EMRE AROLAT ARCHITECT
ISTANBUL ANTREPO 5 MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
EMRE
AROLAT ARCHITECT
ISTANBUL ANTREPO 5 MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY
ART
Istanbul, Turkey
Transformation of an existing antrepot building into a
contemporary art museum is a progressive step for going public of the customs
port area in Karaköy which has been a segregated area in the heart of İstanbul
with no public access since its construction in 1960.
The structural grid exposed outside the facade has
been the most prominent element of the antrepot buildings in urban
memory. When transforming the antrepot building into a museum, the reinforced
concrete structure is kept as it is, while the walls and slabs are removed in
order to obtain a 3D, naked structural grid which will house the ‘containers’
of the new museum. Directed by a curatorial approach, the art objects are to be
categorised and collected inside these containers. Overhanging outside the grid
in a lively manner, the containers are linked with a network of ramps and
bridges. Visitors are going to circulate on this route, having glimpses on the
Istanbul view provided by the transparent facade outside the structure.
B
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
EMRE AROLAT’S PHILOSOPHY
Using two quite disjunct channels, architecture and
its product, the building, occurred more frequently than before in the
entrepreneurial and madcap urban environments of post-1980. The building either
became, directly as its very self, an effective medium for the politics of the
day, or, within the trend mechanisms of the day, it occupied the environment
through the visual values that took shape with it. It can easily be claimed
that during this period, the latter lagged in comparison with the former, both
because it was much flimsier, and as a quite naïve channel when compared with
the pragmatic realities of the former.
This new environment outside of the world of
architecture also put the architects who produced those buildings on the
agenda, in a way never experienced until then. After that, certain buildings
ceased to be talked about exclusively within that world, a fact which for years
had grieved the world of architecture. And what’s more, certain buildings or
projects were now being mentioned not in conjunction with their investors’ or
contractors’ names, as was always the complaint, but in conjunction with their
architects’ name. And today, we can finally speak of an amateur audience other
than architects. This group problematizes not only the quantitative inputs to
which it has direct access, but even the design motivations that determine the
success of the project. In fact, it reasons, dissects and comments in a way
that shows so much initiative that this time it angers the world of
architecture.
Today, apart from, or maybe even opposed to the fact
that the architect is valued outside of the architectural world, and that
he/she is glorified with such exaggeration that even the architects themselves
are taken aback, there might also be a danger of being trivialized by the world
outside to the degree that he/she is unable to expand and enrich his/her own
inner world. It will be interesting to think of this opposition together with
the fact that certain milieus of the modern world, both within and outside the
profession, somehow manage to approach each other, blend, and gradually become
homogenized. However, another subject that rates a lengthy discussion is how
the architectural environment has lately been finding it difficult to
re-produce itself, and to what degree it faces the danger of gradually becoming
stunted. In an environment where the number of those whose sole motivation is
to protect their status and those who are quite content with both themselves
and the world is increasing at an astonishing rate; this discussion may also
trigger a debate on how and at what rate architecture can become socialized.
And it is obvious that this shallow and introverted situation is not peculiar
only to Turkey…
In our studio, where we produce many different subjects and
on many different scales, we aim to maintain an architectural design practice
focused on “situation” and to develop this through the potentials inherent to
it. This is a practice based on identifying the individual problems of each
project, of each special situation, distinguishing their particular inputs, and
looking for answers to the situation that has now become specific through a
description that is as stratified as possible. Familiar styles, motivations of
architectural movements, and design conventions are introduced at times,
however, a noteworthy investment in these are put off each time. This tendency
also problematizes a sort of aspiration to be consistent, which is
rather widespread in the milieu and which pins its hopes on the kinship in the
appearance of buildings produced. For instance, a design might loosen the
specific parameters of the situation faced in each project, and determine its
entire motive, while practically ignoring, so as to achieve a building that is
as plain, spare and purified as possible; we do not strictly distinguish the
unconditional choice of such a design from that which chooses, as a general
attitude, to be expressionistic or polyphonic from the outset. We believe that
the situation of “being chosen in a mechanical way”, which is the fundamental
characteristic of the seemingly antipodal two attitudes, uproots them both from
the real world and renders them no different from one another.
