Istanbul Urban Ecosystem Research Center
The population of Istanbul is increasing rapidly. Thus, this leads to unplanned urbanization. Urbanization reduces biodiversity on a large scale. Istanbul Urban Ecosystem Research center will work on finding ways of how to transform the urban ecosystem into a sustainable one with research. The main focus of IUERC will be the physical components of the urban ecosystem. The goals of the center include studying how cities work as integrated social-ecological systems, developing sustainable approaches to the development of the city, reducing the negative impact on surrounding environments, developing approaches for sustainable urban design. The methodologies of doing that will be to observe changes in water, soil, and air in Istanbul; to study the temporal changes of the urban ecosystem; to study the interactions among social, economic, and natural elements of the urban ecosystem; to develop and extend planning methods of ecological management and ecological planning for urban sustainability. The target users of the center are urban ecologists, city planners, researchers, students, city managers, and university research departments.
The project site is in a historical area in Istanbul. The historical buildings nearby have a major impact on the project design. The project welcomes people coming from under the Valens Aqueduct with a buffer zone between the park and the building for both the changing level and greenery. It also invites people from the corner at +0 level, connecting the street to the Ataturk Boulevard as well as inviting people from the Kadınlar Pazarı side at +4 level.
IUERC is designed with a modular grid system inspired by the historical building Gazanfer Ağa Madrasa nearby. The expanded structural system and the landscape emphasize the modularity of the building. 3x3 m units are used for circulation; 6x6 and 9x9 units are used for other functions. The building is divided into 2 parts as semi-public and private with their own vertical circulation cores and connecting bridges between them. The private part consists of research laboratories, offices, administration, co-working spaces, an archive, and accommodation while the semi-public part consists of a library, lecture room, multipurpose room, conference hall, foyer, and a cafe. The foyer and cafe have a visual connection to the water tower on the site. Furthermore, the terraces of the building provide views of the historical buildings nearby.
The double-skin green facade is also designed with a modular system. It has 3 main modules with 2x3 m dimensions: green panels, semi-open green panels, and photovoltaic panels. The roof is a reflective (cool) roof. The glass openings on the roof provide natural lighting for the interiors. The selection of local or adapted species for the facade and the landscape help the biodiversity of the site. There is no parking lot on the site to encourage the use of public transportation and there is a bicycle path and bicycle racks provided between the madrasa and the project.
