In a little over a year, the former EXPO 2016 grounds in Antalya have been transformed into the venue of COP31. As the conference approaches, SP Architects looks back on the design of a place built for two weeks of negotiations and for the years that follow.
From 9 to 20 November 2026, national delegations, negotiators, civil society and the public will gather in Antalya for COP31, the 31st UN Climate Change Conference. The venue that will host them has been designed by SP Architects, working for the past year from a design office established on site, in close coordination with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, the UNFCCC, local authorities and contractors.
The starting point was the grounds originally built for EXPO 2016. Rather than building from scratch, the project set out to make the most of what already existed: existing structures were renovated and adapted, and new permanent and temporary additions were designed only where they were needed. Modular and reusable components were used wherever possible, so that what is built for the conference can be dismantled, reused or kept.
A COP brings together two very different worlds on a single site: the Blue Zone, managed by the UNFCCC, where negotiations take place, and the Green Zone, open to the public. Accommodating both called for careful planning at the scale of the entire grounds, from the flows of tens of thousands of participants and the thresholds between secure and public areas to the shared spaces where people meet between sessions.
Working on site made it possible to shorten the distance between design and construction. Decisions could be taken where they would be built, problems resolved as they arose, and the requirements of many partners aligned under a fixed and unforgiving timeline.
From the outset, the project was approached as a long-term investment for Antalya. Once the conference ends, the grounds will remain in use for fairs, concerts and events, carrying the legacy of COP31 into the everyday life of the city.
“A climate conference is, in the end, a place where people meet. Our task was to make that place work for two weeks, and for the years that follow.”
— Sabri Paşayiğit, Founding Partner, SP Architects
During COP31, SP Architects will be in the Green Zone. The full programme of sessions and events the practice will take part in will be announced soon.
SP Architects is Türkiye’s largest architecture and master planning practice. With more than 220 people across offices in Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir and Baku, the practice works at every scale, from a single home to districts and entire cities, across Türkiye, the Middle East and Central Asia.
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