The project is built at the Main Campus of Bilkent University, immediately behind the Presidency and Main Library buildings, at a site with panoramic Ankara views over a valley. Two temporary canteen structures occupied the site prior to construction. The project brief required disassembly of one of these buildings to make way for Marmara Restaurant, a multi faceted high capacity environment to function as a regular cafeteria on one floor, and an a la carte restaurant with independent study spaces on the other, to be built over a short period of time.
Due to this time restriction, a composite structure was preferred in which the entire basement and all of the vertical structural elements were cast in concrete, while the first floor deck and the roof being made from steel elements.
This decision was also influenced by the eave level restriction, for which a slender and exposed pitched roof structure was able to offer a more spacious environment on the upper floor. The roof therefore becomes a defining element for the entire building, due to its distinctive plan geometry following the legal boundaries of the site as it adapts to the typical building cross section. Building façades have different treatments on two sides. Finished with massive travertine claddings on the square facing the Presidency and Library, the building is articulated on the other side with glass boxes subtly cascading out from the main façade into the valley.
