NorthGate in Ankara,Turkey by Motto Architecture

Article source: Motto Architecture

Northgate Phase 1 is a 300.000 sqm development that creates a new urban focus in the vicinity of Esenboğa International Airport in Ankara. The development is both a part and a catalyst of the rapid process of urban generation in the zone along with the new international expo, two university campuses and a large-scale automobile showroom complex. Northgate is the largest self-sustaining mixed use project in the location, introducing offices, residences, a variety of retail programs and a five-star hotel along other amenities. The development provides temporary work-stay environments for travelling business people as well as a 120.000 sqm housing program (to be extended to 800.000 sqm in the succeeding phases).

Image Courtesy © Motto Architecture

• Architects: Motto Architecture
• Project: NorthGate   
• Location: Ankara,Turkey 
• Software used: Autodesk Autocad + sketchup, Revit

Image Courtesy © Motto Architecture

THE SITE
Esenboğa Airport has been an important transportation hub for the capital of Turkey since 1955, and has greatly increased in capacity with the completion of the new terminal in 2006 (marking a significant increase from 3.250.000 domestic passengers/year in 2006 to 9.350.000 domestic passengers/year in 2013). That being noted, Esenboğa serves the city as a remote hub (the closest urban center being approximately a 30-min. drive away). The airport is poorly connected with the city center as it lacks a rail-line and offers very limited mass-transportation alternatives. The vicinity of the airport houses multiple industrial foci, ranging from military defense technology firms to food-beverage manufacturers, and a limited number of amenities providing services to the local population and travelers. Recently, the advance of new developments on site began to attract a new population to the zone and to generate a demand for urban amenities. Northgate is located 5 kilometers away from the airport on a slope overlooking the route connecting the airport to the city center.

Image Courtesy © Motto Architecture

ON THE DESIGN 
The downtown of the project, constituting phase 1, features 3 office-residence towers, a five star hotel and a variety of retail programs. The units are positioned around a central courtyard that acts as an urban square bordered with recreational and shopping programs. The courtyard is connected to pedestrian axes that extend from a 100000 sqm park with a range of recreation functions on the eastern border of the site. The office towers and the hotel mass are positioned according to an alternating pattern that allows unblocked views of plateaus and the airport on the north, and views from the park on the eastern and southern directions. A pedestrian street connects the park to the courtyard and extends on west towards the housing and healthcare units. Vehicular access in the courtyard is restricted and allowed only for drop-off functions.

Image Courtesy © Motto Architecture

The site features a 16-meter level difference on north-south section. The low-rise shopping units are located at the lower heights of the slope with minimum amount of massing possible, in order not to block views of the other programs. Taking advantage of the slope, the shopping units are extended into the basement level of the courtyard to meet the retail density required in the overall scheme. The courtyard level features a range of double-height outlet stores, followed by office functions on the floors above. The hotel is located at the top of the slope where visibility from the road is heightened, and various views of the surrounding landscape are provided.

Image Courtesy © Motto Architecture

Vehicular traffic, drop-off points and parking access are positioned on the exterior borders of the downtown area. An east-west oriented major vehicular axis expands towards the successive phases of development and ties the center to peripheral amenities. 110000 sqm of housing units are positioned along the west – southwest zones, and connect to the center through the major east-west axis. The housing units are also accessible via a continuous allé that progresses through public gardens and connects housing units with social functions and other units. The allé ends an open-air auditorium that uses the roof of the sales office, which is to be converted into a neighborhood community center once the development is settled.

Image Courtesy © Motto Architecture

Image Courtesy © Motto Architecture

Tags: Ankara, Turkey

Categories: Airport, Autocad, Autodesk, Revit, SketchUp

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