Recently worked with Janis Leonard Design Associates for the new Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMOCA) Lounge space- lounge grand opening is just before Halloween – October 28.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, image courtesy Janis Leonard Design Associates | Photo by Tim Lanterman

A redesign of existing gallery space- the client needed an area that would serve to contrast yet mirror the modernity of the art on the walls, provide a place for monthly screenings of independent film and give patrons and visitors an “escape,” from their surrounds…a neutral red zone if you will… The premise was the undulation of a wave- a curvature of hung, painted wooden pallets clashing into the rectilinear room – being beneath the wave arouses a powerful tension and energy, curiosity and wonder.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, image courtesy Janis Leonard Design Associates | Photo by Tim Lanterman

Budget was tight, and met with innovative use of material in an unconventional manner, for example, the chairs, the “sofas,” tables, bar and ceiling were made of wooden shipping pallets.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, image courtesy Janis Leonard Design Associates | Photo by Tim Lanterman

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, image courtesy Janis Leonard Design Associates | Photo by Tim Lanterman

+ Project Credits

Principal and head Designer: Janis Leonard, Janis Leonard Design Associates LLC, Scottsdale AZ | www.janisleonarddesign.com
Project Assistant (and model): Effie Bouras, Mechanik Design Office (MDO) (www.mechanikllc.com)
Photo Credit: Tim Lanterman

BIG wins an invited competition to renovate and extend an existing 1960′s concrete warehouse situated in a Basel industrial district which is being transformed into an alternative Arts District.

The stacking of two complimentary structures – one on top of the other – has generated a new take on the typology of the communal courtyard. Where the typical residential courtyard finds itself incarcerated by walls of program, the roofyards of the Transitlager combine the tranquility and communal space of the courtyard with the sunlight and panoramic views of the penthouse. A penthouse for the people.

Bjarke Ingels, Partner and Founder, BIG

Transitlager, render © BIG

Transitlager, render © BIG

Located in Basel's upcoming Dreispitz neighborhood, which is envisioned as an attractive and inviting urban quarter in Herzog de Meuron’s master plan from 2003, the existing 18.000 m2 “Transitlager” built in the late 1960s is to be renovated and extended by up to 7.000 m2 for residential and arts related purposes. The development is undertaken by Basel-based real estate group Nüesch Development for the Christoph Merian Foundation with the assistance of the UBS investment company Balintra AG. The winning entry which included engineers Bollinger Grohmann and HL Technik was chosen among proposals from Harry Gugger Studio and Lacaton Vassal among others.

Transitlager, render © BIG

Transitlager, render © BIG

The Transitlager's surrounding industrial area is characterized by the geometries of infrastructures – the intersecting railways, loading docks and turning radiuses that weave through the city and create a puzzle of linear buildings with pointy corners and staggered façade lines into an untraditional and adventurous urban area consisting of galleries, restaurants and creative businesses. The iconic character of the existing Transitlager, its generous surrounding public spaces, and connection to the city's botanical garden makes the building a natural focal point of the Arts District. By re-programming and extending the former warehouse into a multifunctional series of floors for various uses, BIG proposes a cross breed of art, commerce, working and living. Two distinct buildings on top of each other form a mixed-use hybrid with activity and life 24 hours a day.

Diagrams of Transitlager, drawing © BIG

We propose a transformation of the Transitlager that builds on the industrial logic of the existing building and of the surrounding area. The extension doubles the size of the Transitlager and becomes an opposite twin – based on the same structure, but with a different geometry. The combined building becomes a spectrum of optimal conditions: From open and flexible plans to tailor made units, public programs to private residences, vibrant urban space to peaceful green gardens and from cool industrial to warm and refined.

Andreas Klok Pedersen, Partner, BIG

The wide dimensions of the former warehouse, the mix of programs, the structural limits and the sun orientation creates a typology that is neither point house nor slab – a folded geometry adapted to the specifics of the existing structure and optimized for daylight and views. The staggered edge and pointy ends echoes the geometries of the industrial buildings of the neighborhood, creating a surprising familiarity with the heterogeneous surroundings.

Transitlager, image © BIG

Stripped from existing interior walls, the 60's era structure offers flexible open plans and an exceptional high quality of concrete work. BIG proposes an extension that with a minimum of intervention, creates a maximum of programmatic diversity and feasibility. By keeping the interior finishing sparse, and installations simple we propose a building tailored for creative businesses, ateliers and workshops. We propose a building with a simple and economical material palette optimized for both artistic work and classy luxury.

+ ABOUT BIG

BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group is a leading international partnership of architects, designers, builders and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research and development. The office is currently involved in a large number of projects throughout Europe, North America and Asia. BIG's architecture emerges out of a careful analysis of how contemporary life constantly evolves and changes, not least due to the influence of multicultural ex¬change, global economic flows and communication technologies that together require new ways of architectural and urban organiza¬tion. BIG is led by partners – Bjarke Ingels, Andreas Klok Pedersen, Finn Nørkjær, David Zahle, Jakob Lange, Thomas Christoffersen and Managing Partners, Sheela Maini Søgaard and Kai-Uwe Bergmann – with offices in Copenhagen and New York. In all our actions we try to move the focus from the little details to the BIG picture.

+ ABOUT NÜESCH DEVELOPMENT

Nüesch Development is an independent service provider committed to innovative real estate development. Their strategic objectives focus on the development of future-oriented, sustainable real estate projects, with economically optimized utilization concepts, which meet highest urban design demands.

