ÖNEY ARCHITECTURE TALKED ABOUT EUROGIDA ADMINISTRATION BUILDING IN CEPHE BÜLTENİ
Eurogıda Administration Building in Izmir is a complex, which contains several different functions, such as an office, a factory, and a warehouse. We think that the building creates its own unique form by the structural elements such as deaf facades and walls on an unusual scale. How did your design decisions and the structure take form in an area where warm weather dominates during most of the year?
One of the main inputs for the project was the climate condition. As Kemalpasa is situated on the ground of a valley starting from Izmir towards the inner Aegean region, the dominant wind direction is southwest in the area which is surrounded with mountains at the north, east, and west sides. Temperature and precipitation values are similar to Izmir city center.
Surveys carried out during the planning phase of the administration building showed that the area was negatively affected by the adjacent facility in terms of noise and visuality and, also, the relationship with the rest of the plant is weakened. The southern side where the building was planned to be situated was exposed to direct sunlight for long hours especially on summer days, thus reducing the working comfort.
First of all, we aimed to provide a cool interior space effect for the users by making use of the feeling of the building as well as its exposed concrete surfaces and material specifications. At the same time, we also placed the main load-bearing system of the building as curtain walls on the east-west axis in order to reduce the effects of the sunlight. This curtain walls extending towards the exterior of the structure also enabled shading for the exterior windows. On the west side, a second wall layer was planned outside the facade in order to create a controlled visual relationship with the production area.
The curved wall located at the south facade and the linear curtain walls located on the second axis serve for the shading of the building, as well as being the baseline of the corporate identity. Also, we planned a more introverted structure and for this purpose we created an atrium inside the building. All the interior volumes open to this atrium area. The atrium was planned with a transparent roof to ensure maximum illumination within the atrium volume, whereas shaded areas were created inside by the beams used on the east-west axis. Also, the light wells that can be opened partially also help natural circulation.
The project increases the spatial use and diversity by defining small exterior areas such as terraces or gardens by means of major walls and colorful facades which divide the mass of the building. On the other hand, the interior space features social areas such as the gallery and inner courtyard. How did you design the user experience in the context of this structural layout?
A direct relationship of the administrative personnel floor with the factory building and social facility, and a space for the personnel at the ground floor was requested. Accordingly, we decided to create the common spaces, such as a meeting room, in the basement. In line with these decisions, a total of four floors including the one below the ground were designed. The areas remaining in between became a courtyard used by the offices. The area, beneath the bridge that establishes the connection with the social facility, which is also accessible from the kitchen, was planned as a leisure area for the personnel.
The relation between the basement, which is to be used by more crowded groups of people, and the building was defined by extending the atrium to the basement. We considered the courtyard created in the atrium both as a socializing and a recreational area. The courtyard visible from all the floors aims to isolate users from the industrial area. Staircases situated at the end of the atrium and elevator shaft were designed with maximum transparency in order to ensure that the atrium is perceived from different elevations during vertical circulation. In this sense, the general architecture of the Euro Gıda Administration Building, which serves different users, reflects the company’s corporate image as well as creating spaces that welcome the user warmly and bring different users together in the social areas.
As a more general question, the facade design has an impact on the quality of the built environment, besides reflecting the function of the building or the corporate identity desired to be built by the brand. In this sense, where and how do you place the facade design in terms of all the architectural production process?
The facade design of the project should welcome both user groups, the visitors and the employees, warmly as well as reflecting the corporate identity. In addition to the colorful design created on the facade, the landscape design applied around the building and the facility transforms the building into a remarkable element by making a distinction in the arid and dry character of the natural environment.
There is a constant state of construction in Turkey, particularly in Istanbul, buildings with various functions emerge and “the identity of the city” continuously changes with ups and downs. Does the architectural design create an identity within the built environment or if we don't establish an analogy as bold as “identity”, what kind of message does a building send?
As well as functionality, the visuality of a building is also important. Actually, it may be said that a smart solution for both achieves the ideal result. As to the identity and the region, district or area where the building is constructed, the buildings should be designed with an emphasis on the environmental conditions, natural and artificial history, tissue and the points that are expected to be developed in the future.
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