flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

A giant ‘show pool’ is the highlight of a new food- and entertainment-centric mall in Turkey's largest metro

Retail Centers

A giant ‘show pool’ is the highlight of a new food- and entertainment-centric mall in Turkey's largest metro

WaterGarden Istanbul hopes to attract 15 million visitors a year.


By John Caulfield, Senior Editor | March 21, 2017

A 5,000-sm (53,819-sf) show pool is the center of attraction at WaterGarden Istanbul, a “living center” in Turkey's largest city. Image: Courtesy of Gorkem Volkan Design Studio

Lots of shopping malls have water features. But few compare, in size and potential drawing power, with WaterGarden, a giant mall that opened in the Atasehir district of Istanbul, Turkey, earlier this year.

This 165,000-sm (1.78-million-sf) complex, which focuses on gastronomy and entertainment, has 49,000 sm of leasable space for more than 150 independent retail units. But what really stands out is its 5,000-sm exterior “show pool” that is this project’s “visual and functional center,” according to its interior designer, Gorkem Volkan Design Studio (GVDS). T Concept was WaterGarden’s architect.

This is Europe’s largest show pool within what the complex’s developer, Ziylan Gayimenkul, calls a “living center.” The pool, which Germany-based OASE constructed, stages a variety of events and performances accompanied by a choreography of water, music, lasers, and fire. The pool is surrounded by the complex’s Gastronomy Center, which consists of restaurants, bistros, cafeterias and food court that feature unique foods and flavors from Turkish and world cuisines.

 

 

WaterGarden Istanbul includes a variety of eating places that offer Turkish and world cuisines. Image: Courtesy Gorkem Volkan Design Studio

 

There’s a “Nostalgia Street,” which offers brands of food and drink from throughout Turkey that have been around for more than 50 years. An Organic Market sells fresh produce, and is designed to connect to the mall’s botanical garden.

The complex has 15,000 sm of open space that encompasses City Park, designed by DS Architecture, with a rope track, an adventure park, a skate park, and children’s park. WaterGarden Istanbul also includes an 11-screen cinema, an “event arena” with a 4,000-person capacity, a theater hall, a school of culinary arts, a sports center, and children’s playground and crèche.

Real Estate News Turkey reported last year that WaterGarden Istanbul is targeting 15 million visitors per year, and expects to contribute the equivalent of $300 million to Turkey’s economy annually. The complex is located next to the International Finance Center, and is drawing customers from a primary market with more than 1 million residents.

Related Stories

| May 29, 2014

7 cost-effective ways to make U.S. infrastructure more resilient

Moving critical elements to higher ground and designing for longer lifespans are just some of the ways cities and governments can make infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters and climate change, writes Richard Cavallaro, President of Skanska USA Civil.

| May 29, 2014

Retail renovation trends: Omni-channel shopping, personalized experiences among top goals of new store designs

In pursuit of enhanced customer experiences, retailers are using Big Data, interactive technology, and omni-channel shopping to transform their bricks and mortar locations.

| May 23, 2014

Top interior design trends: Gensler, HOK, FXFOWLE, Mancini Duffy weigh in

Tech-friendly furniture, “live walls,” sit-stand desks, and circadian lighting are among the emerging trends identified by leading interior designers. 

| May 20, 2014

Kinetic Architecture: New book explores innovations in active façades

The book, co-authored by Arup's Russell Fortmeyer, illustrates the various ways architects, consultants, and engineers approach energy and comfort by manipulating air, water, and light through the layers of passive and active building envelope systems.

| May 19, 2014

Why e-commerce won't kill 'bricks and mortar' retail sector

Despite emerging structural challenges and newly-announced store closings, such as those of Radio Shack and Office Depot, the U.S. retail sector has continued on its solid recovery.

| May 13, 2014

19 industry groups team to promote resilient planning and building materials

The industry associations, with more than 700,000 members generating almost $1 trillion in GDP, have issued a joint statement on resilience, pushing design and building solutions for disaster mitigation.

| May 11, 2014

Final call for entries: 2014 Giants 300 survey

BD+C's 2014 Giants 300 survey forms are due Wednesday, May 21. Survey results will be published in our July 2014 issue. The annual Giants 300 Report ranks the top AEC firms in commercial construction, by revenue.

| May 6, 2014

'Ugliest building in New Jersey' finally getting facelift

After a decade of false starts and mishaps, the American Dream mall in the Meadowlands may finally get built.

| May 5, 2014

8 modern trends in student dining

Creating a dining experience for the modern millennial requires not only a deep knowledge of good design, but also an understanding of what makes today’s students tick. Culinary designers and consultants provide insights into what trends are transforming the campus table.

| Apr 30, 2014

Visiting Beijing's massive Chaoyang Park Plaza will be like 'moving through a urban forest'

Construction work has begun on the 120,000-sm mixed-use development, which was envisioned by MAD architects as a modern, urban forest.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021