all images © PATTU Architecture

Istanbul-based design studio PATTU Architecture reexamines the solidity of architecture in relation to its memories and the potential of temporariness, which is exhibited at Istanbul Modern until 15th November 2015. “All That Is Solid” is a winning design for this year’s Young Architects Program for the Istanbul Modern, which is a direct collaboration with the MoMA PS1 program of the same name and is inspired by the nearby port and surrounding area. 

The space around Istanbul Modern, including the museum is at a turning point: a huge development project will transform the area into a tourism hub. The approach is a familiar one that we see all over the world: demolition of the old. But this is not a new phenomenon, one can almost say it is systemic; even this small piece of land in the city has a long history of destruction and redefinition of its functions throughout the ages: from a monastery, to a factory, to a mall.   ? 

The design approach of PATTU has been developed from the research they did about the history of the site. PATTU dismantled the space around Istanbul Modern with all its elements and previous constructions and reassembled them in a new way, showing the ephemeral side of architecture.

The design borrows geometries from previous buildings and crunches them together in a chaotic way. But this chaos starts making sense over the course of a day as the transparent shapes become opaque by the heat and movement of the sun. Past geometries become visible, and invisible. The space is a reminder of the past but also a statement about the future development of the area. It is a place of memory as well as a breeding ground for the ideas about its future. 

The design seems as an ephemeral architecture that will become the most solid building artefact of the future city.

view from the garden of Istanbul Modern that displays a playful installation

detail view of the installation

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