Concert Hall for Chamber Orchestra Development in Istanbul

Construction in the Lower Foyer Development in Istanbul

Glass Walls and Terrace Development in Istanbul

Old Stone Walls Development in Istanbul

Squeezed Roots the Trees Building Development in Istanbul

Structure Rocks Development in Istanbul

Walls and Terrace Development in Istanbul

The Bosphorus in Istanbul, which expresses most sharply the divide between Asia and Europe, is one of the places that must be preserved unchanged with the boats both large and small that go through it and the fabric that surrounds it. its surroundings should be slightly weeded out, thinned down, cleaned up. it would be best if buildings to be constructed in this area be, to the greatest extent possible, composed, set back, and almost invisible. Therefore, when we started working on a concert hall for chamber orchestra in this area, to be located on a museum campus situated almost immediately on the shore of the Bosphorus, we knew that we had to design an invisible building. It should not be seen unless pointed out, mentioned, or visited: We decided to build a structure underground.

The place we were trying to define was one about which we would not have the slightest idea unless we entered it, as the earth and rocks were being removed, the structure, made almost entirely out of steel, was being manufactured in a workshop. We were willing to be squeezed among the roots of the precious existing trees, the foundations of the old house, and the walls and terrace which we wished to preserve as is. By the time manufacturing was completed the place was ready. The structure was assembled on site like a boat. We had used time twice and reduced the duration of completion.

Through an opening in these walls you enter the lower foyer, an unexpected place, Old stone walls greet you upon entering the campus Reached via this space with a curvilinear ‘thing’ painted the yellow of construction machinery is the upper foyer, a narrow, elongated space parallel to the Bosphorus. A place that is there to accentuate the Bosphorus rather than itself: The outdoor terrace in front of it gives you all the clues as to where you are.

When you enter through the yellow door, the shiny black multifaceted concave ellipsoid exaggeratedly reflects all the colors that enter it with unexpected surprises.The yellow of construction machinery in the lower foyer is also present here and the shape complements that of the lower foyer. There is nothing more inside than what is necessary and compulsory. What we have before us is a chamber orchestra hall seating 300, with its inner shell composed of acoustic panels, a floor whose inclination can be adjusted and if need be leveled out, the truss on which the necessary equipment can be hung, and a stage that can be expanded according to the size of the orchestra.

And passing through all this, at the end of a journey during which we draw away step by step from the outside world in order to access the place where we can listen to music, we finally reach the seats awaiting us, each different from the other, within a shiny black space. When the lights dim and the music starts nothing remains but the music, its executants, and their reflections.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 7:59 pm and is filed under Architecture Design, Exterior Architecture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.