Sky Gardens Residences Concept Video

This project was developed for a 52,000 m² site located in the Ergenekon Neighborhood of Karabük, commissioned by three housing cooperatives representing nearly 200 members. The proposal was prepared as a preliminary architectural and urban concept to be presented to the municipality for redevelopment approval. The core ambition of the project was not merely to introduce higher-density housing, but to redefine how collective living could contribute to both social continuity and the urban silhouette of the city. In response to the cooperatives’ request for taller buildings, the design embraced vertical development (7–12 stories) as a strategy to liberate ground space for landscape and social interaction. Rather than allowing density to translate into congestion, concentrating the building mass vertically freed a substantial portion of the site for green and recreational areas — transforming open space into the primary architectural element of the settlement. Residential blocks were positioned along the site perimeter, forming a generous internal courtyard functioning as a communal heart. This central void was conceived as a contemporary interpretation of traditional neighborhood culture — a space where residents could gather, interact, and sustain the social habits rooted in their past cooperative housing experience. The commercial zone was designed as a two-story pedestrian marketplace inspired by local bazaar typologies. Rather than isolating retail functions, it was integrated into the circulation network through gently sloped pedestrian connections linking the upper main road to the residential core. This strategy aimed to activate daily life through continuous movement and interaction while isolating noise-generating functions from residential areas. Beyond architectural aesthetics, the project sought to introduce a new urban awareness in Karabük — demonstrating that density, green infrastructure, commercial vitality, and community culture can coexist. By prioritizing human-scale interaction, landscape continuity, and balanced skyline articulation, the proposal reimagines this district not as a housing project, but as a socially sustainable urban fragment.