Tabanlioglu monograph 2014 by Production Department

TABANLIOGLU ARCHITECTS

Contributors

Produced by The Architectural Review Editor

Catherine Slessor

Designer

Heather Bowen

Production Editor Julia Dawson

Production Manager David Evans

Business Development Manager Nick Roberts

Contributors

Paolo Belloni Manuel Blanco GÖkhan KarakuŞ Blanca LleÓ Luca Molinari

Paolo Belloni founded PBEB Architects with Elena Brazis in 1996. From 1994 he was involved in teaching at the Politecnico di Milano where he has been Contract Professor in Architecture and Landscape Architecture since 2004. In 2002 he founded Archiforum, Association for Architecture. He occasionally writes for national and international magazines and publications. From 2009 to 2012 he was President of the Architects’ Association in Bergamo. He regularly lectures at international and national conferences. Manuel Blanco is Professor of Architectural Composition at the Madrid Polytechnic University’s Higher School of Architecture. As Director of the Spanish National Museum of Architecture and Urbanism, he was Commissioner of the Spanish Pavilion at the 2006 Venice Architecture Biennale, where he presented España Nosotras, las Ciudades. From his studio in Madrid he has curated and designed numerous exhibitions. He is also Director of the Centre of Fashion Design CSDMM at the Polytechnic University of Madrid.

Gökhan Karakuş is an architecture critic, theoretician, curator and designer who is interested in the idea of locality in design, Modernism and architecture. He has contributed to publications such as Architectural Record, The Architects’ Journal, Wallpaper and Detail and is currently the editorial director of Natura magazine focusing on contemporary stone architecture. He is the founder and director of the interactive and environmental graphic design studio Emedya Design in Istanbul. Blanca Lleó is Professor of Architectural Projects

Cover

Sipopo Congress Centre, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

Photograph

Emre Dörter

for Postgraduate, Master and PhD courses and Assistant Deputy Director at the Madrid Higher Technical School of Architecture ETSAM. She is also Guest Professor at Cambridge University, Princeton, Rhode Island School of Design and Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her research into contemporary dwelling-places has received numerous notable awards. She has also lectured and taken part in seminars at universities worldwide.

Luca Molinari is Associate Professor in the History of Contemporary Architecture, Faculty of Architecture L Vanvitelli, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Italy. He is also a curator and critic in the field of contemporary architecture, design and photography. He is currently Editor of Architecture for Skira Publishing. He was Chief Curator of the Triennale di Milano for Architecture and Urbanism from 2001 to 2005 and curated the Italian Pavillion for the 12th International Exhibition of Architecture at the 2010 Venice Biennale. He directed Spazio FMG per l’Architettura in Milan and actively collaborates with several Italian and international architecture magazines.

Murat Tabanlıoğlu studied architecture at Vienna Technical University and graduated in 1992. He founded Tabanlıoğlu Architects in collaboration with Hayati Tabanlıoğlu in Istanbul in 1990. As well as running his atelier programme at Istanbul Bilgi University, he lectures at many universities and on various international platforms. He has been jury member for numerous national and international awards such as the American Institute of Architects and the World Architecture Festival. He recently served on the Master Jury for the 2013 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Murat Tabanlıoğlu has been appointed the curator of the first Pavilion of Turkey for this year’s International Exhibition of Architecture at the Venice Biennale from 7 June to 23 November 2014. Melkan Gürsel Tabanlıoğlu studied architecture at Istanbul Technical University. After graduating in 1993, she attended the Polytechnic University of Catalonia from where she received her Master of Architecture. In addition to several architectural prizes, she was selected as one of the notable emerging generation of architects in ‘Europe 40 under 40’ for 2008. She has lectured on various national and international platforms and served as jury member for several awards programmes. She recently participated in the jury for the RIBA’s Annie Spink Award for outstanding contribution to architectural education.

