Zorlu Center is a multiple-use complex in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey containing an upscale shopping mall, a five-star Raffles hotel and a Cinemaximum megaplex, as well as residences and offices. It is home to Zorlu PSM, the largest performing arts center in the country, as well as the country’s first Apple Store.[1]
Built in 2013 to a design by Emre Arolat Architects and Tabanlıoğlu Architects, the center is situated at the junction of the European connection of the Bosphorus Bridge with Barbaros Boulevard, which proceeds to the north as Büyükdere Avenue in Levent and Maslak.
History
At a public auction in 2007, Zorlu Real Estate, a subsidiary of Zorlu Holding, submitted the highest bid (US$800 million) to purchase the land at the junction of O-1 – the European connection of the Bosphorus Bridge, and Büyükdere Avenue.[2] It subsequently announced the « Zorlu Center Architecture and Urban Design Competition » for concept and design proposals. Over 100 firms applied and 13 were selected to take part in the competition with Tabanlıoğlu Architects and Emre Arolat Architects submitting the winning proposal.[3] A Vision in Architecture: Projects for the Istanbul Zorlu Center (2012) by Süha Özkan documents the design competition.[4] Construction of the project was completed in 2013.
