Project: Balance Gunesli
Architects: Avci Architects
Location: Istanbul, Bagcilar
Area: 181,910 sf (plot), 996,759 sf (gross area)
Photographs by: Busra Yeltekin
Balance Gunesli by Avci Architects
Balance Gunesli is a mixed use building complex that consists office, residences and bazaar, designed by Avcı Architects. The project has developed to integrate the area with the city as a qualified landscaping area enriched with water elements.
On the contrary of typical tower design rising from a podium, the goal of this mixed use building complex is to develop a neighbourhood feeling and become a new business center along with other developments close by. The future main pedestrian street along the site is inviting and at the same time forms an enclosed urban square for the project. After entering through the square, pedestrians are finally getting connected to the landscape of Ayamama river through the permeable structure along street. The same permeability continues through the neighbouring sites and creates very inviting public areas. Lower buildings are located around those streets.
Considering the social sustainability of the neighbourhood, the lower buildings house offices and home offices while generating streets in between. This way the neighbourhood stays safe by its activity and liveliness throughout the day.
Taking into account sustainability and efficient energy consumption, the different façade formations and material use on the different orientations of the buildings support the elegant impression of the mass.
Environmental Strategies…
The aim is to maximize the use of solar energy by making northern facades more opaque with stone coverings, and layering the southern facades by placing wooden brise-soleil in front of glass. The gardens on the upper floors of the southern facades provide both natural heating, ventilation and the continuity of the green, giving motion and variety to the façade at the same time.
The massing studies are done through the understanding of environmental parameters that the project site is exposed to. The tower massing is surrounded by lower office blocks. The lower office massing that surrounds the tower block is design diagonally to increase the south sun exposure inside the courtyard and the nothern office block.
Vertical and horizontal shading elements are used to control the sun on southern facades of the tower and lower blocks. A transitional buffer zone is introduced to act as a double facade of the office blocks. Occasionally floor gardens are placed facing this buffer zone to act as a vertical stack effect and provide natural ventilation to the floor gardens and enclosed office spaces once the windows are opened.
The predominant wind direction also effects the massing studies in order to create airflow throughout the courtyard and other outdoor public spaces.
Green landscape circulates around the building horizontally and vertically to create multiple communal areas around the building. Especially the floor gardens are to be found on every floor to create a green transitional space which is quite hard to find on office blocks.
-Project description and images provided by Avci Architects