Preface

İstanbul Sapphire, İstanbul Loft Garden, Arena,celebrates Kazakhstan this special monograph published byİstanbul the architectural Astana review 2006 – 2010 2007 – 2010 2005 – 2009 theClient work of turkish practice Client tabanlıoğlu architects. based in istanbul’s Biskon Yapı Akfen - Sağlam Client Alke/Sembol dynamic metropolis, tabanlıoğlu is a modern global architectural practice Client Oficina Nacional de Architectural team Melkan Architectural team Melkan Architectural team Melkan Planification Y Seguimiento Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, for which the renowned uS firm Skidmore, owings & Merrill is still the de Proyectos de Guinea Murat Cengiz, Salih Yılgörür, Hacer Akgün, Süleyman Murat Cengiz, Salih Yılgörür, standard. Founded in 1990 by Hayati tabanlıoğlu and Murat tabanlıoğlu, Ecuatorial ‘GE-Proyectos’ Aydın Işık, Hakan Bağcı, Ozan Akkaş, Kaan Keleş, Volkan Hakan Bağcı, Süleyman Akkaş, the practice in the modernisation andŞenkaya continues Main contractor Öztepe, Fundawas Tezel,forged Ali Lokumcu, Elena Pittali, of turkeyNihal Akkaş, Selen Ak, ONUR-SUMMA JV Çalışkan, Ahmet Çorapçıoğlu, Lerzan Tunçbil. Mehmet it Vaizoğlu, Serhat Yavuz, today under the direction of Eda Murat and Melkan tabanlıoğlu. embodies Architectural team Melkan Selen Ak, Ali Eray, Mehmet Engineers/Consultants Arzu Çetingöz, Ahmet a systematic and deep engagement with modern architecture as a style Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Vaizoğlu, Aybige Tek, Recep Cema, Moskay, Arma, CWG, Çorapçıoğlu but equally importantly with Modernism as a social and knowledge system. Salih Yılgörür, Ali Çalışkan, Semizoğlu, Merve Yücel, Yanmadan, Tepe Engineers/Consultants Sertaç Tümer, Utkan Yonter, Necmettin Selimoğlu, Melis Selis, Main contractor Akfen Buro Happold/Arce, tabanlıoğlu’s contribution to architecture in turkey and the widerDinamik Emre Çetinel, Elvin Erkut, Adnan Tarı, Ayla Ecer, Hande HB, HOK region of emerging EurasianPhotographer economies might not appear to be especially Tugce Güleç, Hacer Akgun Pusat, Derya Genç, Esra Demirtaş, Hélène Binet Main contractor Alke/Sembol radical in its architectonic approach, instead preferring a more thoughtful Marino, Eda Lerzan Tuçbil, Burcu Biçer, Aslı Aydın, Sinemis Photographer Cemal Emden Krasnodar Stadium, Krasnodar, Esra Çanakkale, Gonca Yılmaz, application Yargıç, Suda Ayşe Karaduman,architectural of modern planning forRussia societies in which Competition (Finalist) Anday Bodur, Banu Dasargöl Ayşe Aydoğan, Öznur Çakır Modernism is incomplete and still the goal. Working at a scale and technical 2011 Engineers/Consultants Emir, Engineers/Consultants Balkar, complexity unique to a turkish firm it has, Souyz in recent years, been able to Client Industrialnyi DT, A Kılıç, STD, Ateksis, GN, Boz Project, HB, Servotel, Kubani JSC ZKLD Studio, Nurus Alkaş, MF Metal und apply this competence to other Eurasian geographies in a disciplined and Architectural team Melkan Photographer Emre Dörter Fassadenplanung, Aw Kılıç purposeful way that goes beyond the empty rhetoric of more predictable Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Studio Dinnebier, Ruscheweyh C, ‘iconic’ buildings. For instance, a Cengiz, seriesÇağrı of offices in istanbul and astana Dakar Congress Centre, Senegal Murat Tepe, Barlas 2013 – Akay, İsmail Gökhanand societies that are undergoing Main propose contractor Biskon Yapı for change (p10), settings in cities Client The General Delegation of Selçuk Güllü, Photographers Hélène Binet, immense flux at macro level,Çatıkkaş, while at micro level, workplace cultures Organization of 15th Conference Tuğçe Tunavelioğlu, Murat Germen, Emre Dörter are recast into more flexible and nomadic settings. With no opportunity of Francophony Tülin Naltekin, Sibel Akyüz Levent Loft, İstanbul Main Contractor SUMMA Engineers/Consultants for ‘fixed, solid’ architecture, tabanlıoğlu opts for an intriguingly liquid 2005 – 2007 Architectural team Melkan Ruben Reddy, Buro Happold modernity that facilitates the continuous transformation of varied Client Akfen Holding - Yıldız Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, and hybrid identities for individuals the Tokyo, experience of architecture. New National in Stadium, Japan Holding Salih Yılgörür, Sertaç Tümer, Competition (Finalist)ranges from urban housing Architectural team Melkan Ali Çalışkan, Utkan Yönter, typologically, tabanlıoğlu’s repertoire Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Enes Yücepur, Firat Güneş and setpiece sports stadiums2012 to ambitious infrastructure projects such as Client Japan Sport Council Hacer Akgün, Süleyman Akkaş, Balcı, Sema Türker, the new terminal at bodrum airport turkey’s aegean coast (p4), which Architecturalon team Melkan Emre Apak, Handan Dama Zeynep Dündar, Esra Can, Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Bilgin, Ali Çalışkan, Ahmet Merve Babalı, İsmail Ulukaya, elevates what can be a dreary and generic building type into a remarkably Murat Cengiz, Çağrı Akay, Çorapçıoğlu, Kaan Keleş, Volkan Gözde Çalışkan, Melike Özkan, sensuous and civilising experience. beyond Eurasia, the practice has also Selçuk Güllü, Lokumcu, Eda Lerzan Tunçbil Gonca Atasayan, Aliriza been engaged in a series centres in africa (p18) that imaginatively Ismail Gökhan Çatıkkaş, Engineers/Consultants Balkar, of congress Saçan, Zeynep Eker Tuğçe Tunavelioğlu, GN, HB, CWG, Yanmadan, Yılgörür, Ayşe Yalçın İçyer synthesise local precedents and act as powerful civic and economic anchors Tülin Naltekin Servotel, Tepe, Zeynep Akgöze Engineers/Consultants amid places that have often endured great social turmoil. nowhere could Engineers/Consultants Main contractor Akfen Meinhardt, Okutan, Yurdakul, the transforming impetus of good architecture AKT, Ruben Reddy, Studiobe more apparent. Photographers Hélène Binet, A Kılıç, Talayman, Prosistem, Dinnebier, Craft:Pegg Thomas Mayer ZKLD Studio, Zeynep Akgöze Gökhan Karakuş and Catherine Slessor Sipopo Congress Centre, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea 2011

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infrastrUCtUre 1

transport of delight Paolo Belloni examines two major infrastructure projects that reconcile rigorous functional efficiency with the experiential qualities of space and place

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1. The new terminal at Bodrum aims to dispel the monotony of the generic airport building. A ‘woven’ ceiling and marble floor add an unexpected sensuousness

2. The building is a long, linear bar in the landscape. Its simple geometry is clearly and precisely defined 3. Angular boarding piers dock into the glazed volume

With a new terminal at bodrum airport and a proposal for a new transport interchange in the Yenikapı district of istanbul, tabanlıoğlu architects clearly relish the challenge of large infrastructural projects. at bodrum, crisp geometry and bespoke details transform a standard programme for a local terminal into a richly sensuous building that connects with the surrounding landscape. as a global building type, the airport terminal continues to grow in scale, combining a generic programme with an imperative to articulate a relationship with place and culture.

bodrum airport aims to dispel the pressure and monotony generated by the generic approach and instead become a distinct place in the context of the region it serves. With existing traffic of 1.5 million passengers per year, bodrum aims ultimately to handle 8 million passengers. the airport is 40 kilometres from bodrum centre and 8 kilometres from the sea coast of gulluk. the new building is located between the existing domestic and international terminals. it consists of two main structures, an airside linear transparent glass and steel one

to which the planes connect, and the landside terminal building. a sense of richness is created by a minimal use of columns and high ceilings. optimum daylight through the side walls and roof uplifts the atmosphere in areas such as the security search and passport check points. Four terraces provide the opportunity to enjoy the open air even after passing through controls at the entrance to the building. a specially designed suspended ceiling underlines the identity of both building and place. Consisting of aluminium rods in the shape of reeds that allude to local sources and the

typical weaving loom of the region, it hides various mechanical systems. the use of local black marble on the floors increases the effect of visual continuity and depth. the relationship of the building to the landscape is clearly legible. the defined horizontal line of the roof underlines the gentle movement of the surrounding topography. Mechanical systems are placed below ground, enhancing the effect of the rooflights at night. this soothing element is further reflected in the interior where the scenery of the meadows and mountains beyond can be viewed ar | tabanlioglu 5

