Ankara Arena Sports Hall -with 10.000 people capacity- is built on a 46.000 sqm. land, which is located at the zone reserved for sports activities through the master planning of Ankara, Turkey. The 53.000 sqm. building is designed considering the particularities of a special context and its urban life.
Firstly, a relationship was sought between the surrounding regions by implementing an urban plaza as a meeting point and an event space for inhabitants. In addition, a pedestrian axis is designed to start a relationship in between the zone which harbors Cultural Center and the one which harbors the park.
Secondly, rather than accomplishing an introverted typology, an extraverted design was considered. A transparent façade and terraces on certain levels were designed in order to render inhabitants develop visual relationships with the city in every direction. Diverse architectural elements such as tension rods, white horizontal sunshades, orange vertical sunshades, curtain wall, brut concrete columns, white foyer walls, green colored entrances, orange public toilet walls, increase the depth of view from the outside to the foyer walls behind. The building’s volumetric effect is decreased not only through the transparent façade, but also through rendering 15 m. cantilevered eave structure thinner, like the wing of an air craft.
Ankara Arena is opened in 2010 by hosting the game 5 of World Basketball Championship which was organized by FIBA, Turkish Basketball Federation and 2010 Organization Committee. Although the building is designed mainly for sports activities, it can harbor such cultural activities like concerts and congresses. Furthermore, it follows universal design principles; disabled and elderly people, and families with children can easily access and circulate throughout the building.
