© Superpool

A few weeks ago Superpool surprised me with one of the best library designs I have seen in a while: the Open Library in Istanbul. A small area, a rich public space.

But the office has also been working on two large scale residential projects in Turkey: Konya Residence and Dagos Tower (will be featured on a future article). Both projects propose innovative strategies in terms of dense housing. I´m eager to see how this projects develop and materialize in the future.

About the Konya Residence:
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© Iwan Baan

Architects: Superpool
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Project Team: Selva Gürdoğan, Gregers Tang Thomsen
Client: Platform Garanti
Collaborators: Quinze & Milan
Project Area: 260 sqm
Project year: 2008
Photographs: Iwan Baan

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The Turkey Pavilion unveiled its design this week and its theme “The Cradle of Civilization” was inspired by one of the first known settlements in the world, said Sencar Ozsoy, commissioner general of Turkey.

The main inspiration for the exterior of the 2,000-square-meter rented pavilion was also derived from settlements called “Catalhoyuk” in Turkish, which were the center of advanced culture in the Neolithic period.

The pavilion looks like an amazing red and beige box with an animal sculpture, inviting visitors to explore a maze of dreams. The first section of the pavilion will take visitors through a journey of time to learn about Turkey’s historical firsts. A map indicating the ancient sites of Turkey, the world’s first mirror and the world’s first man-built dam will be featured here. Istanbul’s infrastructure will also be introduced.

In the middle section, a 360-degree movie will display scenes from the streets of Istanbul to reflect the pride of the city as the European Capital of Culture. Visitors will then encounter the future in the final section, which is represented by a symbolic figure of the phoenix, a mythical bird which dies in flames and is reborn from the ashes, to embody aspirations for the future. read more »

Internationally recognized practice RMJM Architects have recently announced their groundbreaking $1 billon mixed-use complex for the Atasehir district, the growing residential and business area of Istanbul, Turkey.  RMJM’s complex will allow the new business center to flourish by serving 20,000 people and providing for a variety of their needs. The project will be revolutionary for Turkey as it will become the country’s first LEED-certified mixed-use development upon its 2011 completion date.

More images and more about the complex after the break. read more »

Another building-related fail. We should make this a series.

We shared Aboutblank‘s honorable mention housing project for the Istanbul Kayabasi Housing Design Competition earlier, yet the firm was also awarded first prize for their second design scheme.  Aboutblank created “a non-centralized rhizomatic urban tissue” that promotes interaction between users by providing large green areas running the length of the building complex.

More about the housing project after the break. read more »

Turkey based Aboutblank Architects have been awarded an honorable mention for their housing project for the Istanbul Kayabasi Housing Design Competition.  The young firm focuses on urban design approaches, while working on a multidisciplinary level.

More about the housing project after the break. read more »

International architectural company RMJM has designed, on behalf of developer Őzkar Construction Co., a new luxury hotel that will help “green” the Sogutozu district of Ankara, the capital city of Turkey.

Located on a 14,000 square-meter site, the luxurious 24-story J. W. Marriott Hotel devotes the first four floors to spacious ballrooms, meeting facilities, restaurants and shops in a sky-lit galleria, with guest rooms starting on the fifth floor. The plan also includes an underground parking garage.

The hotel, which will be completed on October 2010, will bring innovative sustainable design to Ankara and will include a unique design of vertical stone fins that will act as solar shading devices on the east and west facades. The glass curtain wall uses environmentally friendly materials such as high-performing, low-e coating and tinting that contributes to the reduced solar heat gain. Plentiful bamboo trees and vegetation will be included in the landscape to offer additional shading at the site.

More images after the break. read more »

Architects: FOA Foreign Office Architects, Farshid Moussavi and Alejandro Zaera-Polo
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Collaborators: Friedrich Ludewig, Kenichi Matzusawa, Chris Yoo; Schemes, Detail Design: Friedrich Ludewig, Christian Wittmeir, Samina Azhar, Andrei Gheorghe, Emory Smith, Ebru Simsek, Eduarda Lima
Client: Metro Group AG
Constrution year: 2007
Constructed Area: 55.000 sqm
Budget: 34 M EURO ( US $53,37 M)
Photographs: Cristóbal Palma, Friedrick Ludewig

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