Istanbul Zoo And Wildlife Park

Year:2017
Location:Kemerburgaz, Eyup, Istanbul
Site:962,500 m²
Client:Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality

Located along the Black Sea coast on the European side of Istanbul, the project site is a disturbed land due to quarry activities and excavations for road and building constructions. Because of a long history of such activities on the site, topography and the vegetation have been scraped off, and huge depression areas, which was eventually filled with rainwater, have appeared on the landscape.  Despite the reforestation efforts of the Forest Service, the site lacks efficient restoration actions. However, existing depression pools and plateaus in between them- the new repeating patterns of the landscape- construct exciting opportunities and natural boundaries for the design of a wildlife park. The purpose of this project is to design a wildlife park to promote endangered species of Anatolia and raise public awareness towards their protection. The park exclusively houses many native species, it also hosts some exotic species. Information about animal species, their biological, behavioral and habitat attributes are introduced to the public in both indoor and outdoor environments through a wildlife sensitive design approach. There exist many activities and spaces in the park to suit the expectation of different age and user groups.  Moreover, the vegetation on the site is to be restored to enhance biodiversity on the site and exhibit Black Sea Flora.

In our wildlife sensitive design approach, existing depression pools and plateaus on the site – the new repeating patterns of the landscape – propose exciting opportunities and natural boundaries. To support viable ecological processes, we connect these patterns with animal movement, biodiversity, and people’s flow.

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