Occupying an exceptional site at the heart of Istanbul’s new central business district, the Kristalkule complex integrates diverse components while engaging two very different urban contexts.
When the emblematic Kristalkule tower also designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners was purchased by Finansbank late in construction, the acquisition was both an opportunity and a challenge for the architects.
Alper Derinboğaz’s adaptive re-use project brings life back to one of Istiklal Street’s original arcade buildings, the Fitaş Passage. The existing mid 60’s building holds a significant place in collective memory due to the cultural activities it has accommodated over time. Paying homage to this while revitalizing the building’s relationship to the public, the first phase delivers the new façade onto Istiklal Street.
The project is a cafeteria and co-working space which is designed for Middle East Technical University within the large campus area in Ankara, Turkey. The purpose is to create a high-quality platform for the possibility of interaction, collective and collaborative working amongst the students and academicians. Given that the site location of the project is in close proximity to the research development areas of the university, the building is imagined to become an incubator and support the activities of researchers. By working for 24 hours, the co-working space offers a different ground for the campus rather than another institution. The primary design issues stem from the wish to integrate nature into architecture through passive and active systems and variety of architectural elements.
Office tower is located in Istanbul, the renewed part of city center. With reference to the elevation and figures of existing environment and topography, compartments on top of each other form the 16-storey building in order to create flexible office spaces differing in height, size and plan. The flexible and well-planned, well lit, spacious spaces of the commercial building supports the working order, organization and energizes it.
The base of the construction is defined by the slope born out of topography; first layer of the construction refers to the walls of the neighboring elderly house from late 19th century, the height of the first compartment befits the elevation of the elderly house; the compartment above respects the adjacent masses in stature; and very top compartment raises to gain a cityscape catching the views of Bosporus.
Cankaya Municipality Sports and Culture Complex, which continues its tender preparations in Karapınar District of Ankara, was designed by AURA Design Studio. The complex, which includes many functions for the social needs of the region such as indoor swimming pool, gymnasiums, library, family health center, plays an important public role between the valley and the dense residential area.
AURA Design Studio, which has many award-winning projects in different typologies in the fields of architecture, city planning, and landscape architecture, has designed Cankaya Municipality Sports and Culture Center. Cankaya Municipality Sports and Culture Center is located close to the Karapınar Valley which is recreation works in progress, dominating the valley and detectable from the Konya Road. The Project is still in the province of Karapınar District in Ankara, has an indoor pool, sports center, library, workshops, multi-purpose hall and family health center. It aims to assume the role of an important public complex between the valley and dense residential area, accommodating many public functions.
US-based consulting firm AT Kearney’s office in Turkey Levent Nida Tower was designed and built by Iglo Architects. AT Kearney provides consultancy services to corporate companies with its offices in various countries. They wanted to host their clients in a stylish and well designed interior; while offering a modern, flexible and creativity booming environment for its young employees.The Dynamic working style due to the short-term rotations of the staff and managers in different offices of the company, required an easily adaptable and variable working environment.
Petrol Ofisi, leading fuel distribution company in Turkey, relied on Lagranja Design for the design of their new headquarters in Istanbul, placed in a mixed-use complex in the Asian side of the Bosphorus. Lagranja Design had many factors to consider; namely timelessness, well-being for the company’s employees, and optimal organization of over 10,000 square meters of office space.
Gökçeada High School Campus consists of a high school, a vocational school, a dormitory, a sports center, a conference hall, and a library. The campus is situated on Gökçeada Island in Aegean Sea. PAB Architects won the architectural competition in 2014 and the realized design is in use by 2019. The design of the campus proposes an alternative, innovative and participatory learning environment which puts the student in a central role.
Via Green, which is located at Eskisehir Road, one of the busiest boulevards of Ankara, is aimed to be different with its spatial organization, site settlement and the design decisions on the mass.