+ All images and drawings courtesy BIG

The Walk-in cinema inside SALT Beyoglu building is almost a cul-de-sac attached to Istiklal Street, one of the most important pedestrian zones of Istanbul. As the name also suggests, this is an open space which is connected to the Istiklal street via the ground area of the building. The lack of any doors makes the space a real open space and at the same time signifies the openness to any idea that will be shared within. In this context, the institution's major aim to become a flexible space open to any kind of intervention has almost been realized in this walk-in cinema space. The cul-de-sac concept also enhances this situation since dead-end streets offers infinite possibilities. This space tends to become a flexible area which changes its functions according to time and its users.

Walk-in Cinema, image courtesy Suyabatmaz Demirel architects

Walk-in Cinema, image courtesy Suyabatmaz Demirel architects

The surface material used in the walk-in space has been chosen as the same material of the forum area, which resembles the stone surface of the Istiklal street. This enables the visitors to suddenly find themselves inside the walk-in cinema while wandering inside the building's ground floor. The slightly raised ramp at the end of the forum area lets the visitors to drop by into a more concentrated space. This impromptu space dictates nothing to its users. Visitors may watch either by sitting or standing and they are free to come by or leave whenever they want, even in the middle of the event taking place on the stage or on the screen.

Walk-in Cinema, image courtesy Suyabatmaz Demirel architects

Walk-in Cinema, image courtesy Suyabatmaz Demirel architects

The seating units may move horizontally on rails and thus the whole space may suddenly becomes a street-scape with irregular seating arrangements rather than a rigid auditorium. With this transformation, space is defined once again and the movements of the users become visible. People entering or leaving the area become part of the performance just like an event occurring in a street. Sometimes the seating units become surfaces which may be leaned against while the ground becomes a seating area. The endless combination of arrangements enable the users to create their own seating and watching positions and their engagement with the event.

Walk-in Cinema, image courtesy Suyabatmaz Demirel architects

+ About

Suyabatmaz Demirel Architects

Istanbul based architecture office Suyabatmaz Demirel was first founded by architect Arif Suyabatmaz in 1995 when he returned from Vienna to Istanbul. After working together with different architects in Vienna, Suyabatmaz established his own practice in Istanbul while teaching in Yildiz Technical University as a studio instructor. He was also one of the founders of Bilgi University Graduate Program in Architectural Design program.

In 2008, Hakan Demirel, a graduate of Yildiz Technical University School of Architecture, returned to Istanbul after finishing his studies in New York and formed a partnership together with Arif Suyabatmaz and the office name hence changed to Suyabatmaz Demirel.

Suyabatmaz Demirel's works focus mostly on residential, commercial and office spaces and the scale range varies from single houses to high-density residential blocks or from single commercial units to shopping complexes. The austere and rich architectural language formed by delicate choices of materials, colors and details enable the office to create distinct spatial experiences even for conventional functions. Suyabatmaz Demirel sees each project as a research opportunity while questioning the conventional clichés and carry on their productions within this framework.

In spite of its short history, Suyabatmaz Demirel Architects had been awarded by many architectural and property award organizations. Among those, Gunesli Tower project awarded in 2010 MIPIM AR Future Project category, Gunesli Residences and Ekopark Istanbul projects awarded as "highly commanded" in 2010 Cityscape Dubai, METU Student Center and TAO Office Tower besides Gunesli Tower, Ekopark Istanbul awarded in 2011 European Property Awards may be counted. In 2011 office partner Hakan Demirel has been selected as one of the most successful young architects of Europe by the "Europe 40 Under 40" awards organized by The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, together with The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.

Another partner of the office, Leyla Suyabatmaz, founded RAMPA Art Gallery in 2010 in Istanbul and thus contemporary art production and exhibition spaces became the secondary interest fields of the office.

Murat Arif Suyabatmaz, image courtesy Suyabatmaz Demirel architects

Murat Arif Suyabatmaz

Suyabatmaz, was born in 1963 in Istanbul and graduated from private Istanbul German High School in 1982. He pursued his professional education in Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Faculty of Architecture until 1988. He started his postgraduate studies but before completing them, he moved to Vienna, and continued his studies in Vienna Technical University. Between 1988 and 1995, he worked in several architectural offices with many architects in Vienna including Prof.Wilheim Holzbauer. After returning to Istanbul in 1995, he established his own offise as Suyabatmaz Architects. During his practice, he also taught in Yildiz Technical University school of architecture as a studio instructor. In 2004 together with his colleauges he founded the Master's Program in Architectural Design at Bilgi University and worked there as a studio instructor. In 2008 he partnered with Hakan Demirel and founded Suyabatmaz Demirel Architects.

Hakan Demirel, image courtesy Suyabatmaz Demirel architects

Hakan Demirel

Hakan Demirel was born in 1983 in Malatya. After graduating from Malatya High School in 2001 he started his professional education at Yildiz Technical University, Faculty of Architecture in Istanbul. He attended several national and international competitions and workshops during his education and became the owner of several awards. In 2006 he graduated from Yildiz Technical University in 2006. He took place as a jury at diploma selection committee at the same university, and moderator at Betonart Architecture summer school in 2007. For his further studies he lived in New York between 2007-2008. Upon his return from New York, he formed a partnership with Arif Suyabatmaz in 2008 and now he is working in Suyabatmaz Demirel Architects as a practicing professional architect.

Leyla Suyabatmaz

Leyla Suyabatmaz was born in Istanbul in 1966. After her graduation from Istanbul Robert College in 1984, she went to Rhode Island School of Design where she was given the Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1989. In 1992 she organized the highly influential "Istanbul Architecture Conferences". In 1997 established Ela Design Store in 1997. Together with Arif Suyabatmaz and her colleagues she founded the Master's Program in Architectural Design at Bilgi University in 2004. In 2010 she established the contemporary art gallery, RAMPA in Istanbul. Currently she is directing RAMPA and since 1993 she is also a board member of ENKA Foundation.

+ All images and drawings courtesy Suyabatmaz Demirel Architects