KADIKOY CITY HALL

The Two Faces of Publicness: Building and Landscape
The project site is framed by adjacent buildings with commercial functions along Kurbağalıdere and Fahrettin Kerim Gökay streets, a new cluster of mixed-use commercial and social buildings under the viaduct along the railway, and an open perspective to the south reaching the marriage office. This configuration defines the main character of the settlement. The building occupies the northern half of the square plot, leaving the southern half as a landscaped area opening into the transfer network.

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The Arcade: Linking Building and Landscape
An arcade runs along the main façade, bridging the building with the landscape. The main entrance opens onto this arcade. Serving as a passage connecting the tram stop to the new market under the Marmaray viaduct, the arcade integrates urban circulation with the building.

Architectural Language: Arcades and Glass Prisms
The arcade façade establishes the building base on all four sides. Office volumes are fragmented above this base to maximize façade exposure. The arcade base and the transparent prisms above define the architectural language. The height and width of the prisms reference the scale of surrounding buildings.

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The Publicness of Ground Level
Municipal buildings represent the first step in democratic governance. In this context, what can a municipal service building offer beyond providing daily services? The project centers this question in the ground-level design. The building is divided into two wings along the east-west axis, with two entrances on the north-south axis. The western wing houses halls, foyers, exhibition spaces, and a library; the eastern wing contains units providing direct municipal services. This allows the building to continue serving the public through halls, exhibition areas, and the library even outside office hours. The foyers of the halls open toward the landscape with the arcade, connecting to the ceremonial space and the municipal square.

Ground-floor façades are programmed to enhance public engagement. A daycare is located on the northeast façade, providing privacy through landscape elements. The southeast façade accommodates retail units accessed from the entrance arcade, with hardscape in front enabling outdoor events. Open-air fairs extend along the entrance arcade toward the fairgrounds, municipal square, and ceremonial area. The northwest façade (parking and mayor’s entrance) maintains public access through the library. In this way, the building opens to urban life on four sides at ground level, functioning as a “social center beyond a government building.”

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Landscape Design: Squares, Tree Inventory, and Roof Terraces
Building and landscape together create a vibrant public life. On the arcade-facing side, the spaces are organized sequentially as ceremonial space, municipal square, fairground, and children’s playground. These open areas are shielded from traffic noise by dense tree coverage. Statues commemorating the Republican Reforms and Atatürk are placed to define the new ceremonial space. The building form respects existing trees, providing a protected garden for the daycare. Trees that can be transplanted along the basement footprint +5m line are planted in the new landscape, supporting ecological continuity. Roof gardens are created between the prismatic volumes, allowing office workers to access open-air spaces without entering secure zones.

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Façades as Social Communication Tools
Glass-clad office volumes (prisms) emphasize transparency and accountability. A semi-permeable screen along the 90-meter south façade controls sunlight while transforming the main façade into a “tool of social communication.” This screen also provides a backdrop for activities in surrounding plazas, including the ceremonial area, municipal square, and fairground.

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Interior Life: Atrium
The ground floor, containing public and service units, and the office floors above, open onto a 20x25m atrium. This bright space, receiving abundant daylight and landscape views, serves as the vertical and horizontal circulation hub for the 22,000 m² above-ground program. It functions as a space for encounters and interactions between service providers and users. Office areas, segmented into prisms for maximum daylight and fresh air, open onto the airy atrium. Elevators and the main staircase are located within this void, reflecting a spatial interpretation of transparent and participatory governance.

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Service-Parking and Mayor’s Entrance
The building faces two main streets along the tram line. Vehicle access, the mayor’s entrance, and parking entry/exit are organized from the west wing, away from the tram line. Parking is accommodated on three levels: public parking on B1, mayoral and central garage on B2, and staff parking on B3. Archives, storage, and technical areas are located across three basement levels beneath the wing with direct ground-floor service units. Delivery access to the cafeteria and disaster support storage is on B2, serviced by two service elevators.

Spatial Organization
Departments reporting to the mayor (corporate communications, culture and social affairs, inspection board, internal audit, and municipal police) are located in floors above the mayor’s floor. The municipal police department is on the ground floor with direct external access. Frequently accessed departments are on the 1st and 2nd floors: planning, building control, project offices, disaster management on the 1st floor; social services, technical affairs, parks and gardens, and financial services on the 2nd floor. The council hall, common library, and tea area are located on the 1st floor near circulation paths. On the partially mezzanine east side of the 6.45m high ground floor, spaces related to building administration, automation, technical offices, mail, banner center, chief driver, driver rest area, and staff facilities like a hairdresser and gym overlook the east courtyard (daycare courtyard) around protected trees. The cafeteria with sea view is located on the 3rd floor.