Melike Altınışık Architects won Honorable Mention with their design proposal for the Kepez Landmark Competition.The competition, which was hosted by Kepez Municipality of Antalya, Turkey, asked participants to design a Landmark for the City of Antalya. This Design Proposal, carrying the spirit of its age and Antalya, creates its identity without contemporary formal-urban concerns, by adapting itself to the topography, taking into consideration of native, natural and cultural features (being Mediterranean ), with its modern iconic formation based on timelessness concept and aesthetic design integrated to the nature and urban context.

Antalya Kepez Landmark design proposal, carrying the spirit of its age and Antalya, creates its identity without contemporary formal-urban concerns, by adapting itself to the topography, taking into consideration of native, natural and cultural features (being Mediterranean ), with its modern iconic formation based on timelessness concept and aesthetic design integrated to the nature and urban context.

The project site, located on the slope of Mount Mazı, Northern part of Antalya, has unique Mediterranean features like its topography, natural vegetation, climate, its flora etc. This design proposal has been developed by taking into consideration these native features. Main purpose of the design is to get maximum result with minimum touch to the existing project site. Therefore, we created each unit  in the program list by making little change in natural topography lines except the landmark building, The landmark is located at the highest level of the Project site and directed to the city center. This directionality is emphasized by a panoramic bridge surrounded with tropical trees. This green axis connects ‘panorama 360’ that provides a wide-sweeping view of the city/the Mediterranean Sea /Mount Mazı and ‘panorama amphitheatre ’ that hosts socio-cultural events.

This proposal was planned according to the development plan given by the municipality. According to these plans, the project site is going to be surrounded by residential and commercial buildings in the future. Furthermore, city center is going to be closer to our project site. Main design decisions were made by taking into account these changes and possibilities. Our project site could be the only green zone in its close environment. According to the future development plans, Eastern and Western sides of the project site is going to be full of residential buildings. So, when you look at the plan organization, you can feel the stress applied by these residential zones which result with staying away from these sides.

Landmark Buildig Group and Project Site Design / Functions

1. Landmark ( Tower: 75m )

2. Panorama Observation Deck ( 360°+10.80 m )

3. Panorama Bridge (170m )

4. Panorama Amphitheatre ( 500 Seats )

5. Panorama Terraces

  . Botanic Terraces ( Cafe, Restaurants)

  . Sport Club Terraces ( Sport Facilities, Cafe )

6. Car Park (North) 300 Cars

    Car Park (South) 100 Cars

Panorama 360 and  Landmark Building :

The landmark building group, having symbolic values at urban scale , rises 75 m from the ground. Rest of the design spreads out under 4.5 m height limit on the site. The landmark tower provides 360° panoramic view from the panorama 360 at +10.80 height as well as it carries the existing antennas on the site at its upper levels. At the entrance level (0.00), there are permanent, temporary exhibition spaces, cafeterias, multivision halls, inner courtyard, administrative units, service and storage rooms. To reach the observation basket (+10.80) from the entrance level (0.00), either  visitors can use the elevators that is located in the steel structures of the tower feet or they can prefer to use inner courtyard’s ramps to reach +4.00 floor level then use the stair-ramp part of the structural feet carrying people to +10.80 floor level.

Panorama Bridge :

Panorama Bridge stretches 70 meters across the green valley between the Landmark Building and the amphitheatre. The bridge serves as landscape element with its steel structure hidden by various fruit trees and others chosen according to endemic  vegetation. The bridge provides delightful experiences to visitors in the shadow of  these endemic  trees  and  make cool journeys possible in such a hot climate.

Panoramic Terraces : Cactus Garden, Water Garden, Rock Garden Vegetation

Panoramic bridge divides the project site into two sides. These Eastern and Western sides were terraced in keeping with existing topography levels. These terraces have a wise used landscape interpretation that intent to increase the attraction of natural landscape. Each terrace has 3 thematic garden concepts ; cactus garden , water garden and rock garden vegetatiottn. These gardens were located all along the alleys in order to direct people and control the pedestrian circulation.

Sustainable Local Materials :

Patio, Portico and Persiana : 3p Courtyard , Veranda and Louvers are abc

of tropic architecture. One of the main goals of the project was to create a space that triggers the feeling of beauty and make people feel ‘being Mediterranean’ with the help of light, shadow and material use. In this project common/ local materials were used; the most significant one are Limra Stone and Hint Kayrağı ; In this manner, we could decrease construction process and increase adaptability of the buildings to the climate. Furthermore, these white materials were mainly used in facade and floor covering, absorbing less sunlight, staying cooler in the sun and transmitting less heat into the building. Additionally, bamboo was chosen as secondary complementary material to create a Cozy-Mediterranean atmosphere in the whole design arrangement.

In the project, sustainability subject was analyzed in the construction process & style. We tried to keep all geological formations as their original forms. When we had to interfere the natural one , we proposed to reuse it in another formation in the project site such as to reuse of stones/earth coming from excavation of terracing in different artifacts like amphitheatre hill and other additional artificial hills. In this way, we achieved the ratio of excavation-infill almost

Landmark Building and its Surrounding environment design proposal was based on creating comfortable and pleasing social hubs with minimizing pressures coming from the environment. The most important approaches to the environmental sustainability ;

1. Settling according to the existing topography
2. The compatible relation in between the landmark building and both surrounding buildings and topography
3. Natural ventilation /Inner environmental quality (air ventilation, wind and underground heating / cooling)
4. To benefit from the air flow between the structures in open spaces
5. Energy efficiency
6. To protect the natural sources
7. Water Conservation
8. Waste Control
9. Natural Lighting
10. Sustainable Material Production