The Istanbul TV and Radio Tower…

Written By Andre Malvolti

… and how it failed at conveying symbols of Ottoman elegance, sophistication and culture.

View of the Camlica Tower from the Bosphorus, Credits: Matti Blume

The Istanbul TV and Radio Tower is an infrastructure project that was completed in 2019 in Camlica, Istanbul, Turkey. It sits on the Asian side of Istanbul and is visible from the southern European side of the city as well as from most southern points of the Bosphorus strait. The Architects tasked with the construction were Melike Altinisik Architects (MAA) - a company founded by female Turkish architect Melike Altinisik - after winning the “Camlica Hill TV Radio Tower Idea Project” competition that was launched by Istanbul Municipality in 2011. The tower cost an estimated 121.7 million US dollars to be built. The attribution of the project to MAA has caused controversy amongst locals amid potential corruption practices that have been linked to the project and concerns over the little transparency that the project selection process presented.

MAA promotional video featuring Istanbul TV and Radio Tower

Considerations about the phallic nature of the design apart, the newly built tower follows an elongated, curved line, with floors varying in size built on a central concrete column. Seismic and geographical constraints had to be taken into account in the planning of the structure as it had to be designed in a way that would resist potential earthquakes and strong winds. The tower reaches 589 meters above sea level. It rises 369 meters above ground with a 203 meters high concrete core topped by a 145 meters tall antenna. Today, the tower serves mainly as a host for a particularly large TV and radio antenna that has replaced multiple smaller ones in the area of Istanbul.

The intention was also for the tower to serve as a tourist attraction that was projected to reach a yet to be seen 4.5 million visitors per year to its multiple cafes and observation decks after opening to the public. The concept for the form of this design was first inspired by the tulip, an Ottoman symbol that emerged in the early 18th century and that quickly became a symbol of the Ottoman culture, of its elites and of Istanbul. The design was also inspired by the Bosphorus strait that separates Istanbul into its European and Asian sides. In these regards, the central column that is anchored in a large concrete base represents the roots of a tulip, while the bricky curves that the tower displays represent its petals, and the positioning of panoramic elevators the Bosphorus strait…

The design works by stacking ellipse-shaped 4.5 meters high armoured concrete floors of different dimensions on top of each other and around the central structure.

Credits: Melike Altinisik Architects

Credits: Melike Altinisik Architects

Melike Altinisik, the lead architect, is a Turkish graduate of Istanbul Technical University (ITÜ) and of the Architectural Association in London, who after having worked for Zaha Hadid Architects for several years, now focuses on large scale projects with her partners at MAA. She describes her approach as sitting “where nature, architecture, and technology intersect each other’ and says that “the ultimate goal here is to create a dialogue between them”.

The influence of ZHA’s design language is visible in Altinisik’s work, especially when it comes to the frequent uses of curves. She is inspired and driven by the use of new technologies: in an interview where asked what she would create with unlimited resources and budget, she responded: “We would like to develop a responsive and lightweight material for the built environment. This way we could really achieve our ultimate goal to create the dialogue between nature and architecture with technology".

Press articles have criticised the new tower for its appearance, saying it only adds more concrete and another eyesore to a landscape of urbanisation that is already invading too much on the city's natural heritage. They have also criticised president Erdogan, who commissioned this project despite having been previously denounced for the excess of new constructions built in the city under his watch.

Credits: Sisecam Turkey

From what MAA have said in their project proposition, it is understood that the intention for this architectural design was to harness the Ottoman tulip symbol to create an organic form that would blend in its surroundings and become an emblem of the city. However, one could say that the medium chosen - a 400 meter tall concrete tower with a giant steel antenna - has failed at conveying a message that would typically require a more subtle and less imposing approach.

From a historical and urban point of view, one could also say that the new tower undermines Istanbul's existing historical landmark: it's distinct skyline that was up until today virtually solely drawn by Ottoman mosques and palaces, Byzantine churches and castles, and natural hills. In this regard, the tower could reasonably be considered an eyesore as it effectively draws the attention of locals and visitors away from the city's geographical and historical beauties and towards a piece of futuristic at best, monstrous at worst architecture that certainly doesn't combine seamlessly with its surroundings.

Aerial view of the Golden Horn. Credits: Istanbul Clues

If one thing is for sure, it is that the construction could certainly be considered as failing to deliver on an intended message of sophistication, as it directly and openly takes inspiration from symbols that it simply misses to represent in their fine complexity.

References

Andre Malvolti
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