by earthquake forces.
The offices on the upper level are handled with open plan principles thanks to the flexibility provided by the steel carrier system. Since the structure is independent of the interior walls, the office units can transform, grow or be reorganised over time. It supports the building to be a long-lasting, sustainable structure that can respond to changing needs. The steel structural system is also read on the facade as an element that defines the architectural language. The building’s identity as an iconic and contemporary public building is supported by its approach that transparently and openly reveals the way it was built.
The massive urban frame, constructed with steel structural system and transferring all superstructure loads onto five reinforced concrete masses via seismic isolators, rises atop these volumes—each functioning like a “massive pier” anchoring and stabilising the entire structure.
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Steel Superstructure with Earthquake Isolators
The steel superstructure is connected to the underlying reinforced concrete structure with earthquake isolators. Isolator bearings are formed at maximum level. Care is taken to keep the dimensions of isolators at reasonable levels, to distribute the loads evenly to the diaphragm of the lower floor at the maximum level and to keep the dimensions and stresses of the post-tensioned beams at minimum levels.
Resilient and Flexible to Disasters and Crises
The building proposes a flexible and resilient architectural configuration that can be rapidly reorganised according to disaster scenarios. Formed around the courtyard, this building creates both a physical and social core. In the post-disaster process, it becomes a place of recovery and solidarity. The administrative units on the ground can serve predefined functions in accordance with different disaster scenarios.
While the support and triage mass can be transformed into a sterile unit where the first intervention is made; two separate health units enable fast and effective medical interventions thanks to their modular structures. Basic needs and support units are planned to continue to serve with the help of the catering unit and the masses that can be transformed into coordination functions. Spaces on the upper levels are planned flexibly to turn into accommodation units in case of a disaster. These spaces offer the safest accommodation opportunity owing to the load-bearing system designed with earthquake forecasts. The helipad located on the roof of the building allows for transport of medical personnel and basic supplies in cases where transportation is cut off, while emergency vehicles at ground level will be able to easily access blocks on the ground.
Sustainability and Ecological Approach
The sustainability approach of the project is defined not only through building performance and energy efficiency, but also through a holistic relationship with the natural environment. By preserving the existing ecological character of the area, an architectural language, narrative and system that supports the environmental balance in the long term is developed.
From Green Squares to Micro Landscapes
The open spaces between fragmented main blocks are green areas that have a public square identity. Thus, the urbanite finds not only a transit area, but also a place of rest, meeting and interaction integrated with the city. These spaces allow for small-scale events, spontaneous encounters and daily socialising, shaded by surrounding trees and softened by permeable surfaces.
The landscape approach is considered at two levels: urban and project area scale. At the urban scale, the main approach is to maintain continuity of existing natural values and to reintegrate the fragmented green texture. Existing open and green areas and areas around Kurbağalıdere that have the potential to be included in the green infrastructure are considered together to create an uninterrupted green spine at the urban scale. While the areas along Kurbağalıdere will be the main component of this system, connections that will ensure green continuity in the north-south direction are designed. The area currently used as a car park in the south is re-functionalised as a public green space. Thus, it establishes a stronger relationship with the Kurbağalıdere corridor and Kadıköy Marriage Office becomes an active part of the green system. Preservation of the existing tree coverage is the primary strategy of the landscape design.