infrastrUCtUre

site plan: Bodrum Airport

plan of arrivals level: Bodrum Airport 6 ar | tabanlioglu

behind the uninterrupted glass, creating a holistic internal-external relationship that psychologically coaxes the passengers into their own personal journey before their plane departs. a yet more complex infrastructural challenge was presented by the recent redevelopment of Yenikapı in istanbul. landscape, history, the relationship between water and land, flows and archaeology are only some of the factors at work in this multilayered project. tabanlıoğlu architects were one of the nine international teams invited to devise a proposal for this ambitious project to create istanbul’s most important public transport hub. the aim is that on arrival in Yenikapı, people should be able to reach every point of the city by rail and public transport systems, thus shaping the water, air and road dynamics of the metropolis, as well as urban development and

renewal at a metropolitan scale. around 1,700,000 people per day use the city’s underground. this wide-reaching infrastructural programme is further complicated by the presence of one of the most important archaeological sites in the city. Preliminary excavations discovered the remains of the 1,600-year-old Port of theodosius, the wrecks of 35 antique ships and the remains of an 8,500-year-old settlement dating back to the First neolithic age. the area is an amazing example of the richness, complexity and historic stratification of istanbul’s urban fabric. tabanlıoğlu architects’ proposal resolves the infrastructural complexity and at the same time creates a new urban space organised at different levels to drive people from surface to subsurface, and vice versa in a sort of threedimensional piazza. the structure

‘At Bodrum, crisp geometry and bespoke details transform a standard programme for a local airport into a richly sensuous building’

sections: Bodrum Airport ar | tabanlioglu 7

infrastrUCtUre 4

gives shape to the space but without imposing a selfcongratulatory object building. urban living is seamlessly integrated with the sunken piazzas of the centre, and Yenikapı becomes the nexus of all underground connections linked to the city surface by sunken piazzas sheltered under a semi-permeable roof system. the protecting roof defines the space, while permeable elements filter the daylight to create an ethereal feeling of lightness and spaciousness. Exhibition units extend towards the archaeo-Park area, preserving the street-level building relationship. the new museum is arranged in interrelating parts, which may be visited separately or all at once in sequence. by meeting specific needs and implementing emerging technological capacities, underground connection networks become invisible machines solving the transport challenges of the city. but beyond this, underground connection hubs have become transformed 8 ar | tabanlioglu

into present-day cathedrals amplified with facilities such as shopping malls and thematic esplanades. the underground machine becomes the essential organ of the urban system. With traffic routes organised, piazzas and new pedestrian paths will be generated. Converting the disused local train line into a tramway connecting Yenikapı to the popular destinations in historic istanbul, incorporating a pedestrian and bicycle route designed as hard landscape, is one of the new strategies, while promoting uninterrupted coastal use is another. ultimately, Yenikapı is much more than a transport intersection; it is a generator of urban motion. the improvement of public areas and the enrichment of neighbouring centres and communities respond to the challenge to make this large-scale project for a complex infrastructural system compatible with the scale of individual human beings.

4. In this proposal for the development of Yenikapı interchange, layered floating roof planes shelter a series of submerged piazzas

5. Section through the transport interchange 6. Aerial view of the scheme 7. Light filters through the perforated roof 8. Project model

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WORKPLACE 1

FLUID DYNAMICS GÖkhan Karakuş looks at three office projects that encapsulate the dynamics of the changing workplace in the rapidly developing Eurasian region

Esas aeropark, by tabanlıoğlu architects, is a headquarters and piazza for the private equity investment company Esas Holding. it is in Kurtkoy on the outskirts of the asian part of istanbul, between two parallel major roadways leading to istanbul’s second international airport Sabiha gökçen. this area of istanbul has witnessed rapid and unplanned development over the last 20 years that is visible in the indiscriminate character of the urban fabric and topography. With no meaningful public space, residents of the area have created their own pedestrian pathways in a hotchpotch of rudimentary residential blocks, gated communities, factories and office buildings typical of istanbul today. Public space and human interaction here have been sacrificed to the rapid commercial development due to the proximity to highways. tabanlıoğlu’s strategy for the Esas aeropark has been to 10 ar | tabanlioglu

integrate their office-building typology into this mix with the goal of creating changing conditions of Modernism. this is achieved primarily through the planning of a large walkway through the collection of buildings that comprise the Esas aeropark. With large inviting gaps on each side of the complex facing the roads, residents are allowed to enter the space of the office via this access route thus temporarily engaging with the Modernism of the project. the architecture allows views in and out of the offices, visually relating the space of work and public circulation in a way that organises the whole complex as one large public space for the immediate surroundings. office workers with visual access to the walkways are part of this nascent urban sensibility as numerous in-between exterior and interior areas organised around this central walkway facilitate their own flexible patterns of working.

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WORKPLACE 2

ground floor plan: Esas Aeropark 12 ar | tabanlioglu

1. (Previous page) located on the edge of Istanbul, Esas Aeropark aims to invest a fragmented public realm with a sense of place

2, 3. Curved blocks enclose a public courtyard which acts as a meeting point and thoroughfare 4. Detail of the sleek glass blocks

While the connection to the Modernism of the project with its emphasis on space, light and the public is very much transitory for local residents passing through, the implications for the workers are perhaps more important. now connected to the city, they are allowed to step outside and engage with others and the natural environment in a variety of interior and exterior spaces opened up by the architecture. a similar dynamic joining the workplace and local urban fabric is evident in the headquarters building for the pharmaceutical company Selçuk Ecza, located near the bosphorus strait in altunizade, istanbul. While the architectural language of steel and glass is employed to provide the requisite space and light of Modernism, the morphology of the collection of buildings has been based on the traditional yalı building type: the dwellings at the immediate waterside of istanbul. the visible

upper areas are organised as a series of yalı sheathed in a metal mesh pattern resembling a grove of trees connected by two parallel streets and interconnected walkways and gardens. as with the Esas aeropark, the space has strong connections to adjacent streets through large transition areas for pedestrians and cars. the last of the recent tabanlıoğlu projects to explore the idea of the office in the developing societies of the Eurasian region is the astana Media Centre in the capital of Kazakhstan, astana. the building brings together Kazakhstan national radio and tV stations’ studios with concert halls and offices for media production. astana became Kazakhstan’s new planned capital in 1998 and since then has been the site of a massive construction programme with buildings by international architects ar | tabanlioglu 13

