Mersin Chamber of Trade & Industry

Mersin Chamber of Trade & Industry, 2012

The site for Mersin Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MTSO) is an urban regeneration zone, previously occupied by unplanned clusters of low rise housing units. The site lies on a major axis that connects the suburbs to the city center. The neighboring school and the bus stop on the street constitute two foci for vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

The project proposes an urban border on the boulevard façade to isolate pedestrian zone from the heavy vehicular traffic and create a square for social uses. The units for MTSO, which require easy access for daily functions, are located on the façade facing the boulevard. The block housing these units is punched into the social square to direct pedestrian movement on the boulevard inside. The social functions of the program are distributed along the facades bordering the square, creating an urban focus for the new developments in the vicinity.

Office units, constituting almost one third of the program, are grouped in a vertical block that completes the longitudinal buildings of the chamber and social functions. The office block features exclusive connections with the city, separating its traffic from other uses on site. The block also forms a landmark for the zone and MTSO.