At the crossroads between east and west, Istanbul embodies nearly three millennia of human history. How then to conceive a new performing arts center there that would capture the magic of the place and stand its own in the shadow of the great Ottoman architect Sinan? Such grand aspirations might be impossible to fulfill - but I was glad to be given the challenge. Even if we did not live-up to the expectations, it was still to be an incredible experience!
Our site for the performing arts center was to be the neighborhood of Pera – with magnificent views toward the Golden Horn and the skyline of Istanbul beyond. In this context, we determined early in the design process that instead of conceiving the performance spaces as enclosed environments like most conventional concert halls, our project would take full advantage of its spectacular setting by promoting a sense of transparency in its materiality.
The program required two performing arts venues - a concert hall for 1,800 people and a smaller 500-seat proscenium theater. In addition to these two main spaces, there was to be an exhibition center, as well as other visitor amenities and retail spaces – all to be constructed on top of a refurbished parking structure. Taking these basic requirements as our starting point, we evolved a catalog of spaces - color-coded to represent each of the different functions – which we then translated into a series of massing models.
The development of our design was documented in the form of a photographic matrix. The four columns (from left to right), represented the evolution of the massing from four specific views, identified from an analysis of the site’s the urban context.
This second matrix continued the process of documenting the evolution of our design from massing to the formulation of an architectural concept. We considered color to be integral in the buildings envelope – in part inspired by the colorful tradition of geometric pattern-making from traditional Islamic art.
In our final concept design model, the main concert hall and theater found expression as two separate buildings each contributing to the definition of a shared public plaza. From this plaza, audiences would enter the performance spaces through two enclosed glass foyers. Both concert halls were to incorporate acoustically isolated windows to permit the audience views to the exterior as well as permitting natural light into the building’s interior.
The heights of the glass enclosed foyers were carefully considered via this massing model (at a scale of 1:500). Each foyer was designed to mediate between the taller commercial buildings and the grain, texture and scale of the surrounding neighborhood.
When illuminated - during the evenings and at performance times - the building’s sculptural profile would complement the domes, towers and minarets so characteristic of Istanbul.
It was our dream that the performing arts center would complement the other Islamic and Pre-Islamic monuments that populate Istanbul’s impressive cityscape. Unfortunately the project did not proceed beyond the concept phase, but I remain hopeful that someday, this dream will materialize.
The projects in this section were designed and executed during my time at Gehry Partners LLP (the office). I am grateful to Mr. Gehry and the team at the office for their generosity and support over the years. All intellectual property rights of these projects continue to be owned by the office unless otherwise mentioned. The narrative texts on the projects are entirely personal, they do not represent the views or opinions of the office, its clients or any other third party or organization.