Istanbul’s Ataturk Cultural Center (AKM) is slated to be overhauled by local and New York-based Tabanlıoğlu Architects. Overlooking the iconic Taksim Square and anchored by a new 2,500-seat opera house, the center will reflect Turkey’s modernization efforts when it’s unveiled to the public in 2019.
The firm’s cofounder Murat Tabanlıoğl, whose father designed for the original (AKM) in the 1960s, is spearheading the design. With an emphasis on sustainability and transparency, the new structure will be constructed with natural materials and feature a green roof and secondary piazza to maximize outdoor programming. The building’s façade will be clad with a massive screen to broadcast performances to public outside. The transparent base will offer views to the internal red shell that houses the main opera house.
Outfitted with natural acoustics, the opera house will be joined by a series of smaller facilities including cinemas, libraries, design shops, cafés, and lower-scale concert and theater halls. Commercial units will open along a thoroughfare that spans an annex created by a litany of low-rise volumes that are linked to the main complex through their respective lobbies. A restaurant will crown the design, offering panoramic views of the Bosphorus.