TURKEY’S NEW RIBBON-INSPIRED ANTENNA TOWER
05 Mar 2014
New observation tower set to transform Turkey’s skyline into an elaborate scenic experience.
IND [Inter.National.Design] + Powerhouse Company have won the Çanakkale Antenna Tower competition with a design that resembles a continuous ribbon. The team beat out an impressive shortlist of eight designs by renowned architectural firms including Sou Fujimoto Architects, Snøhetta, and FR-EE/Fernando Romero Enterprise.
The competition brief called for a building that provides recreational facilities including exhibition spaces and observation decks, as well as a communications mast.
Uniting both the programmatic and spatial requirements in one architectural gesture, the design is comprised of a looped path that rises over the trees, offering panoramic views over the city, before projecting dynamically into the sky.
"The antenna tower is formed by joining the two vertical paths, creating a gracious gateway under which the visitors enter the premises," said an official statement from the designers. "This gesture creates a strong visual identity; an iconic appearance from afar that is transformed into an elaborate scenic experience when up close."
By lifting the structure off the ground, the architects aim to minimise its impact on the surrounding forest. The space surrounded by the looping pathway will be dedicated to use as a park that visitors will be able to access at points where the path touches the ground, and from a staircase beneath the viewing deck.
The tower is deliberately located away from the visitor centre to reduce the danger of radiation from the transmitters fixed to its surface affecting visitors or staff, and is designed with a simple form that will enable it to accommodate future technologies.
The project creates an exciting cultural landmark and a strong visual identity for Çanakkale in western Turkey, where the distinctive silhouette on the skyline is transformed into an elaborate scenic experience.