Yashamkent Shopping Center - New Center of Ankara Inspired by the Culture of Historical Grand Bazaar

Project: Yashamkent Shopping Center
Architects: Aura Design Studio
Location: Ankara, Turkey
Area: 80,729 sq ft
Year: 2022
Photos by: Aura Design Studio

Yashamkent Shopping Center by Aura Design Studio

Inspired by the culture of the historical grand bazaar, Aura Design Studio aimed to bring students, locals, and shoppers together in the central courtyard, guiding people from various points toward the Yashamkent Shopping Center through multiple entrances.

Located in Ankara, the Yashamkent Shopping Center was designed by Aura Design Studio under the leadership of Filiz Cingir Yurdakul. The culture of the Grand Bazaar becomes the central idea of the project. Today, markets serve as important gathering places in any big city and interact with their surroundings through the perception of physical structure, thereby transforming them. Often located at intersections of main streets, they serve local traffic and provide a place for dining, relaxation, and leisure. This historical and cultural environment became the most essential starting points that defined the conceptual design of Aura Design Studio.

Since the Ottoman Empire, markets in Turkey have allowed people to meet and purchase necessary goods. They impress minds as covered streets. They perform both commercial and public functions, often representing an architectural equivalent to shopping centers. Closed bazaars remained relatively popular until recently. However, since they are often located at the heart of cities and towns in Turkey, they do not always meet modern urban needs. The pandemic only intensified this issue.

The Yashamkent Shopping Center is situated right in the heart of Cayyolu district, surrounded by rows of apartments, villas, and a central mosque. To unlock the full potential of the site, architects designed the center so that locals, students, and shoppers can interact as much as possible. Aura Design Studio also aimed to highlight the dynamics of the area through a multi-level courtyard with numerous entrances leading from different directions and access points. Everything around has an open concept: commercial spaces, public square, entertainment corner to make the center as flexible in time as possible.

The roofs of Yashamkent Shopping Center should be readable in the urban environment, as well as provide mass coherence. The breeze-solé opens onto terraces along internal walkways and extends over the open amphitheater, creating a unique architectural language. Moreover, its flexible movement system connects all trading units and purchases, ensuring maximum interaction among them. The central courtyard can create a social atmosphere for the surrounding residential buildings and is also surrounded by shops. Aura Design Studio created a scenario to enrich the active social life of the area, offering students an alternative and dynamic place for relaxation. Overall, there are four distinct main spaces; terraces along the southern facade provide a continuous link between internal and external spaces.

Visually and functionally, Yashamkent Shopping Center is defined by various green spaces and parks inside and around the courtyard, directly connected to the amphitheater through a series of large planters. Recognizing possible parking shortages, Aura Design Studio provided internal and external parking in two separate zones. The strategic location of Yashamkent Shopping Center and its open urban architecture make it one of the most important future commercial centers in Ankara.

-Project description and images provided by pRchitect