WORKPLACE ‘Astana, otherwise bereft of street-scale pedestrian urbanism, has here benefited from planning that consciously connects media, performance and the city’

section: Astana Media Centre such as norman Foster, Kisho Kurokawa and Manfredi nicoletti. the astana Media Centre occupies a prominent site on one of the city’s many wide boulevards in the capital’s new core group of governmental buildings. it is on the axial ceremonial route from the Presidential Palace, between important administrative buildings, the national railway Headquarters and the Ministry of transport. the ambitious plan for astana, is to make the city the centre of not only Kazakhstan, but of all of central asia, as one of the 21st century’s greatest building projects. the 22-storey media complex with its celebrated tower is a new facility that aims to enhance the professionalism of tV journalism, television and filmmaking in Kazakhstan. the city, on the Central asian steppe, is one of the coldest capital cities in the world, requiring most urban activity to take place indoors.

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floor plans: Astana Media Centre

5. The Astana Media Centre forms part of a wave of buildings by leading foreign architects in the capital of Kazakhstan

6. The centre brings together national television and radio studios. An indoor street links production facilities, giving a sense of animation ar | tabanlioglu 15

WORKPLACE 7

7. The new headquarters of the Selçuk Ecza pharmaceutical company are based on traditional morphology of yalı dwellings on the Istanbul waterside

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8. Model of the scheme showing the complexity of roof forms and site relationship 9. The upper parts of the building are wrapped in a metal mesh

section: Selçuk Ecza headquarters

‘Visible upper areas are organised as a series of yalı sheathed in a metal mesh pattern resembling a grove of treesʼ

the astana Media Centre very much fits into this model, as it is a city inside a city. the exterior facade makes a gesture to its surroundings as it continuously broadcasts, from four large display screens, news and other programmes for city residents, including live events going on in the interior studios. the architecture for an ‘event city’ is promoted by these media walls in an urban fabric that contains many distinctive towers and landmarks. but the important feature here is the interior consisting of a series of indoor streets and bridges that link up in the ground floor studios and public facilities in an architecture of glass and steel favoured by tabanlıoğlu. astana, otherwise bereft of street-scale pedestrian urbanism, has here benefited from planning that consciously connects media, performance and city life. Crucially the activity, its performance and organisation

are opened up to the city in a transparent architecture with a Modernist pedigree, in stark contrast to the Soviet era ‘palace of government’ model which was favoured for many of the other new neoclassical administrative buildings that are decorated boxes closed off to the city. For societies like turkey and Kazakhstan, where modernity is still evolving, tabanlıoğlu’s architecture allows multiple identities to emerge in daily working life. urban villager, global media agent, urban citizen, nomadic knowledge worker, in an era of constant change in a Eurasian geographical context, emerging with its own idea of Modernism distinct and different from the West, tabanlıoğlu has managed to keep the rational power of the Modernist project alive by discretely adjusting modern architecture to these highly fluid dynamics of 21st-century globalism. ar | tabanlioglu 17

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WORKING IN AFRICA 2

TRADITION AND MODERNITY

Tabanlıoğlu Architectsʼ recent work in Africa synthesises and reinterprets the continentʼs diverse traditions for a rapidly changing world, says Blanca Lleó

three congress centres designed for different enclaves in africa give a powerful sense of the enterprising approach that characterises tabanlıoğlu architects. these projects are the expression of architecture that can provide the framework for reconciliation and collective progress; architecture that offers solutions in countries wrought by tension and confrontation. Such is the case with the two congress centres built in 2011 and 2010 respectively in Sipopo (Equatorial guinea) and in tripoli (libya). Currently the turkish studio is building a third congress centre in Dakar, capital of Senegal, one of the few african countries with a democratic tradition. in this trio of african projects, the intrinsic artistic and visual value of the architecture of tabanlıoğlu architects is apparent. it professes to be passed down by modernity but nevertheless reflects a growing interest in contemporary character and symbolic expression. Each building is based on a sequence of gradients or gradual steps between the world outside and a large meeting hall configured as a central space, reinforcing in circular form the symbol of tribal union beneath the millennial tree. a series of layers and interstitial spaces establish

the transition from outside to inside and inside to outside. this orchestrates spaces within spaces, much as russian matryoshka dolls. Murat tabanlıoğlu understands this cross-sectional architectural process not only in space but also in time. For this reason each element of the concentric composition requires a substantial change of architectural conditions in terms of light, proportion, colour, transparency and dimension. this is a promenade that runs from the natural world outside to the heart of the building. and that central place, also concentric like the building itself, is a safety vault hosting the most high-tech area with state-of the-art conditions for the fertile exchange of ideas and realities. both extremes, inside and outside, represent opposite poles of a world that is changing at an accelerated rate in africa. one pole is the ancestral territory, indomitable and unmanageable, and the other is humanised construction, controlled and self-referential. a radical change is under way in african countries where the struggle for subsistence arose hundreds of thousands of years ago. a new architecture is emerging with a promise of a different kind of future. ar | tabanlioglu 19

WORKING IN AFRICA

ground floor plan: Tripoli congress centre

first floor plan: Tripoli congress centre

site plan

For Mediterranean architects like tabanlıoğlu, the changing effects of light and shade generated by the solar movement are an essential part of architecture. Whether with filters or grids, in horizontal, vertical or enveloping development, their architecture appears to give life to the african savanna with a presence that resembles the skin of a wild animal. in the multiple solutions tested, tabanlıoğlu architects reveal the force of their intent when it comes to giving expression to their architecture. three-dimensionality is also a powerful tool when it comes to creating spaces and sensations. tabanlıoğlu architects have clearly shown that they are armed with a wide repertoire of resources and an extensive palette of material solutions. but now more than ever, architects feel that they are in competition with fascinating new technologies that are much more innovative and powerful than architecture. this repertoire gives rise to an inherent formal exuberance, in which simplicity and sincerity can be difficult to achieve and communicate. these three african projects by tabanlıoğlu architects synthesise many of their ambitions and achievements. Moreover, they constitute the

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expression of an architectural idea that has evolved and persisted over the three commissions. this consists of formalising the congress centre as a space open to progress and adaptation, with the capacity to host dialogue, negotiation and exchange. it also encompasses the expression of architectural aims in a distinct and legible typology based on two key aspects: an arrangement of concentric layers leading to a centre and the presence of the building itself, as a vivid and compelling piece of architecture capable of thrilling its users and confronting its powerful natural surroundings. the work of tabanlıoğlu architects communicates a sense of being submerged in a complex reality, which it will impact on, participate in and make possible the transformation of this reality. grounded by detailed knowledge and an innate curiosity, it is constantly measuring itself against the most varied of scales, people and circumstances. a passionate african adventure is concentrated in these three projects, a journey on which tabanlıoğlu architects have intrepidly embarked. their European counterparts are anxious to follow, inspired by these extraordinary and visionary works of architecture.

