Düzce University - Botanical Garden

The resulting circulation system links paths that run largely parallel to the slope through ramps and stairways, creating a connection between the different ground levels that is both gradual and continuous.

The valley's steepness is thus no longer read as an obstacle, but used as a spatial instrument that draws visitors into the landscape step by step and structures how they experience the garden.

 

The parcels defined by the circulation system were organised, according to the site's varying exposure and microclimatic conditions, into fourteen thematic units. Areas such as a rock garden, an arboretum, a collection of plant species endemic to the Düzce region, and zones for vegetation along wet stream corridors were each developed as distinct units with their own ecological and aesthetic character.

At the same time, the continuous path system allows these individual areas to be read as parts of one connected spatial and landscape system.



Model Making and Design Development

Developing the design required a three-dimensional engagement with the topography and was supported by physical model studies at different scales, through which the relationships between the various ground levels and the proposed parcelling were continuously tested and refined.

A series of models produced over the course of the design process were used to continuously review and clarify the relationship between the existing site conditions and the proposed interventions.

Following completion, a comprehensive presentation model was produced, showing the site's topography and the principal design decisions. The model remains on display today in the entrance hall of the university's rectorate building.

Planting System

The planting structure forms the scientific framework of the project. The collection comprises 438 species, selected for form, texture, colour and seasonal effect, complemented by areas for the ex-situ conservation of 71 taxa endemic to the region.

The seasonally shifting phases of flowering, leaf fall and growth mean the garden does not read as a static composition, but as a continuously changing landscape whose spatial character develops anew throughout the year.

Built Programme

The built programme complements the planting system through a series of interventions that support both the garden's scientific function and the visitor experience. A biotope pond, timber-and-steel bridges, an open-air amphitheatre, a nature museum and a cafeteria are distributed at different points across the valley, opening the site to both scientific and everyday use.

Project Output and Interaction

Shortly after completion, the project was admitted to the international network of the BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International), gaining recognition at international level. Düzce University's botanical garden thereby became one of twelve botanical gardens in Turkey represented within this network, and one of six university gardens in the country.

Today, Düzce University's botanical garden continues as a living landscape system. It strengthens the connection between the university campus and the city, while remaining a continuously evolving space that allows for growth, ecological succession and transformation over time.

Project: Pozitif Mimari Tasarım, Ankara

* An academic case study on the transformation of this valley into a botanical garden has also been published: Yerli, Ö., Eroğlu, E., Kaya, S. (2019), International Refereed Journal of Design and Architecture, Issue 16, DOI: 10.17365/TMD.2019.1.1.