Green Elements
Design · Architecture · Golden Horn, Istanbul
Recycling Workshop · 1,400 m²
From waterfront waste to a visible production cycle.
Green Elements is a 1,400 m² recycling workshop proposal for the space beneath a bridge on Istanbul’s Golden Horn. Pollution caused by glass bottles thrown into the water provides its starting point. The design responds with a shared process of collecting, learning and remaking.
The Journey Of Glass
In the proposed scenario, participants attend seminars before diving to recover glass waste. Crushing, pneumatic transfer and remelting become a production cycle that can be followed through the building. Recovering furnace heat for the greenhouses and filtering exhaust air form part of this scenario. Exposed transfer pipes make the process legible within the architecture.
Four Elements, One Shared Centre
A central stair connects the greenhouse, exhibitions, café, seminar spaces, common areas, diving facilities and workspaces. Earth, air, water and fire find spatial counterparts in the greenhouse, spaces exhibiting life, diving and glass furnaces.
The bridge’s rhythm and perspective inform the building’s placement and structure. Steel trusses support cantilevered areas, while glass and timber elements maintain a relationship with the waterfront. Circulation between planting, shore and production aims to make recycling visible in everyday urban life.