1. (Previous page) the new congress centre in the Libyan city of Tripoli can help restore a sense of normality to a fractured milieu

2. The facade is incised with deep gashes to admit and filter light 3. Geometric patterns add visual richness 4. Facade detail

long section: Tripoli congress centre

cross section: Tripoli congress centre ar | tabanlioglu 21

THREE CONGRESS CENTRES IN AFRICA

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WORKING IN AFRICA ‘Whether with filters or grids, in horizontal, vertical or enveloping development, their architecture appears to give life to the African savanna with a presence that resembles the skin of a wild animal’

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ground floor plan: Sipopo Congress Centre 8

first floor plan: Sipopo Congress Centre 9

5. (Previous page), the richly striated carapace of the Sipopo Congress Centre in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, wraps around a large, fully glazed volume 6. The complex striped pattern resembles the skin of a wild animal

7. Location plan. The site lies on the Guinea Gulf 8. Detail of facade showing glazing and external skin 9. Interiors are bathed in light 10. Proposal for congress centre in Dakar, Senegal, currently under construction

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HOUSING 2

BEYOND MACHINES FOR LIVING Embracing flexibility and transparency, new kinds of communal housing are reanimating post-industrial sites in Istanbul, reports Luca Molinari

the soaring tower of the Sapphire, istanbulʼs tallest building, and the long facade of levent loft and loft garden remind us how one of le Corbusier’s many ideas is surprisingly contemporary. that simple image of a hand placing the small ‘box’ of a prefabricated apartment in a grid is still today considered a supreme symbol of a way of seeing and building places in the modern habitat as well as the key to describing the striving towards maximum flexibility in a constantly changing urban environment. beyond the brutal aesthetic of the machine-àhabiter, a strong belief still prevails that the relationship between the structural and conceptual grid of the building and the housing unit and the life it is to accommodate over time is increasingly complex and shifting. that which appeared as a perfect

metaphor of the definitive industrialisation of modern building can now be seen as a starting point for redefining the relationship between private and public, home and community, interior and exterior. tabanlıoğlu architectsʼ levent loft project in istanbul perfectly mirrors this situation. the city axis of Maslak-levent along buyukdere Street has been rapidly developed over the past two decades, with original industry gradually being replaced by residential and white-collar service functions. on land perpendicular to the road, a long concrete skeleton designed to house an office building, yet never used, has been radically redesigned to become the prototype for a new kind of housing, symbolising the emergence of a metropolitan middle class seeking more flexible ar | tabanlioglu 27

HOUSING 1. (Previous page) part of a lush sky garden in the Sapphire 2. (Previous page) the Sapphire in its urban context. Soaring up to 54 storeys high it is Istanbul’s tallest building

3. (Previous page) a mixture of public facilities occupy the Sapphire’s podium bringing life to street level 4. (Opposite) perimeter zones become broad terraces with sweeping views

plan types: Sapphire

typical plans: Sapphire

section through sky garden 28 ar | tabanlioglu

and open lifestyles. this post-industrial and post-modern ruin provided the opportunity for turning it into an experimental social and financial blueprint. the architects convinced the building’s owner to invest in an alternative residential type compared with what is usually on offer on the istanbul market. Successful sales then persuaded him to repeat the same pattern in a second, adjacent building, the loft garden. the existing reinforcedconcrete grid was not hidden but instead became the true representational matrix of the entire development throughout a 12-storey block at the head, a central block of five floors and an end one of eight. the concrete grid becomes the structure which houses a complex and varied system of lofts on the upper floors. this is an ideal solution

for a social class seeking types of homes that embody an international, modern image and the latest technical standards. the loft model becomes both design solution and urban marketing icon based on wellbeing, maximum flexibility and transparency for those who live there, even for limited periods of time. in addition to a variable internal structure, provided simply with all the basic features, the architects focus on the relationship between the existing structure and the new steel ‘box’ which projects outwards as a personal touch for the independent living space. all 144 different apartments, laid out with sizes varying between 68 and 182 square metres, have their own strong, independent identity, emphasised above all in the metal box which projects with variable

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HOUSING 5

5. Levent Loft was initially conceived as an office building, but was radically redesigned to become a prototype for a different kind of housing aimed at Istanbul’s young, emerging middle classes

6. Typical apartment with mezzanine and expansive views 7. Individual apartmemts are expressed as a series of box-like protrusions which break down the overall volume and add a chiaroscuro complexity

depths on the facade, adding both a chiaroscuro intricacy and a clearly perceived independent identity of the single housing unit. Yet it would be wrong to see levent loft just as a super-condominium, since along the entire backbone of the ground floor the designers have successfully attempted to highlight the pursuit of a common dimension which was often missing in this type of building in past decades. a straight-line formation of public facilities including restaurant and bar, interwoven with the lobbies, some communal spaces and a large gym in the rear block, draws attention to the potential for this small, new community of young professionals and couples to meet and get to know each other informally in spaces other than the corridors linking up the apartments. 30 ar | tabanlioglu

the idea of a prospective community perfectly matches the overall physical structure of the building and this is one of the reasons behind the commercial success of this scheme to the extent that the same investor, a short time later, asked tabanlıoğlu to reproduce the same model exactly, including the concrete grid. the loft garden was built between 2007 and 2010, a 21-storey tower of 82 apartments which are all organised around the loft concept of housing with incredible views towards the bosphorus and the city. the arrangement of the apartments was enhanced by increasing the number of duplex lofts with the added feature of private hanging gardens and by a careful energy-saving policy which added the finishing touch to the surprising result of the initial levent loft development.

