A refurbishment of the Akmerkez shopping centre in Istanbul includes a 17m spiraling slide that allows shoppers to travel from the top to ground floor without the use of an escalator.
The Wepublic project, designed by London architect HMKM and Turkey’s GAD Architecture, aims to feel "as alive" as possible" and contains zones that can easily be "modified, transformed, dismantled and installed".
The firms said they "tried to destroy the usual rhythm and order with various curvilinear forms and to create the continuity and movement of the nodes through sequential detection".
The project is covered in bold bright colours and does not contain traditional column arrangements.
The main concept of the 8,000 square metre development, according to GAD, is to "transform a junk space into a kind of new space, to do an experimental field study while conducting a workshop".
The project is described as lying "between art and architecture".
Images via GAD Architecture
