A development group based in Istanbul asked JFA to provide a feasibility study | concept design for a mixed-use project based on retail and commercial office space, to be located on a vacant lot in the center of the city of Kocaeli, Turkey. The land is presently being used as a public parking lot. Given the strategic location and proximity to a city cable car system, the clients requested that a cable car station be integrated into the project. The cable car connects a nearby university to the city center. It was also requested that a project of this size should provide enough public space so as to serve the needs of the local population. The resulting shopping mall is designed to serve as a background to a new Maydan for the city. The shopping center is organized around pre-existing pedestrian paths that cut across the site.
