Award-Winning Project in the Trabzon Culture and Art Center Competition
The design by Mod Architects and Demiröz & Koç Mimarlık was deemed worthy of a purchase award in the architectural project competition in Trabzon.
The project developed by the teams of Mod Architects and Demiröz & Koç Mimarlık for the Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality Culture and Art Center National Architectural Project Competition won a purchase award. The design aims to be an urban threshold integrating the historical walls and the Zağnos Valley with urban life.
Project Area and Urban Approach
The project area is positioned at the foot of the walls surrounding Trabzon's historical settlement core, on the opposite slope of the Zağnos Valley, and at a threshold where different textures intersect.
Rather than producing new public spaces, the design team aims to connect existing public focal points and treat the structure as a system that bridges the city and the valley.
Transportation and Welcoming Points
Two main entrances connecting pedestrians to the building are defined along Şehit Er Mustafa Mutlu Street. The north entrance connects directly to the theater, and the southeast entrance connects to the opera.
The upper-level view terrace, welcoming pedestrians coming from Yavuz Selim Boulevard, forms the initial contact ground that the building establishes with the city and opens up to a view overlooking the walls and the sea.
Building and Foyer Design
While the opera and theater masses are separated in a way that allows them to be operated simultaneously and independently, the foyers stepping down along the topography integrate the two programs and different entrance levels.
Two types of glass colors are used on the facades of the foyers facing the valley to achieve a lightweight, public, and outward-facing layer; thus, the building transforms into a luminous culture focal point at night.
Hall Acoustics and Technical Solutions
While the theater hall provides a hall volume of approximately 6.5 m³ per person for a 400-person capacity, a steeper and broken section strengthens speech intelligibility and stage-audience proximity.
In the opera hall, an oval geometry is preferred, allocating approximately 8.5 m³ of volume per person for a 450-person capacity, which supports the integration of orchestral and vocal sound.