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The industrial areas once embraced for playing the leading role in the develeopment of cities and providing the people with the very means of survival, are seen after a while as rusty heaps of junk to be cleared away and dirty areas to be wiped out. Reflecting the rest of the world, Istanbul is also undergoing a similar transformation: low-storey industrial areas where small and middle scale production is carried out have now become objects of desire for “luxury residences” and shopping centres. Ateliers and workshops are pushed towards organized industrial areas outside the city. Small enterp

Curated by Maurizio Bortolotti the Haliç Center is on display at the main hall of the Galata Greek School as a special project within Adhocracy Exhibition and as homage to Yona Friedman, from whose work the exhibition draws inspiration. Friedman’s first installation for the city of Istanbul, the Haliç Center, inscribes itself in Friedman’s general understanding of mega cities as knots of communication inside continents, beyond 19th century concepts of national identities and boundaries. Since Friedman’s work is inextricably linked to communication, the Haliç Center has been conceived as a plat

Taksim Square in Istanbul neither has the shape of square nor it really reflects the classic urban squares defined by the western urbanism terminologies. However, we like to call this node of roads as a ‘square’ maybe because of our longing for a designed real public space. The most ‘public’ moments of this space maybe experienced during the protest gatherings. Actually this irregularly shaped junction has always been a space of conflicts; cars, pedestrians, minority communities, shop owners, tourists, police, municipalities or the central government has been performing on this stage for years

After a two-hour drive to the  West of Istanbul, two smiling security guards welcome us at the gate of the Ipekyol Textile Factory. As we’re waved through, it’s apparent that there is not a single mark or logo to identify this vast, glass-fronted building. Even the flag pole, positioned in front, sports the Turkish flag rather than the insignia of Ipekyol – one of Turkey’s biggest fashion design houses. This humble entrance sets a strikingly austere yet dignified tone from the outset. Designed by Emre Arolat Architects (EAA) in 2004 , the factory has just been shortlisted for this year’s Aga K

It’s hard to evaluate a city in which you have resided for years. You get too accustomed to every detail that makes it beautiful as well as evil. As a resident of this huge organic mechanism, you know which things don’t work well but you are also aware that it has its own characteristic features that make it unique and interesting, almost personifying it. A member of the global megacities league, Istanbul is counted as one of the major business, transportation, cultural and tourist hubs in Europe as well as the Middle East. Like any megacity, its exact population cannot be determined; even the

Şevin Yıldız: First of all, I would like to specially ask you about masterplans. As an urban planner do you think that masterplans are still valid in this century where everything is changing so rapidly, so unexpectedly? In our country, we, as architects and planners, have a little bit of a suspicion towards masterplans because it takes too much time to do it and afterwards it looses its validity. And, as a tool mostly we can not use it very effectively, so I would like to ask you your approach upon this subject? Kees Christiaanse: We love to make masterplans exactly, because of the reasons th

“Cyprus” may be one of the few words that we hear so much in the negotiation process between Turkey of European Union. Even though the island became one of the most important political disputes between EU, Turkey and Greece, life continues on both sides of the island. The northern Cyprus has been known to be famous with its casinos and a sleeping potential of tourism by the people living in Turkey. Usually Turkish people disapprove the local people of northern Cyprus of not developing a self relying economy on their own resources. However, Turkish Government still continues to support the nort

Last November, Han Tumertekin’s elegant but exceptionally simple design for a small summerhouse in Turkey with a total area of 150m2 had shared 500.000 USD award together with other six projects from all over the world. One of the other recipients was the world’s second highest building, the Petronas Towers of Cesar Pelli. What kind of an architectural award this might be, which can honor a tiny summerhouse with one of the biggest buildings in the world? Aga Khan, a true lover of architecture, presented his own foundations’ architectural awards to seven projects in a spectacular ceremony organ