Category: Residential, Commercial
Type: Office, House or Apartment
Location: Etiler, Cengiz Topel Ave. Beşiktaş
Date: 2007-2012
Period: Republic of Türkiye
Designer: Emre Arolat
Photos: Emre Arolat Architecture
Situated in the sloping Etiler district of Istanbul near the TEM Highway and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, this architectural project aims to harmonize with and reinterpret the surrounding homogeneous building context, where structures typically merge into identical “organic masses.” To counteract the oppressive compactness of a multi-story block while respecting local building regulations and scales, the design introduces a strategic vertical fragmentation, splitting the structure into three distinct masses comparable to the scale of nearby buildings. These vertically separated volumes feature differentiated exterior surfaces to emphasize their autonomy and are interleaved with large, intensively planted terrace gardens and integrated social spaces. This layout not only strengthens the building’s dialogue with its environmental texture and liberates it from the architectural monotony of the city, but also offers an open, liberating alternative to the congested lifestyle of the urban center.
