With a total area of 1.140.410 m², Sorgun Ecopark is aimed to rehabilitate the Sorgun Coal Mine which has been operated by Yeni Çeltek Coal and Mining Inc. Co. for over forty years. With an elaborate landscape design, the now defunct coal mine will be incorporated back into the city of Sorgun, Yozgat.
Located on the Yozgat-Sivas Highway in the middle of Anatolia, the project site has a great potential to influence a much greater area than its nearby surroundings. As a part of the improvement activities, a green large space will be created in order to be re-incorporated into the continuity of the green belt that leads up to Yozgat National Park, and reconnect the existing green belt which was physically cut off by coal mine.
Considered one of the regions great resources, the healing thermal waters of Sorgun are highlighted in this project. Using these existing thermal waters, a program that encourages health tourism will be added to the project; thus contributing to the economic development of Sorgun.
The programmatic elements of Sorgun Ecopark include many functions such as a thermal hotel/spa, housing, social facilities and outdoor sports fields, a festival area, a city park with walking areas and children's playground, an artificial lake, and a solar energy field. Repetitive wooden arcade elements are integrated throughout the site by following the slope of the land. Not only do these elements physically connect, but generate a relationship between each of the different programmatic elements of the project by creating a sense of continuity.
Many sustainable features that promote self-sufficiency are incorporated into the design of Sorgun Ecopark. A solar energy field, water collecting pools, and wind turbines provide the Ecopark opportunities to generate energy and recycle and store water for re-use. By increasing energy savings through the use of innovative and environmentally friendly architectural elements and methods, the project is intended to be economically efficient in the long term. Organic farming and vegetable drying fields, along with an organic foods and products bazaar, encourages local production.
