The Turkish State Railways (TCDD) has completed construction of five innovative buildings designed by Erhan Vural Architecture + Urban Design, located in the historic Haydarpaşa Train Station area in Istanbul. The 6,104 square meter complex, photographed by Egemen Karakaya and completed in 2025, represents a unique dual-purpose architectural project that will initially serve as temporary offices before being transformed into public art galleries.
The five steel-framed buildings are strategically positioned over the traces of obsolete structures that had reached the end of their operational lifespan in the rear zone of Haydarpaşa Train Station. The architectural team, led by concept designer Erhan Vural, took great care to preserve the historical traces of the former structures during the design process. This sensitivity stems from the site's proximity to an important archaeological area that has been gradually excavated over many years, an area historically significant due to the presence of the ancient Kalkhedon Stream and Port within the Haydarpaşa grounds.
The project site's location creates a unique opportunity for cultural dialogue with Yeldeğirmeni, one of Kadıköy's most vibrant and cosmopolitan neighborhoods. Stretching along Orgeneral Şahap Gürler Street, the complex is positioned to establish meaningful connections with Yeldeğirmeni, which has recently evolved into a neighborhood characterized by culture, art, gastronomy, and creative production. This strategic positioning enhances the project's potential impact on the broader cultural landscape of the area.
Initially, the architectural team intended to rehabilitate and reuse the existing structures rather than construct new buildings. However, comprehensive structural assessments revealed that the former buildings, which had been erected with temporary structural systems to serve as warehouses and technical facilities, had suffered extensive damage over time due to corrosion and settlement. The deterioration made renovation impossible, necessitating the construction of new steel-framed buildings within the preserved footprints of the original structures.
The five buildings showcase a unified architectural language while differing in length according to their varying structural axes. Modular segments composed of different mass and material combinations are arranged side by side according to daylight requirements and interior spatial needs. A defining characteristic of all buildings is the corten steel entrance canopy, which thickens into a horizontal band running along the façade and continues up to the balconies, creating visual continuity and serving as a foundation for diverse material and texture compositions.
The façade design draws inspiration from the site's material memory, incorporating original textures, colors, and materials from the area's industrial heritage. The exterior surfaces feature a sophisticated palette including brick, textured plaster, corten steel, profilit (U-glass), expanded painted metal mesh, and titanium-zinc cladding. These materials, along with their color and texture variations, form distinct surface compositions separated by vertical joints along the long façades, creating a dynamic visual rhythm that reflects the site's industrial past.
The architectural team employed two distinct design approaches for the long front and rear façades. One façade features cantilevered balconies on the upper floor, vertical U-glass panels, solid brick and plaster surfaces, entrance canopies, and narrow, elongated windows that create a sense of verticality and lightness. The opposing façade showcases modular square windows framed with corten reveals on the ground floor, while the upper floor is characterized by operable micro-expanded painted metal mesh sun-shading panels that provide climate control and visual interest.
Structural steel cross-bracings are prominently placed on the first, middle, and last axes of each structure on both floors, originating from the logic of the structural system. Rather than concealing these structural elements, the design team deliberately left them exposed and used them as dominant architectural features within the façade composition, celebrating the industrial aesthetic that connects to the site's railway heritage.
The balconies that project outward from both the roof and façade serve multiple functions as sheltered semi-open areas for the upper floors, designed to function effectively in both office and gallery configurations. These balconies enhance interaction between opposite buildings and their users, reinforcing the sense of a campus environment. They also provide new vantage points from which visitors can observe artworks placed in the open areas, as well as the old suburban trains that have been removed for restoration and will later be exhibited on-site again.
Interior spaces are organized across a ground floor and mezzanine level to accommodate the temporary office function efficiently. The interiors consist of enclosed management offices built with lightweight and economical partition systems, complemented by open-plan co-working areas enriched with gallery-like spaces that provide flexibility and natural lighting. The design anticipates the future transformation: after serving as offices, the temporary partitions and suspended ceilings will be dismantled, transforming the interiors into unobstructed open-plan spaces ready to host art exhibitions.
The flexible design allows curators to either maintain the spaces as completely open areas or subdivide them according to specific exhibition concepts or artistic requirements. All electrical and mechanical systems have been designed with appropriate capacity and layout to support both functions seamlessly. Permanent service and technical areas, including restrooms and utility spaces, are designed as colorful "boxes" within the buildings, creating visual interest and functional clarity.
These color-coded boxes, each representing one of the five buildings, serve as symbolic orientation markers throughout the complex. This design strategy prevents spatial monotony while providing distinct visual identity to each structure, helping visitors navigate the campus and understand the relationship between different spaces. The TCDD Temporary Offices and Art Galleries project represents an innovative approach to adaptive architecture, demonstrating how buildings can be designed to serve multiple functions over time while respecting historical context and contributing to urban cultural development.
