The Turkcell Lounge design and project was performed by the mimaristudio team invited to the design competition held by the Marketing Communications and Event Management department of Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S. in August 2012. Working with various corporate companies, such as Philip Morris SA, Turkcell, Colgate-Palmolive and Polimeks, the mimaristudio team also undertook the application of the project.
The project was performed in Ulker Sports Area in the Fenerbahce International Sports Complex that hosts not only basketball games but also various concerts and shows throughout the year. The venue was planned to host various corporate meetings, promotions and organizations to be organized by Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S. throughout the year, and the special guests of the company in all events organized in the Ulker Sports Arena, including the sports games.
All work was performed at a site of 800 square meters in accordance with the weekly plan provided by the building’s management, given that the building was already in operation; and the project was applied within a period of two months.
The starting point of the project was the idea that the venue would be used day and night as an area where the special guests would be hosted in all events organized in the complex, in addition to the company’s corporate promotions, events and meetings. Accordingly the employer’s previous experiences and directions were combined with the creative approach of the architecture team, and a soft, but dynamic and technological venue was created in a manner to reflect the corporate face of the company.
In addition to the ready to use products selected and provided to the venue, mimaristudio designed all the productions and the materials and selected the colors used in the project specifically for this project, and have these materials produced and applied.
Turkcell Lounge is composed of three main areas: entrance & reception, entertainment and audience area. One reception bank was designed for each of the west and east entrances of the building for welcoming the guests and walking them to the venue. The reception desks welcome the guests at the entrance of the building with a background in the form of a shell, and direct the guests to the elevators.
The elevators that can be accessed from the west wing of the complex take the guests directly to the main area at the top floor. The corporate identity is clearly emphasized at the walls and the ceiling of the elevator lobby. This area serving as the reception area for the guests entering the venue gives a hint on the design of the venue with its circular form, the ceiling logo created by using specially manufactured led fixtures, and specially manufactured reception desk.
When you pass to the entertainment area through the entrance-reception area, you see that the circular forms emphasized in the project continue. In the general design of the venue, there are sections where the guest may sit or stand up at different points around a big service bar, and other special points to experience Turkcell products.
Like in its other projects, mimaristudio specially designed the products used in the project as components of the venue. The circular lounge suites at each side of the service desk, the big ottoman integrated to these suites and the S shaped sofa, where the guests may be seated, were designed abased on this idea. The furniture groups used with these products, such as the coffee tables, ottomans, swinging chairs and bar seats, are ready to use product, selected as pieces supplementing the design. All of these products allow the flexibility of the venue’s design to different uses of the venue, such as events, promotions and meetings. The mirror covered pivot panels behind the bar, and the mirror covered walls separating the audience area from the entertainment area increases the effect of depth.
The audio and video infrastructure of the entertainment area was specially designed and applied by Mobinotech. The most important piece of the venue is a 4x3 videowall, designed as the reflection of an old TV to the wall, by using all screens as a single screen.
The last section of the venue, which is the audience area, was created to deliver utmost comfort to all visitors of the events. These comfortable conditions were supported by the different sized screens placed in the area.
In addition to all of these details in the internal design, the design of the lighting has an important role in the identity of the venue. The lighting design including the day and night modes and the selection of the relevant colors were performed by Ukon Lighting led by mimaristudio. The lighting requirements for ideal comfort and use were calculated based on the requirements of the venue and the architectural expectations, and the fixtures were selected accordingly.
All lighting fixtures in the venue are connected to an electronic lighting control system, and various scenarios were identified in the system to provide different color and duration options for different purposes.
The company’s lighted logo in the entrance was specially produced by using power led products with cylindrical plexy lids. The cylindrical products at the ceiling of the entertainment area with the diameters of 90 cm and 150 cm were designed by mimaristudio, and their shells were specially produced. Barrisol stretch ceiling was applied to the products, and all RGB and daylight led fixtures in the product were connected to the control system for different scenarios.
The reception desks at the entrances of the building and the lounge suites in the entertainment section were designed by mimaristudio and they were manufactured by using semipermeable acrylic products. RGB LED products were selected for these products, and they were connected to the lighting system. Round inset and outset led and halogen products of Dark Lighting was used for the entertainment area in the circular form and the grandstands.
The project has achieved its targets by not only its design satisfying the alternative uses expected by the employer group, but also the value that it has added to this international complex.