‘The loft model becomes both design solution and urban marketing icon based on wellbeing, maximum flexibility and transparency for those who live there’

long section: Levent Loft

plan types: Levent Loft ar | tabanlioglu 31

HOUSING 8. The Loft Garden development follows on from the success of Levent Loft. The glazed boxes of the flats slot into the concrete frame

9. (Opposite) inside the 12-storey tower of the Loft Garden the relationship between structure and skin is clearly articulated

cross section: Levent Loft and Loft Garden

typical plans: Loft Garden 32 ar | tabanlioglu

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SPORTS 1

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1. Aerial view of the new football stadium in Krasnodar, which has a kinetic skin of aluminium elements that move in the wind.

The stadium acts as a new focal point for sport and spectacle in a nondescript edge condition dominated by tower blocks

THE aREna anD THE CITY

The historic role of the sports stadium as a forum for recreation and business finds new expression in this series of buildings, writes Manuel Blanco From antiquity to the present day, the stadium has been a meeting point between people from all strata of society. tabanlıoğlu reinterprets this history for the modern era with architecture that incorporates sports facilities beneath spectacular high-tech shells to become the new monuments of the city. this notion of the protective shell recalls the approach of architect and designer Ettore Sottsass in his designs for olivetti. the outer casing of the Valentine typewriter does not literally translate the precise link between the machine and its cover, but becomes an

object designed for its external appearance. it is an object of desire modelled not on the technical conditions of the machine but the need to represent a reality beyond how that reality translates into a concrete object. When Mies van der rohe’s pillars are covered with the concrete layer required by american fire regulations, he covers them again with steel plating, or bronze, to symbolise the fact that this is a building with a metal structure. tabanlıoğlu’s proposal for the new olympic stadium in tokyo is an extreme example of this discourse. Consciously created ar | tabanlioglu 35

SPORTS ‘Astana and Krasnodar are both meeting points between city and government, socially stratified, yet at the same time a panopticon in which all eyes are focused on the field of play’

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to have minimal contact with the surrounding reality, a double shell isolates itself from its context. its form is based on the notion of a perfect droplet captured at the moment it makes contact with the world and assumes the form of that impact. Conserving superficial tension at ground level, it is gradually deformed, exploding into concentric waves, transforming the perfect sphere into a beautiful elliptical form. inside, tokyo’s stadium contains the world, its tensile membrane enveloping and protecting spectators. a huge crowning dome, the oculus, the reincarnated eye of Hadrian’s Pantheon, powerfully projects a beam of light or is closed by a sophisticated diaphragm. in a new football stadium for

Krasnodar in russia, architecture again becomes kinetic for a kinetic game, with aluminium facade elements that move in the wind inspired by artist ned Khan. the stadium is a great corona that rises up to crown the movement of the crowds. the surrounding terrain is transformed into a hill-park to conceal the obligatory car park from the immediate view of the stadium. While here the shell emerges and displays its facilities beneath the superficial roofing elements, in tokyo the liquid shape is intensely closed, oozing water in the form of fountains. in another stadium project in astana in Kazakhstan, the facade becomes the protective mask of the gladiator who sees the world through eye-slits, the mask of the

samurai that allows the light to penetrate inside. the dynamic between play and power is resolved by tabanlıoğlu through forceful yet expressive architecture. rome’s Colosseum was the original sporting and civic monument, a massive cylinder open to the sun, but with a velarium that allowed it to be covered. up to 50,000 spectators could follow the games presided over by the Emperor’s box in which the key imperial posts were decided. at the Colosseum, the ruling classes met and conversed, and the link between the emperor and his people was cemented. Modern football stadiums are also places of encounter and business. astana has a presidential suite and 16 ViP

2. Proposal for a new stadium for the 2020 Olympic Games which will be staged in Tokyo. The powerful elliptical form is inspired by a drop of water

3. The stadium is enclosed by a huge tensile membrane roof punctured by a vast oculus 4. Fountains and trees run around the base

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SPORTS 5

Roof cladding A combination of rigid and lightweight cladding is supported from the top cable line

Cable-supported roof structure A series of cables span from an outer compression ring to a pair of inner tension rings separated by a tubular steel framework

Facade structure The facade is hung from the roof outer compression ring and stabilised back to the bowl support structure

Bowl structure A concrete frame consisting of blade-like walls supports the precast seating bowl and roof

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suites directly accessed by lift from the foyer. ViPs and the general public are separated permitting rapid access to the stadium. astana and Krasnodar are both meeting points between city and government, socially stratified, yet at the same time a panopticon in which all eyes are focused on the field of play. Football is a struggle for the control of space, a struggle between two teams to dominate territory. it generates a spatial system in which the user has to see and be seen and decoration does not exist. rather, it is expressed in the multicoloured panoply of the crowd, in the masses who move in waves in the terraces of the arena, in the sky above and in a structure that disappears beneath them when the ultimate aim of its mission has been fulfilled. it is architecture intended not to be seen, but rather that all should see from it. Stadiums have a deeply symbolic resonance in the architecture of tabanlıoğlu. it is as though football itself expands and blends with the rectangular pitch; as if its energy has materialised in an expanded form in space and as if tabanlıoğlu have suddenly frozen that moment and converted it into architecture.

5. Location plan of Krasnodar on Russia’s Black Sea coast 6. Site plan of Krasnodar stadium 7. The stadium is wrapped in a kinetic skin of aluminium panels

plans and sections: Krasnodar stadium ar | tabanlioglu 39

SPORTS 8

sections: Astana stadium 40 ar | tabanlioglu

8. For the new stadium in Astana in Kazakhstan, the facade becomes a protective mask, minimally pierced by slits, like a samurai helmet

9. The stadium is a modern panopticon, focused on the field of play. It is also a place for business and socialising

site plan and section: Astana stadium 9

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Project credits Contributors

