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Renzo Piano on the elemental approach to his newly-opened Istanbul Modern design

2023-06-13T15:14:00-04:00

If you are an architect, you have to understand what the genius of the place is, and you have to catch the spirit of the place, and Istanbul is about the water [...] And the Istanbul Modern is about a dialogue between the building and the water.

RPBW’s first project in Turkey comes as the country begins its rebuilding following the devastating February earthquake. Towards this concern, Piano says, “When you make a place for people for art and music, accessibility and safety are fundamental elements.”

A survey of his past work titled Genius Loci also “examines in detail the design process and structural components of Istanbul Modern’s new building” and remains on view in its first-floor library.

The museum opened to the public on May 4th.

Previously on Archinect: Renzo Piano’s Istanbul Modern museum opens in Turkey

Renzo Piano’s Istanbul Modern museum opens in Turkey

2023-05-03T14:06:00-04:00

The first dedicated museum of modern and contemporary art in Turkish history is finally opening its doors this week following the completion of the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW)-designed Istanbul Modern in the country’s most populous city.

Clad in an “iridescent” envelope of aluminum paneling that aims to resemble the scales of a fish, the 110,000-square-foot facility overlooks Istanbul’s Karaköy waterfront at the confluence of the Bosphorus Strait and Golden Horn waterways. In its site placement and silhouette, the structure evokes the passage of a ship through the harbor. The building’s ground floor is made transparent by a glass curtain wall that showcases two site-specific works by Richard Wentworth and Olafur Eliasson while offering visitors a panoramic view of the ongoing $1.8 billion Galataport development beyond.

Image: © Cemal Emden

RPBW says this material transparency “reflects the ethos of the museum: A multifaceted experience offering visitors audience-oriented exh...

A visit to "ALL THAT IS SOLID", winner of the Young Architects Program at the Istanbul Modern

2015-10-30T05:12:00-04:00

Istanbul is a city constantly evolving and forever feeling the pull of east and west, of tradition and modernity, and defined by its contrasts. Poised at the edge of the Bosphorus on the European side of the city, the Istanbul Modern museum situates itself at the center of it all.

Currently the gallery is hosting part of the Istanbul Biennial, which this year is divided between six locations across the city, stretching as far as the Princess Islands and Northern Bosphorus. Named “Saltwater,” the Biennial asks the viewer to take a much more leisurely approach to viewing and consider the context of its in situ context.

Like much of Istanbul, the Istanbul Modern and surrounding site is currently undergoing a transformation into a tourist hub. “ALL THAT IS SOLID” by Istanbul-based PATTU, the winning installation for this year’s Young Architects Program at the Istanbul Modern (a direct collaboration with the MoMA PS1 program of the same name), is inspired by this constant, cyclical change ...

YAP Istanbul Modern Finalist Entry by ONZ Architects

2013-02-19T15:34:00-05:00

Earlier this month, the installation Sky Spotting Stop had been chosen as the first-ever YAP Istanbul Modern winner in conjunction with the Young Architects Programs at MoMA PS1 in New York, MAXXI in Rome and the cultural organization CONSTRUCTO in Santiago, Chile. Here is now also one of the five YAP Istanbul Modern finalist entries: Tearing the Ground by young Ankara-based firm, ONZ Architects.

SO? Architecture and Ideas wins first-ever YAP Istanbul Modern

2013-02-06T16:35:00-05:00

With the winners of the New York and Rome editions of the Young Architects Program (YAP) already unveiled, the first-ever YAP Istanbul Modern winner has now also been selected: the temporary installation Sky Spotting Stop by young design firm SO? Architecture and Ideas reached the highest score with the jury and will be built in early June in Istanbul Modern’s courtyard.