The lavish residence drew widespread protest from the public throughout its construction as the population became increasingly impoverished, a phenomenon often blamed on the administration for their mismanagement of resources. Most recently First Lady Emine Erdoğan advised the public to shrink their food portions to combat hunger in the country.

The construction is thought to have been built on about 90,000 square-meters of land and the campus also includes housing for staff.

The residence includes a large swimming pool alongside small bungalows on the beach with private access to the sea. 

Aerial views of the residence also revealed the mass deforestation caused by the construction, a common characteristic of most building projects of the state, as the house was a significant expansion on former President Turgut Özal's summer house that it replaced.