Architectural Team: Korkut Yıldırım  , Harun Ekerbicer

Assistants: Sabiha Göloğlu

ARCHITECTURAL APPROACH

With Mersin's rapid unplanned growth in recent years, decreasing quality urban spaces, increasing high-rise apartment blocks and intensifying vehicle traffic; offers negative urban experiences to city dwellers and tourists. At such a point, MTSO Service Building and Business Center, contrary to the ongoing,  It brings a sustainable architectural understanding that is sensitive to Mersin's geographical features, climate and nature. Thus, this project creates an urban center of attraction on the site and envisages the rehabilitation of the city to the west. The fact that the land has direct access roads to the sea and on Gazi Mustafa Kemal Boulevard increases the pedestrian accessibility of the MTSO Service Building and Business Center, and therefore the importance of this project.

  The concepts of "garden city" and "commerce city" suggested by Hermann Jansen, who left a mark on Mersin city planning as well as on Çukurova and Ankara city planning, were unfortunately forgotten over time and were not implemented. This project is a "garden city" and "trade city" for Mersin.  It proposes that the concepts be put into practice by bringing them back to the agenda. Thus, it aims to be a reference to the MTSO Service Building and Business Center surroundings and to lead the urban transformation of its location. Over time, it envisages a transition from a concrete-dominated multi-storey residential architecture to a green-dominated urban texture.

This project deals not only with the land on which it is located, but also with the green, transportation and settlement potentials of its surroundings (Fig. 4). For example, the area to the west of the plot is proposed as new park and residential areas, and pedestrian and vehicle traffic on the plot is shaped accordingly. The density of the boulevard is met by the town square and green areas, and then the building blocks are passed. The low blocks are open to the prevailing wind direction (southwest), while the high office block is positioned in the direction of the sea view. In this way, the project provides a functional and simple integrity with its environment (Fig. 5).  Another important point in the settlement is that the office units are solved with a vertical organization scheme and the total indoor space usage on the ground floor is minimized. In this state, the project has been solved 800 m2 below the allowed 6400 m2 area on the land. This area was brought to the city as a public space in the Mersin climate, which allows being outdoors for most of the year.

MTSO Service Building and Business Center is another building that will take place in Mersin's silhouette after the Metropolitan and Revenue Service Buildings. The 15-storey office block proposed in the project will be easily distinguishable in the silhouette of the city with its height and fragmented structure (110 m antenna, 72 m restaurant and 92 m tower height).  Inspired by the fact that Mersin is a port city, the low blocks thought of as containers lined up next to each other add originality to the project and remind of the context in which the project is located. These low blocks are also the result of a partial mass understanding rather than a single mass solution that will adapt to Mersin's climatic conditions. With these and other features, the project is a candidate to become a “landmark” in Mersin and has the competence to represent the Chamber of Commerce.

ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

In the project, considering the given program and land data, MTSO and Business Center are considered as separate buildings. A third building, the Social Center, connects these buildings, leaning against the northern and southern borders of the plot. The Social Center houses public spaces such as conference, exhibition, and museum units. This center is also considered as a continuation of the City Square, which forms the center of the project area. 4 large retractable umbrellas, each covering an area of 250 m2, protect the city square from the harsh sun of Mersin and can be used comfortably at almost all times of the year.  allows its use.

Thanks to the collapsible glass walls of the conference hall and the hydraulic seat system, the ground floor integrates with the square when desired.  It can be transformed into a fair/exhibition area of 2400 m2 (1300 m2 closed and 1100 m2 open). This area can host Mersin Chamber of Commerce's small and large scale events in the city. Therefore, on the ground floor, rich spaces were abandoned for the city and its inhabitants, and the urban square was diversified with the use of hard and green areas in the layout plan.

Entrances to Social Center, Business Center and MTSO  It is built from the square and universal design principles have been taken into account for the accessibility of the disabled to all these places. With the inner street between the Social Center and the Business Center, a transition is provided from the boulevard to the west of the land and the relationship of the building with its surroundings is strengthened. In addition, an overpass is proposed between the east of the boulevard and the land, providing uninterrupted pedestrian traffic.

The bazaar under the office block functions as a green base and hosts gastronomic units. This bazaar is intertwined with the square and holds the northeast end of the plot. With its green roof and courtyard, the bazaar contributes to the air-conditioning of the building and provides a visual richness when viewed from the Business Center. This green roof and the floor gardens in the Business Center create recreation areas for the employees and lighten the office mass.

  Office units throughout the plot are designed in an east-west direction.  This orientation minimized the influence of the eastern and western suns, which are difficult to control. Again, this orientation was used for natural ventilation of building blocks in Mersin, where the prevailing wind direction is southwest. The fragmented structure of the masses, handled with Louis Kahn's "serving" and "serving" principle, provided a suitable solution for the humid hot climate and gave the opportunity to build an entire campus in phases. Accordingly, first MTSO Service Building, second Social Center, third Bazaar and finally Business Center can be added to these structures. The independent operation of the service areas of all units allows such a phasing and makes positive contributions to the construction economy and project management.

  MTSO Service Building consists of four containers at different heights that slide side by side. The southernmost of these contain small units such as directorates, while the other three contain the MTSO Assembly and meeting rooms. All units in the Service Building can be naturally ventilated and illuminated. The fact that horizontal and vertical circulation is generally provided from the spaces between the containers distinguishes the "serving" and "delivered" units from each other. The parking lot entrance is from the Service Building and has a total capacity of 300 vehicles across two basement floors.

  The Business Center consists of two 15-floor office blocks and the core that "serves" them. Each office block is 225 m2 and the core is 150 m2. With this grouped design of the office tower, it is desired to give the effect of dynamic and delicate two towers instead of a single and heavy mass in the city scale. Again with this design, flexible use and divisibility are provided, and it is thought that the real estate value of the block will increase. Each floor, with a net area of 450 m2, can serve a single user or serve more than one user. This innovative approach in office block design also allows the Business Center to be converted into a hotel in all or part of it when appropriate. In such an operating model, 2 rooms with a width of 3750mm fit into each axle spacing and a whole block can be converted into a 240-room hotel.