İpera 25 / Alataş Architecture & Consulting

Architects: Alataş Architecture & Consulting
Location: Galata, İstanbul, Turkey
Design Team: Ahmet Alataş, Emre Açar
Architectural Group: Özge Güngör Ülüğ, Dilan Yüksel, Emir Elmaslar, Gabriella Colacicco
Area: 1,100 sqm
Year: 2011
Photographs: Gürkan Akay, Ahmet Alataş, Ali Bekman

Located in the historic and protected district of Istanbul’s Galata, Ipera is a 10 flat building that goes beyond the conventional codes of the area.

Respecting the current architectural fabric, infrastructure, natural conditions, climate and sun movements, and developing socio-economic conditions of the area, the project prepared by the architect Ahmet Alataş for the 1000 m2 large building is built around a design that uses today’s technology to offer new solutions to respond to well-known architectural problems.

To describe it simply, the building is constructed around two blind walls made of fine concrete and a glass façade and wooden shell that cover the fully transparent living quarters.

Perceived as a giant blind façade from an angle, the wooden surface can be seen as a tulle curtain that filters the light and works as an element that controls the sunlight .

The building is made of fine reinforced concrete built around steel an concrete elements that are used in a composite manner.