CO-LAB ARTERY

CO-LAB ARTERY: A Dynamic Coworking Hub in Darağaç, İzmir

Darağaç, known for its evolving creative scene and industrial past, serves as the backdrop for CoLab Artery—a coworking hub designed to foster collaboration, adaptability, and public engagement. The project aims to bridge the gap between tradition and innovation, transforming an underutilized urban void into a vibrant and multifunctional workspace.

Urban and Cultural Context:
Darağaç has long been a dynamic yet challenging site, marked by its proximity to industrial areas, informal artistic communities, and increasing urban pressures. The neighborhood’s transformation into an artistic and creative hub has inspired the spatial and functional strategies behind Co-Lab Artery. Addressing the need for flexible public spaces, the project integrates coworking areas with cultural and community-driven functions, ensuring that the space remains a catalyst for exchange and interaction.

Design Intentions and Spatial Organization:
Co-Lab Artery is structured around three key layers: urban, cultural, and architectural.

• Urban Layer: The project reactivates its surroundings by introducing open and semi-open spaces that invite the public into the site. The external circulation, terraces, and landscaped areas ensure permeability and engagement with the neighborhood, creating an inviting atmosphere for both professionals and visitors.
• Cultural Layer: Recognizing the site’s artistic energy, the design incorporates collaborative spaces such as workshops, studios, and exhibition areas. The flexible nature of these spaces allows for a diverse range of activities, from co-creation to public events, supporting the evolving needs of Darağaç’s creative community.
• Architectural Layer: The building itself is conceived as an adaptable framework with modular spaces, external walkways, and an open structural grid that allows for future transformations. The integration of steel, glass curtain walls, and wooden details reflects a balance between industrial aesthetics and human-centered design.

Program and Functionality:
The programmatic arrangement ensures a gradual transition from communal to more focused workspaces:

• Ground Floor: A community hub featuring informal seating areas, small meeting rooms, and essential amenities, designed to encourage social interaction and public engagement.

• First Floor: Open-plan coworking spaces and workshop areas, promoting flexibility and creative synergies.

• Second Floor: Enclosed offices and focus areas, positioned strategically along the facade to offer quiet and productive environments while maintaining visual connectivity with the surroundings.

• Third Floor: The most adaptable level, hosting an open event hall, an urban resilience forum, and exhibition areas. This floor supports large-scale gatherings and knowledge-sharing activities, reinforcing CoLab Artery’s role as a civic space.

Rooftop Observation Deck: An informal yet interactive space offering panoramic views of the city and harbor, doubling as a break area and an extension of the working environment.

Impact and Vision:
Co-Lab Artery is more than a coworking space; it is a spatial response to the needs of contemporary creative professionals and an urban intervention that strengthens the social fabric of Darağaç. By blending work, culture, and community, the project aspires to set a precedent for flexible, inclusive, and contextually embedded work environments. Through its architectural strategies and programmatic diversity, it reflects the evolving nature of workspaces in the 21st century, where collaboration and adaptability define the future.

-Location: Darağaç, İzmir, Turkey
-Site Area: ~1650 m²
-Total Built Area:
• Enclosed Ground Floor → 181 m²
• 1st Floor → 306 m²
• 2nd Floor → 318 m²
• 3rd Floor → 396 m²
• External Circulation → 222 m²
-Total Built Area = 181 306 318 396 222 = 1,423 m²

-Height: 4 floors (12.75m)

Spatial Program & Floor Areas:

Ground Floor:
-Community hub (2 multipurpose rooms)
-Sitting areas & gathering spaces
-WCs
-External circulation wrapping around the building

First Floor:
-Open workshop areas
-Offices

Second Floor:
-Focus workspaces (offices & breather spaces)
-Sitting areas near façades

Third Floor:
-Open event hall
-Urban resilience forum (small conference room)
-Exhibition & flexible event spaces
-Urban observation deck (seating with city & harbor views)

Material & Structural System:
-Primary Structure: Steel frame system
-Façade Materials: Glass curtain walls, steel elements, wooden accents
-Circulation: Open & external pathways ensuring fluid public access

Sustainability & Integration:
-Passive ventilation strategies
-Planting
-Sustainable materials
-Adaptive reuse principles connecting to Darağaç’s industrial-artistic fabric

Designer: Yaren ESEN
Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Altuğ KASALI, Instructor Atahan TOPÇU, Res. Asst. Ece GÜLEÇ