Urban Project and Architectural Project from Turkey, Emre Arolat ArchitectsGizem Bulbul

Office Profile

Emre Arolat Architects was founded in May 2004 by Emre Arolat and Gonca Paşolar in Istanbul, as the continuation of Emre Arolat’s architectural practices which he started at Arolat Architects as an associate designer in 1987. Arolat Architects was founded in 1961 and the group has drawn significant professional experience from regular contributions to architectural competitions and executed significant housing, tourism facilities, leisure centers, administrative buildings and sports grounds projects. The practice is being continued with the same range of projects in EAA-Emre Arolat Architects with the contributions of other partners, Neşet Arolat, Şaziment Arolat, Sezer Bahtiyar and a professional architectural staff in its office in Istanbul.

Urban Design Project: Izmit Industrial Heritage Site Urban Renewal Project, 2010

İzmit, TurkeyEAA Emre Arolat Architects

İZMİT INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT RENOVATION PROJECT

Seka Cellulose and Paper Factory, is one of the first complexes built as part of the industrialization activities performed by the government in early Republican Period. Seka Paper Factory which increased its capacity till 1980s in the area bordered by the D-100 freeway on the north, the gulf and the Marmara Sea in the south, became unable to compete with the private paper producers in 90s and closed in 2005. After the shut down, the existing Seka estate’s all stuctural items from building reserves to circulation areas wore off.

The Seka Factory which is has been a stepping stone for Kocaeli; one of Turkey’s most important industrial cities today, to industrialize, is also important as it is the first project prepared for the recontribution of early Republican Period industrial facilities to urban life.Regarding the potential of the land of both Kocaeli and Seka Factory as a whole, the only way that the city can contribute to the factory land and the factory land to the city is to redesign this as part of the city and toreopen this facility endlessly to the city.Seka Factory, has a physically important potential in the city. Because it is located in the city center and in the sea shore, it will be highly accessible with a systematical transportation and it will improve the citizen-water relationship in the city of Kocaeli where city-shore connection is weak.The fact that the region is an archeologically protected area and has a lot of certified factory buildings facilitates to make it a focus point for the city evaluating the whole area culturally, archeologically and as natural heritage. It has the quality of both being an activiy area in the urban area that large organizations can occur as well as an urban park with its green texture.

The multi-purpose room that will house events like large meetings, introductions and celebrations, The mediatech which will be an attraction point for the young educated population of the city, Experimental Archeology Area Service Building which will wittness the rich archeological past of the city, Institute Buildings which will help corporations reach their improvement goals that the city has set upon itself based upon innovation, studios, lodging facilities and a city museum that will be themed upon Kocaeli and Seka, will create the dynamic tension. Moreover,considering the inner dynamics of the factory area and the Seka Park Project that has been built on the shore as a whole, the improvement of the existing exercise areas will create the urban dynamicism again like it used to back when it founded and be a second trigger for the city.

Cultural Project: Eyup Municipality Marriage Hall, 2006

Istanbul, TurkeyEAA Emre Arolat Architects

EYUP MUNICIPALITY MARRIAGE HALL, 2006The Marriage Hall project which was designed upon request of Eyup Municipality, has been considered as a kind of structural landscape component combining the level difference between the pedestrian way and the sea with a walking ramp on the waterfront of Golden Horn, in Eyup. With its composition that has been located between the platforms at different levels and its scenario that compose the various functions of marriage hall as the component of structural landscape as mentioned before, due to its user potential and the requirements program, the project has a special place among the cultural and public projects of EAA-Emre Arolat Architects.

General view of the building From the outside

Inside

Design strategy:

Urban structure Road Site The Golden Horn