And we hope that our design tendency, which could be
called a sort of “tropism”, will be able to reach the marks of its
inherent consistency – if there is such a thing – through the “quest for
awareness” in the process of redefining each time what is to be conceived.
However, we must add right away that this quest does not aim for a “perfect”
kind of consistency that healthy, adult and civilized human beings supposedly
have. We might even say that the attitude in question is one that senses that
such consistency can never be achieved and that once it starts to grasp the
world in this way, it considers it important to understand and take seriously
the nonconformities of that world. This is an attitude in which the creative
subjects – the persons in charge of the design –, just like the product they
create, feel that they themselves are not entirely free of these
nonconformities, in which they question each time both the situation and
themselves instead of forming consistent systems, instead of playing it safe,
and contenting themselves with what suits their best interest.
We feel that the design process acquires an appeal
that is open to a gradual deepening through the individualities of the subject
who conditions it and through the fantasy it will rediscover in
itself. At this point it can be claimed that the phenomenon we consider important
and which we expect will take its place in the process alongside awareness is
“consciousness”. “Consciousness” forces the multilayered and two-edged game,
which occupies the zone between matter and the intellect, to fit somewhere
within the framework of passion, intuition, knowledge and breeding. The moment
it is introduced, it begins to condition the work and thanks to it
the potentials created by the fact that it is possible to continue to work on
the piece forever are abandoned at one go but just at the right time and in
moderation. Consciousness turns the work into a project while reminding us of
the presence of incompleteness and two-edgedness and the futility of the quest
for maturity.
http://www.emrearolat.com/about/philosophy/
EMRE AROLAT STUDIO
EAA - Emre Arolat Architecture was founded in May 2004 by Emre
Arolat and Gonca Paşolar in Istanbul, as the continuation of Emre Arolat’s
architectural practices which he started at his parents’ office, Arolat
Architects, as an associate designer in 1987. Since its establishment, EAA has
turned out to be one of the largest architectural offices in Turkey with a team
of more than 50 people, with the reintegration of Şaziment and Neşet Arolat as
partners. The firm continues its practice at the offices in İstanbul and London
with projects that range from mixed-use buildings occupying millions of square
meters, to a small place of worship counting only five hundred square meters.
EAA has taken place
in many prestigious and important national and international projects.
Cooperation with worldwide known engineering and consultancy firms has
extensively been performed, which is being carried out by means of several
computer programming of the latest technology. The projects are being developed
completely in three dimensional models, from concept design to the details in
depth, which is also valid for coordination with engineering systems. Design is
pursued till the smallest detail, comprehensively elaborated, solved and drawn.
Further than the power of design, the amount and quality of detailing, and
supportive supervision in all stages of construction has gained special
exclusivity to EAA services among its so-called equivalents in the market. The
belief that the exact success of a design may only be enhanced by extensive
detailing, in all disciplines, has reached to commitment to a full design
package.
The group also has a
considerable presence in the academic world. The founder Emre Arolat has been
active at various schools of architecture with lectures, jury contributions and
studio tutorage, such as Berlage Institute at Delft, Pratt Institute at New
York, Middle East Technical University at Ankara, CEPT University at Ahmedabad,
several institutions in Istanbul like Mimar Sinan Fine Arts Academy, Istanbul
Technical University, Yıldız Technical University and Bilgi University where
was among the founders of Graduate Program. Apart from himself, group leaders
in EAA perform in similar contributions.
Architectural
significance of the group was supported by many awards, most notably of which
are Aga Khan Award, The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture -
Mies van der Rohe Award, World Architecture Festival Awards and AR Emerging
Architecture Award.
http://www.emrearolat.com/the-studio/about/
You may reach to see Emre Arolat’s another project of Antakya
Museum Hotel from my blog to click below link.
http://mymagicalattic.blogspot.com/2012/11/emre-arolat-antakya-museum-hotel.html
