myCORR-nodes

myCORR-node is a multi-layered underground system inspired by the structure and logic of mycorrhizal networks—symbiotic fungal-root systems that nourish, connect, and communicate within ecosystems. The project reimagines the fragmented infrastructural conditions of İzmir’s Basmane district—mobility, social interaction, and urban memory—as interconnected layers within a living, adaptable network.
Historically a central transportation hub, Basmane has lost its strategic significance due to disintegrated planning and poor connectivity. Socially, the district suffers from increasing spatial fragmentation, economic vulnerability, and weakened ties between migrant and resident communities. Simultaneously, Basmane’s urban memory is being erased through gentrification, the loss of historical buildings, and the transformation of traditional public spaces.
myCORR-node addresses these disruptions by mimicking the resilience and intelligence of mycorrhizal systems. Just as fungi link plants through underground webs that share water, nutrients, and warning signals, this project proposes an adaptive urban infrastructure that weaves together broken layers into a coherent whole. The metro station becomes more than a transportation node; it transforms into an active root system that spreads, connects, and regenerates.
Starting from Basmane Metro Station, the design proposes a self-growing spatial network composed of transportation nodes, social modules, and memory corridors. These components interweave across different levels and timelines, forming a porous, non-linear, and evolving structure. Light, air, and topography are used as materials to stitch the underground and surface, allowing for intuitive navigation and sensory transitions.
myCORR-node proposes a new urban typology: one that heals infrastructural fractures by enabling flows—of people, knowledge, culture, and memory. Through organic expansion, spatial porosity, and collective interaction, Basmane becomes not just a place of passage, but a regenerative urban organism. A living infrastructure where architecture acts like mycelium—rooting, adapting, and nourishing the city from beneath.

Structure: Constructed with modular tunnel formwork system, combining linear tunnels and spherical volumes to create an organic underground network.
Reinforcement: Structural system enhanced with CFST (Concrete-Filled Steel Tube) columns to ensure high load-bearing capacity and seismic performance.
Depth & Layers: The system spans multiple underground levels, following variable soil profiles and topographies.
Integration: Seamlessly connects with Basmane Metro Station and existing urban infrastructure, allowing both functional and spatial continuity.
Form & Geometry: Combines radial and linear geometries through tunnels and spheres, optimizing circulation and spatial diversity.
Materiality: Prefabricated concrete shells and steel reinforcement elements allow modular expansion and efficient on-site assembly.
Construction Method: Utilizes tunnel formwork casting techniques adapted for underground conditions, enabling rapid and precise spatial production.

Designer: Zeynep Firidinoğlu
Supervisors: Assoc.Prof.Dr. Ülkü İnceköse, Assoc.Prof.Dr. Ebru Yılmaz