Melike Altınışık Architects' 369-metre-high Çamlıca TV and Radio Tower has almost completed in Istanbul, with only the engineered facade left to install.

Construction began on the supertall telecommunications tower in 2016, and is due to finish later this year. When finished, it will be the highest structure above sea level in the city.

With staggered, elliptical levels near the top, the tower's geometry is designed to change from different perspectives across Turkey's biggest city.

As well as being a key piece of infrastructure for Turkey's ministry for transport and communications, the structure will host a series of visitor attractions.

The top 13 levels will house observation decks and a restaurant offering 360-degree views over the city, which sits on the border of Europe and Asia.

The observation decks will sit at 148 and 153 metres, while the restaurant will host diners at 180 and 175 metres in the air.

A panoramic lift will transport the expected 4.5 million visitors a year up the tower, which will also have a library and exhibition spaces situated in its base.

When complete, the Çamlıca TV and Radio Tower will have capacity for 125 broadcasting transmitters.

Levels of the tower have been lifted up in phases and attached to the concrete core.

Four of the eight construction phases are now done, with the final four phases to lift up the 130-metre facade scheduled to complete by autumn 2019.

Melike Altınışık Architects is based in Istanbul. The studio has also recently revealed plans for a museum in Seoul that will be built using robots, including 3D-printed concrete machines and drones.

Photography is by Naaro.

Project credits:

Architect: Melike Altınışık Architects
Project director: Melike Altınışık
Project design team: Melike Altınışık in collaboration with Daniel Widrig
Project architects: Özge Çağlayan, Tuğba Okçuoğlu, Ayça Yontarım
Project team: Melih Altınışık, Tan Akıncı, Begüm Aktaş, İrem Coşkun, Gül Ertekin, Büşra Güler, Çiğdem Nur Kebapçı, Selçuk Kişmir, Thomas Kleinow, Samed Tezgah, Ahmet Ünveren
Architectural assistants: Ali Arslan, Yunus Emre Demirkıran, Zoe Georgio, Mazyvdas Samuolis, Beste Sensöz,
Structural engineer: Balkar
Structural peer review: Thorton Tomasetti
Telecommunication engineer: ABE Teknoloji
Electrical engineer: HB Teknik
Mechanical engineer: Çilingiroğlu
Wind engineer: RWDI
Facade engineer: Newtecnic
Landscape architect: DS Landscape
Fire strategy consultant: Etik
Vertical circulation consultant: 3TEK
Acoustic consultant: Pro-Plan
Lighting design consultant: Realities United, Darklighting
Way-finding design consultant: POMPAA
Quantity survey and fee estimation: Entegre Project Management
Client: UDHB – Ministry of Transportation and Communication