GREY GROUNDSCRAPER
The headquarters of the Doğan Media Group is located in İstanbul but to ensure prompt delivery of the company’s two popular daily newspapers, Hürriyet and Milliyet, they are printed in and distributed from a number of strategic locations in Turkey. The Doğan Printing Center in İzmir is, like its counterparts in İstanbul and Ankara, a large industrial ‘groundscraper’ that is organized around a 100 meters long by 16,5 meters wide linear print hall accommodating the state of the art printing press. The İzmir complex is strategically located on the outskirts of the city alongside a major highway and close to the airport. The simple geometry of the building arises from the superimposition of a production flow diagram upon a rational structural grid, resulting in two large rectangular ‘sheds’, accommodating the pre-print and post-print activities, flanking the print hall. The form is also determined by the requirement for large flat floorplates and vehicle maneuvering space. Between the print hall and the post-print block is a ‘breakout’ space in the form of rooftop garden. The linear space has a wooden deck and palm trees accessed from the staff dining room and administrative offices. The strong horizontal emphasis in the architectural form expresses the function of the Printing Center. The materials, mainly monochrome insulated metal panels, fair faced concrete blockwork and high level horizontal glazing, without superfluous embellishment, are similarly expressive of the building’s purpose.
