The project is a cafeteria and co-working space which is designed for Middle East Technical University. The purpose is to create a high-quality platform for the possibility of interaction, collective and collaborative working amongst the students and academicians. Given that the site location of the project is in close proximity to the research development areas of the university, the building is imagined to become an incubator and support the activities of researchers. The primary design issues stem from the wish to integrate nature into architecture through passive and active systems and variety of architectural elements.
The cafeteria and co-working space are separated by a plaza which defines the entrances of the two buildings, creates a connection between different levels of the site. With appropriate dimensions it turns into a plaza that can accommodate variety of events.
The idea of integrating nature represents itself architecturally in the form of greenhouses and courtyards that penetrate into the two volumes and blurs the distinction between inside and outside. As one of the most important aspects of the project, these transparent boxes allow as much natural light as possible in, aiming to illuminate all the workspaces instead of illuminating the ones next to the windows and leaving the rest for artificial lighting. Transparency in the horizontal direction enables a continuous visual relationship, unites the masses in a way despite their physical separation.
The skala of the different co-working and cafeteria locations arise through a rhythm. The ever-growing rhythm adapts to the ground dimensions and these dimensions are defined by locating the greenhouses and courtyards. The variety in dimensions of the working spaces enables the opportunity of individual working and co-working varying from single, duo, trio and quatro working environments to flexible working environments which works together with a cafeteria.