Taksim Square Sculptural Gate Gezi Park, Turkey Installation Development, Turkish Architecture, Architect

Taksim Square Sculptural Gate

Installation Development Turkey, site of Gezi Park protests – design by GAD Architecture

21 Nov 2014

Taksim Square Sculptural Gate, Istanbul

Location: Taksim, Istanbul, Turkey

Design: GAD Architecture

Istanbul’s Taksim Square features sculptural gate by GAD Architecture

A modular sculptural installation, designed by award-winning Istanbul and New York based architectural practice GAD Architecture, has been recently featured in Istanbul’s famous Taksim Square during Istanbul Design Week.

Being the site of the Gezi Park protests in May 2013, Taksim Square is considered as one of the most political places in Turkey’s modern history and controversial plans for its pedestrianisation are still being subject to national debate.

GAD Architecture has developed a highly experimental approach, which led the practice to embrace the latest technological advancements. Using Stefan Wolfram’s software “Mathematica”, 3D printing technology played a crucial role in the conception and design process of the Serra Gate, where the final geometry has been converted into urban furniture. Featuring lightweight steel horizontal bearers and vertical panels, the angular organisation of the structural elements amplifies the focal point of the gate.

The structure has been inspired by the work of the American minimalist sculptor Richard Serra, known for his ground-breaking sculptures, which explore the exchange between artwork, site, and viewer. Serra Gate is primarily defined as a piece of construction. GAD Architecture team looked into the structural pieces that have an artistic value in their nature. The aim of the installation is to create inspiration through constructional interfaces.

Gokhan Avcioglu, Principal at GAD Architecture, says:
“We are delighted that Serra Gate has been featured in Taksim, one of the most important squares of Istanbul. Being a ground-breaking structure, Serra Gate will make the residents of Istanbul question how public spaces have been defined by urban interventions.”

Serra Gate was first exhibited in 2013 in the courtyard outside the Esma Sultan, a historic building located on the shores of the Bosphorus in Istanbul and also renovated by GAD Architecture & Gokhan Avcioglu in 2000.

The installation’s next destination will be Halic Port and it is planned to be featured in different neighbourhoods in Istanbul throughout 2015.

Photography © AlpEren

Taksim Square Sculptural Gate image / information from GAD Architecture

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