Uludağ National Park

 

Uludağ National Park was declared in 1961 and gradually, the park area expanded and has reached its current 27.300 hectares. Access to the national park is possible with three different means: highways, aerial cable cars and chairlift. In addition to these, many hiking tracks exist throughout the park, especially on the valley bottoms and in the north-south slopes. The most heavily used transportation system is the aerial cable car stretching from Bursa city center to the Uludağ National Park.

 

With its extraordinarily rich flora and fauna, Uludağ is one of the most important natural reserves of Turkey. Almost all of the project area is included within a first-degree natural protection zone, with only the hotel area registered as second-degree protection zone. One of the most significant landscape characteristics of Uludağ is its extraordinarily rich flora due to its forest status. In sequence, the forest zones are: Lauretum (Laurel, Redwood, Cyprus Oak, Plane, Olive, Judas, Chestnut, Linden, Maple, Cherry Laurel, Ash); Castaneum (Chestnut, Beech, Elm, Hazelnut, Walnut, Oak, Oriental Beech, Aspen, Black Pine, Linden, Maple, Cherry Laurel); Pinatum (Black Pine, Oak, Beech, Oriental Beech, Aspen, Hazelnut, Dogwood); Fagetum (Oriental Beech, Beech, Aspen, Mountain Ash, Black Pine, Fir); Abietum (Fir, Oriental Beech, Black Pine, Aspen, Bearberry); Alpinietum (Dwarf Juniper sp., annual plants and licens).

 

The open areas in the hotel zone are currently used only as haphazard car parking spots. The traffic system throughout this region is re-evaluated and new organizations and pedestrianization are offered within the context of the local street culture, based on the solid-void relationships and the settlement pattern richness in the area. New solutions are formed to intake the traces of life constituting in the façades overlooking the ski tracks into the streets. The intersection of the east-bound and north-bound streets is designed as an urban square, which will function as a gathering, meeting and entertainment area with the torch statues it contains.

 

Special rock formations unique to Uludağ, called ‘Torr’, have been sources of inspiration for both architectural and landscape design. The most important landmark of the 1^st  development zone is the Entertainment Center nicknamed ‘TORR’. The 2^nd development zone has been through a more planned development process with especially the transportation network and parking lot locations being solved throughout the area. Within this context, a vehicular road dissecting the area into two is designed, with broad pedestrian pavements on both sides, sitting and dining areas on the street, as well as shops. The upper floors of these structures will be used as motels and boutique hotels. Miscellaneous athletic events will be held in the sports area (ice skating, ice hockey, curling, soccer, basketball, artificial ski tracks, sleigh and lawn sleigh areas, para sports, etc.). This area is a strong candidate for becoming the focal point of the area both day and night.