Rotterdam-based architecture firms IND [Inter.National.Design] and Powerhouse Company have opened Çanakkale Antenna Tower in Çanakkale, Turkey. 

The 100-metre-tall structure challenges to the traditional typologies of a broadcast tower with its "iconic" design. 

Perched atop a scenic hill in Çanakkale, the meandering tower offers panoramic views of the Dardanelles.

Image © Sebastian van Damme

IND [Inter.National.Design] and Powerhouse Company envisioned the design of the tower to leave the maximum visual impact and minimum ecological impact in the environment. Çanakkale Antenna Tower is enriched with a public park, viewing platforms, a visitor center, and a restaurant.

Çanakkale Antenna Tower has opened its doors to the public in March 2023. Çanakkale Antenna Tower won the first prize in an international competition in 2014. 

Image © Fernando Alda

In response to the competition brief, the team created an elegant, eco-friendly, and economically viable solution. 

The team's goal was twofold: "to consolidate existing telecommunication towers into one, and to open up the site for public use, incorporating amenities like viewing platforms, a visitor center, and hospitality," said Powerhouse Company. 

Image © Fernando Alda

"To balance formal requirements and environmental sensitivity, we worked closely with telecommunication and structural engineers and landscape designers." 

"We ensured a safe distance between the tower and the public area to mitigate radiation risks. This decision led to the creation of an outer viewing platform encircling the entire project. By strategically distributing the program elements, we maximized the site's potential," the firm added.

Image © Fernando Alda

While taking visitors inside through its generous entrance at one side, the public facilities are placed at the opposite end, capitalizing on the stunning surrounding views of Çanakkale – city and seaport in Turkey’s Marmara region. 

The distinctive element of the tower is its "fluid outer band" that seamlessly connect these elements, offering visitors awe-inspiring vistas of the ancient Dardanelles. 

The design makes a spacious loop that is artfully evolved into a tall entrance canyon, a wide viewing terrace deck, an elevated viaduct, and finally, the broadcast tower itself. 

Image © Fernando Alda

"The architectural intervention extended beyond aesthetics, nurturing a beautiful inner garden. Here, indigenous flora is showcased, and eroded land is rejuvenated with healthy soil and young forest trees," said Powerhouse Company. 

"The park, deliberately designed to exude a natural and untamed ambiance, blurs the boundaries between the plot's vegetation and the surrounding forest landscape."

According to the team, the project is "a remarkable intervention that harmonizes technical design with environmental consciousness, while transforming the landscape into a public haven."

Image © Fernando Alda

"While the design showcases iconic flair, technical excellence was not compromised," the firm added. The 100m tall tower was engineered to withstand winds of up to 160km/h, ensuring structural stability and safety. 

Utilizing steel plates up to 40 millimeters and internal stiffeners, the tower was assembled and built from modular elements on-site. 

Image © Fernando Alda

Corten steel was chosen as the finishing material to complement the landscape. 

Due to the nature of the material, the material would be adapting its tones to the sun's exposure and wind, creating a subtle harmony with the natural environment.

Image © Fernando Alda

"The Çanakkale Antenna Tower showcases a clever mix of modern technology and eco-friendly design, offering a glimpse of a multidisciplinary approach," the firm explained. 

"By transforming a previously cluttered and ecologically compromised site into a public oasis with breathtaking views, this project exemplifies the art of harmonizing form and function."

Image © Fernando Alda

Image © Sebastian van Damme

Image © Sebastian van Damme

Image © Sebastian van Damme

Image © Sebastian van Damme

Image © Sebastian van Damme

Image © Sebastian van Damme

Image © Fernando Alda

Image © Fernando Alda

Image © Fernando Alda

Image © Fernando Alda

Image © Sebastian van Damme

Site plan

Ground floor plan

Section

Axonometric view

Section

Axonometric

Powerhouse Company, founded by Nanne de Ru in 2005, has offices in Rotterdam, Oslo and Munich. The firm revealed design to transfrom a post-war church into a new music hub in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Powerhouse Company converted a brutalist classic bunker into a "friendly giant" residential tower in Eindhoven.

Architecture and urbanism office IND [Inter.National.Design] was founded in 2007 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands by Arman Akdogan and Felix Madrazo. The practice main interest is to achieve design clarity in combination with a subtle response to context.

Project facts

Project name: Çanakkale Antenna Tower

Architects: IND [Inter.National.Design] & Powerhouse Company

Location: Çanakkale, Turkey

Size: 3,000m2

Architecture: IND [Inter.National.Design] & Powerhouse Company

Partners in Charge: Arman Akdoğan (IND), Felix Madrazo (IND), Nanne de Ru (PHC)

Landscape design: Hugo Sánchez Paisaje, Loop Design, Taller de Paisaje Entorno

Structure consultant: INTAÇ & ABT BV

Client: Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Çanakkale Special Province Administration 

Electrical engineers: Küp Mühendislik LTD

Lighting consultancy: Ulrike Brandi, Benjamin Heine, Sarah Textor

Contractor: Çakır İnşaat. Talat Turan, Burak Yurt 

Site supervision: Arman Akdoğan, Félix Madrazo IND [Inter.National.Design]

Top image in the article © Sebastian van Damme.

All images © Fernando Alda, Sebastian van Damme.

All drawings © IND [Inter.National.Design] & Powerhouse Company. 

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