It’s so ambitious and
courageous that the word food court just falls short.Caddeopens in Mecidiyeköy, Istanbul, bringing more than 25 carefully chosen fashion and
lifestyle retailers and of course restaurants on Trump Towers’ roof terrace and
turns it in to much more than what you might expect from any other mall.
In using the container – as
an every architects dream, breaking the boundaries of modularity, uniformity
and ubiquity – the project combines the individual units into a redundant
system to transform and change its character from there. Playing with the
positve and negative volumes, alternation of open, semi-open and enclosed
space, Cadde becomes more than simple a container transformation, but more an
integral master plan, re-adding these qualities that we so familiar with from
the ancient model of the bazaar and agora into the introverted shoebox design
of today.
Atmosphere
The simple and imaginative concept brings modular units to the area
between the two towers, creating main alleys and secondary aisles. Criss-cross
cuts through that primordial mass then maximize the façade, whilst providing
short cuts and thereby create exiting space and individuality at every corner
throughout the project.
Different cuisines in a mix
with contemporary retail requires a sensitive design for every single unit,
establishing and underlining it’s personal identity, thus contributing to a
solid overall appearance. The lower level, holding 18 shops and restaurants,
provides an urban setting with plazas, wider alleys, down to more narrow
shortcuts. Shared seating as well as adjacent, themed terraces invite the
visitors to remain, widely openable façades carry the individual atmospheres
outside and erasethe boundaries between in- and outside, whilst large glas
façades provide transperancy and gorgeous displays.
The second, upper level is
much less dense. Green and large deck spaces invite to remain and observe from
above. Five restaurants invite to their generous terraces, green areas offer an
agreeable sojourn and connect several units. The unifying design approach also
becomes most obvious on the terrace level. Each unit resembles outworn shipping
containers folding, sliding and swinging open. Where on the lower level
corrugated steels facades hold menus and infographics - but in general fall
victim to the high density and desired transparency - the container facades on
the upper level entirely become the expressive and functional shell of each
unit.
Structural & technical
A steel frame construction paired with an underfloor technical layer
provides the flexibility of layouts for each unit. Fresh and waste water,
electricity and climatization are delivered to the exact point they are needed.
This matrix furthermore offers opportunity for a great variety of applicable
materials for the individual modules, ranging from 15 to 90 m2, each with a
clear 3.00 m head height.
To maximize the usability of
the development, the corridors and terraces are openable in the summer, protected
from intense sunlight, but entirely closed and heated in the colder period of
the year to cultivate the space. The hidden service corridor, as well as a
buffer zone to hold goods temporarily during re-stocking, connects to the
service elevator and storage areas in the basement; refrigerated trash storage
is available both in basement and on site level.
The synthesis of the container theme and the eclectic and colourful
interiors define the nature and charm of the project – providing different
qualities on the two levels, throughout 25 units, each with it’s own character
and style. Well-arranged and staged on the users end, creating a unique urban
atmosphere, and orchestrated behind the scenes, providing a strong service
infrastructure on the operator’s side,