Produced by The Architectural Review Editor

Catherine Slessor

Designer

Heather Bowen

Production Editor Julia Dawson

Production Manager David Evans

Business Development Manager Nick Roberts

Contributors

Paolo Belloni Manuel Blanco GÖkhan KarakuŞ Blanca LleÓ Luca Molinari

Cover

Sipopo Congress Centre, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

Photograph

Emre Dörter

42 AR | TABANLIOGLU

Çağlayan Cengiz, Project, DEC,in AG Sorguç, Paolo Belloni founded PBEB Airport Architects with Elena Çağbayır, LucaMurat Molinari is Associate Professor the History of Milas Bodrum International Çağrı Çıkla, Fatma Architecture, ZKLD Studio Brazis in 1996.project From(Winner) 1994 he was involved in Akay, NurContemporary Faculty of Architecture Competition Aliosman, Dide L Dinç, AhmetSeconda Main contractor Sembol teaching he Vanvitelli, Università degli Studi di 1998 at the Politecnico di Milano where Çorapçıoğlu, AliNapoli, Çalışkan, Utkan Construction hasClient been Contract Professor in Architecture Italy. He is also a curator and critic in the General Directorate Gülin Photographer Emre Dörter andofLandscape Architecture since 2004.Yönter, Enes Yücepur, field of contemporary architecture, design and State Airports Authority Derman, Türkkan, Meral In 2002 he founded Archiforum, for Göktuğ photography. He is currently Editor of Architecture Architectural team Melkan Association Selçuk Headquarters, Gözde Kaya, Architecture. He occasionally writes forYılmaz, nationalÖzge Kaya, for Skira Publishing. He wasEcza Chief Curator ofIstanbul the Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, 2012 – 2013 Ceyda Gökoğlu,Triennale Berna Ataman, andŞeyda international and publications. di Milano for Architecture and Urbanism Arguner,magazines Ümit Kalpaklı, Selçuk Ecza Holding Sena Altundağ, from Selcen Tuncer From 2009 to 2012 he was President of the 2001 to 2005 andClient curated the Italian Erkan Nazlı, Çağman Ümit Melkan Serzan Gök Architects’ in Bergamo. He Özer, regularly Pavillion for the 12th Architectural International team Exhibition Kalpaklı,Association Şeyda Arguner, & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Engineers/Consultants Buro at theGürsel lectures at international and national conferences. of Architecture 2010 Venice Biennale. Çağman Tepetaş, Sunay Yusuf, Salih Yılgörür, Aydın Işık, Happold/Emir, He Buro Happold, directed Spazio FMG per l’Architettura in Ali Erkan Nazlı Çalışkan, Utkan Yönter, Cenk GN, HB, Sigal, A Kılıç,and Studio Manuel Blanco isChris Professor Milan actively collaborates with several Italian Consultant Owenof Architectural Tunaboylu, Gökçe N Gündüz, ZKLD Studio, Composition at the Madrid Polytechnic Dinnebier, University’s and international architecture magazines. Engineering Arup Turkey Fatma Ural, Tuğçe Güleç, Zeynep B Gunay, Higher School of Architecture. As Director of the B Madran, R Aslan, Dündar, Devranat Eren Üzün, Ş Sayın, Martha Tabanlıoğlu studied architecture Vienna Spanish National Architecture and Hartek,Murat Development andMuseum realisationofstage Oktay Murat, Sema Türker, Schwartz Partners Technical University and graduated in 1992. Urbanism, he was Commissioner of the Spanish 2010 – 2012 İsmail Ulukaya, Rıza Saçan He founded Tabanlıoğlu Architects inAli collaboration Pavilion the 2006 Venice Architecture Biennale, Clientat Astaldi Esas Aeropark, İstanbul Engineers/Consultants with Hayati Tabanlıoğlu in Istanbul in 1990. AN, where he presented España Nosotras, las Ciudades. Architectural team Melkan 2010 – 2013 KÜL, As well as running hisARKE, atelier Türkoğlu, programme at A Kılıç, From his studio in Madrid he has curated and Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Client EAG Okyanus, Tepta at many Istanbul Bilgi University, he lectures designed exhibitions. Director Murat numerous Cengiz, Umut Köklü, He is also team Melkan and on various Main contractor Selçuklu universities international platforms. of the Centre of Ökçün, FashionCenk Design CSDMMArchitectural at the Başak Uysal Özden, Gürsel & MuratHe Tabanlıoğlu, Construction has been jury member for numerous national and Polytechnic University of Madrid. Ayşe Sevig, Seray Öztürk, Selçuk Murat Cengiz, Çağrı Akay, Seray Photographer ThomasInstitute Mayer international awards such as the American Başkaya, Sibel Akyüz, Sinem Öztürk, Selçuk Güllü, Gökhan Gökhan Karakuş an architecture of Architects and the World Architecture Festival. Saka, Derin is Özken, Korhan critic, theoretician, Congress Centre, Libya Çatıkkaş, Ayşe Sevig, curator and designer who is interested in the idea Aybala HeÖz, recently served onTripoli the Master Jury for the 2013 Sargıner, Melis Selis, Melih – 2010 Mine Alsinevi, Kaan of locality in design, Modernism cycle Keleş, of the Aga Khan2009 Award for Architecture. Vahidimarian, Aslin Ersan, and architecture. Client Construction Selis HeTülin has contributed toTuncer, publications as Murat Tabanlıoğlu has been System appointed the curator Köri, Selcen Ayşe suchMelis team Melkan Engineers/Consultants Denge, Architectural Record, Architects’ Journal, of the first Pavilion ofArchitectural Turkey for this year’s Yalçın İçyer, Alper The Kaynakçı, Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Dinamik, Öneren Wallpaper and Detail and is currently the editorial International Exhibition of Architecture at the Taner Berber, Durul Üçer Salih Yılgörür, Ali Çalışkan, EAG Biennale from 7 director of Natura magazine focusing onMain contractorVenice June to 23 November 2014. Engineers/Consultants Emir, Emre Özberk, Oktay Murat, Turizm Ticaret contemporary stone architecture. founder METTA GMD,Yurdakul, Sigal, He is the Zeynep Eker, Merve Demirbaş, Photographer Murat Germen Melkan Gürsel Tabanlıoğlu studied architecture at andEmmer director of the interactive environmental Pfenninger Partner,and Etik, Elif Akçakaya, Salih Çıkman, Istanbul Technical University. After graduating graphic design studioDS Emedya Design in Istanbul. Studio Dinnebier, Astana Media Centre, Kazakhstan Başak Uysal, in 1993, she attended Işıl the Taşkın, Polytechnic University Main contractor Astaldi 2011 – 2012 Elifshe Selçuk, Zeynep Blanca Lleó is Professor Architectural Projects of Catalonia from where received her Çorakçı Photographer Muratof Germen Client Interior designtoMetex Design for Postgraduate, Master and PhD courses andSembol Construction Master of Architecture. In addition several team Melkan prizes, she Group Assistant Higher architectural was selected as one of YenikapıDeputy TransferDirector Point and at the MadridArchitectural Gürsel Tabanlıoğlu, Technical School of Architecture ETSAM. She & Muratthe notable emerging Engineers/Consultants generation of architectsEmir, in Archaeo-Park Area, Istanbul Salih Yılgörür,, ‘Europe Emre Özberk, GN,2008. HB, She CWG, Kılıç, STD, is also Guest Professor at Cambridge University, 40 under 40’ for hasAlectured Competition project Fırat Ali Çalışkan, Pro Sistem, ZKLD Studio, Princeton, Rhode Island School of Design andGüneş Balcı, on various national and international platforms 2012 Canan Güleç, Zeynep Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her research into Sarıdal, Tuğçe and served as jury member forAkgöze, several Nurus awards Client Istanbul Metropolitan Emre Çetinel, Anday Bodur, She recently Mainparticipated contractor System contemporary programmes. in the jury Municipalitydwelling-places has received Cengiz Özdemir (site coordinator) numerous notable awards. She has also lectured and for the RIBA’s Annie Construction Spink Award for outstanding Architectural team Melkan Engineers/Consultants Stroyto architectural Photographer Cemal Emden taken part&inMurat seminars at universities worldwide. contribution education. Gürsel Tabanlıoğlu,

