Yalova is located in northwestern Turkey near the Sea of Marmara. A city of about 100,000 residents, it is known for its industry but also its arboretums and rich variety of endemic plants. The client for the 7.000-square-meter (75,347 square feet) project completed in 2007 was Akkök, the largest industrial company in Yalova, which planned to hand it over to the municipality. The city intends to create a garden in front of the complex.

Perforated weather-resistant steel with a rusty surface was chosen for exterior surfaces, in a kind of homage to industry and to the resilient forces of nature. Air and light penetrate this steel skin.

A multi-purpose room with a capacity of 600 persons, a workshop for up to 150 people, wedding and exhibition rooms and an office and cafeteria are part of the scheme within specific volumes that are disconnected from the building façade. These functional volumes are connected to each other by a ramp that forms a sheltered inner street. Recreational and service areas are situated between the functional volumes.*

*by Philip Jodidio, EAA Emre Arolat Architects: Context and Plurality, Rizzoli New York, 2013.