The Loop

Bahçeşehir Cyprus University

Project idea

Cyprus is a city divided by war and at the same time united by the multicultural diversity coming from the thousands of students arriving year by year.

Imagine a city which is aimed at resolving the divide by providing a new sense of neutral ground for cultural exchange and travel for both tourists and students. The site we have is centrally located and my aim was to create a transportation hub that serves as the heart of the city and connects tourists and students alike to every other area in the scenic island while at the same time reducing carbon emission.

The aim was also to design a city that contains urban parks which are different from one another giving a different perspective to each space while providing a sense of character in each. This reduces the 'MEH' factor within urban spaces.

I imagined to create a city called the loop that comes from the traditional Turkish alphabets and also the deeper meaning behind it is in how everything works together. From our little spaces in the house to the large spaces outside our homes.

This city proposes a 3 mobility type of system which are : pedestrian only promenade, slow mobility space and a vehicular mobility space characterized by a tram network.
A tram network to reduce carbon emissions in our cities today and also to reduce the chalenge of road safety and reduce the amount of vehicles on the roads.

Is that all that it has to offer? Nope.
The proposal also entails an underground parking system which frees up all the surface parking spaces and allows for more greeneries and less concrete .
The idea of a green city was important in this stance.

A linear park that connects two major landmarks , one which is the existing ataturk stadium and the other is the proposed transportation hub.
The linear park is meant to act as green belt and a space to breathe and connect with other people within the city.
It contains different functionalities from sporting, picnic areas, concert spaces, outdoor cinemas and more.

That is not all, the proposal further takes inspiration from Christi and Jeanne Clause floating piers by creating a man made lake from the collected water system and submerging the tram to create an underwater experience as the travel in the tram under the lake.

At the end of the semester the proposal I submitted on this jury was well received and I appreciate the efforts done . It allowed me to think about the spaces that we spend the most time in, outside the buildings and how we can shape our daily lives through architecture.

Project description

This project consist of the following parts:
- A linear park
- A Proposed transportation hub
- An underwater tram way
- A water way inspired by Christos and Jeane but designed in a loop manner to immitate the city's Logo
- Pedestrian Promenades
- Apartment Typology
- road section types
- Urban Parks such as agricultural farms, Fair grounds, educational outdoor spaces, Outdoor cinemas etc
- Underground parking

Technical information

The construction of the buildings is made up of yellow stone native to the Island and white rough concrete to better regulate the heat during summer.