Sipopo Congress Centre, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea 2011 Client Oficina Nacional de Planification Y Seguimiento de Proyectos de Guinea Ecuatorial ‘GE-Proyectos’ Main contractor ONUR-SUMMA JV Architectural team Melkan Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Salih Yılgörür, Ali Çalışkan, Sertaç Tümer, Utkan Yonter, Emre Çetinel, Elvin Erkut, Tugce Güleç, Hacer Akgun Marino, Eda Lerzan Tuçbil, Esra Çanakkale, Gonca Yılmaz, Anday Bodur, Banu Dasargöl Engineers/Consultants Emir, DT, A Kılıç, STD, Ateksis, ZKLD Studio, Nurus Photographer Emre Dörter

Dakar Congress Centre, Senegal 2013 – Client The General Delegation of Organization of 15th Conference of Francophony Main Contractor SUMMA Architectural team Melkan Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Salih Yılgörür, Sertaç Tümer, Ali Çalışkan, Utkan Yönter, Enes Yücepur, Firat Güneş Balcı, Sema Türker, Zeynep Dündar, Esra Can, Merve Babalı, İsmail Ulukaya, Gözde Çalışkan, Melike Özkan, Gonca Atasayan, Aliriza Saçan, Zeynep Eker Yılgörür, Ayşe Yalçın İçyer Engineers/Consultants Meinhardt, Okutan, Yurdakul, A Kılıç, Talayman, Prosistem, ZKLD Studio, Zeynep Akgöze

İstanbul Sapphire, İstanbul 2006 – 2010

Loft Garden, İstanbul 2007 – 2010

Astana Arena, Kazakhstan 2005 – 2009

Client Biskon Yapı Architectural team Melkan Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Murat Cengiz, Salih Yılgörür, Aydın Işık, Hakan Bağcı, Ozan Öztepe, Funda Tezel, Ali Çalışkan, Ahmet Çorapçıoğlu, Selen Ak, Ali Eray, Mehmet Vaizoğlu, Aybige Tek, Recep Semizoğlu, Merve Yücel, Necmettin Selimoğlu, Melis Selis, Adnan Tarı, Ayla Ecer, Hande Pusat, Derya Genç, Esra Demirtaş, Burcu Biçer, Aslı Aydın, Sinemis Yargıç, Suda Ayşe Karaduman, Ayşe Aydoğan, Öznur Çakır Engineers/Consultants Balkar, GN, Boz Project, HB, Servotel, Alkaş, MF Metal und Fassadenplanung, Aw Kılıç Studio Dinnebier, Ruscheweyh C, Tepe, Barlas Main contractor Biskon Yapı Photographers Hélène Binet, Murat Germen, Emre Dörter

Client Akfen - Sağlam Architectural team Melkan Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Hacer Akgün, Süleyman Akkaş, Kaan Keleş, Volkan Lokumcu, Elena Pittali, Eda Lerzan Tunçbil. Engineers/Consultants Cema, Moskay, Arma, CWG, Yanmadan, Tepe Main contractor Akfen Photographer Hélène Binet

Client Alke/Sembol Architectural team Melkan Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Murat Cengiz, Salih Yılgörür, Hakan Bağcı, Süleyman Akkaş, Nihal Şenkaya Akkaş, Selen Ak, Mehmet Vaizoğlu, Serhat Yavuz, Arzu Çetingöz, Ahmet Çorapçıoğlu Engineers/Consultants Buro Happold/Arce, Dinamik HB, HOK Main contractor Alke/Sembol Photographer Cemal Emden

Levent Loft, İstanbul 2005 – 2007 Client Akfen Holding - Yıldız Holding Architectural team Melkan Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Hacer Akgün, Süleyman Akkaş, Emre Apak, Handan Dama Bilgin, Ali Çalışkan, Ahmet Çorapçıoğlu, Kaan Keleş, Volkan Lokumcu, Eda Lerzan Tunçbil Engineers/Consultants Balkar, GN, HB, CWG, Yanmadan, Servotel, Tepe, Zeynep Akgöze Main contractor Akfen Photographers Hélène Binet, Thomas Mayer

Krasnodar Stadium, Krasnodar, Russia Competition (Finalist) 2011 Client Industrialnyi Souyz Kubani JSC Architectural team Melkan Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Murat Cengiz, Çağrı Akay, İsmail Gökhan Çatıkkaş, Selçuk Güllü, Tuğçe Tunavelioğlu, Tülin Naltekin, Sibel Akyüz Engineers/Consultants Ruben Reddy, Buro Happold

New National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan Competition (Finalist) 2012 Client Japan Sport Council Architectural team Melkan Gürsel & Murat Tabanlıoğlu, Murat Cengiz, Çağrı Akay, Selçuk Güllü, Ismail Gökhan Çatıkkaş, Tuğçe Tunavelioğlu, Tülin Naltekin Engineers/Consultants AKT, Ruben Reddy, Studio Dinnebier, Craft:Pegg