Çanakkale Antenna

Our design creates a new public destination in a historic part of Turkey, complete with exhibition spaces, recreational facilities and observation decks alongside the antenna tower. We unite all these different functions and spatial requirements in one spatial gesture. Our tower acts as the climax of a forest path that winds up the hill on which it stands. It forms a continuation of the forest path, looping around the site and offering panoramic views in all directions. It merges into the visitor center, offering more breathtaking panoramas over the city and the forest, before returning to the top of the hill, where it shoots up into the sky.

The international competition challenged our team to create an elegant, eco-friendly, and economically viable solution. The goal was twofold: to consolidate existing telecommunication towers into one, and to open up the site for public use, incorporating amenities like viewing platforms, a visitor centre, and hospitality. To balance formal requirements and environmental sensitivity, we worked closely with telecommunication engineers. We ensured a safe distance between the tower and the public area to mitigate radiation risks. This decision led to the creation of an outer viewing platform encircling the entire project. By strategically distributing the program elements, we maximised the site’s potential.

Making the most of all the constraints was the motto of this project. The site was partly occupied by a military complex (now decommissioned) at the time of the design, meaning that strict plot boundaries applied. We used these to our advantage by using them to inform the outline of our curving path. The public function – in combination with a technical and potentially hazardous structure – was a further challenge. The path became the key, continuing the mountain road that leads to our site and separating the public areas from the technical ones, which are concealed in a vast concrete bunker below the ground.