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Replacing the current dystopian Esenler Bus Terminal of Istanbul is a very difficult task.  Esenler has become yet another symbol of the failure of modernist architecture to transform society.  The project site became a haven for criminal activity.

The city decided to move the existing facility from the European side to the Asian side of Istanbul.   The new project site in Kurtköy, is at the threshold of the city and nature.   It is separated from the outer edge of the city by the Trans-European Motorway.  The site is connected to the southern tip of Ömerli Water Basin, one of the major drinking water reservoirs of Greater Metropolis Istanbul. 

Reservoirs’ dendritic form was the inspiration for the new Istanbul Kurtköy Bus Terminal.  The form and the scale of the terminal are closely correlated with the width and length of each bus stand.  Here the scale of a bus and its passenger accessibility dominate the design parameters.  Each unit is connected to form a ribbon of 180 bus stand, is then folded in the dendritic shape of the Reservoir to fit in a relatively small site. The form also allows the passengers with the quickest access to each bus stand.   A new dialogue between machine and nature is aspired to be achieved.

As water is a sign of life, the new terminal near the reservoir will symbolize a new beginning and vitality for the city of Istanbul.