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The Santral Istanbul is a massive and important example of post industrial adaptive reuse in Istanbul. Bilgi University is working to conserve and renovate the 118,000 square meter site of the Silahtaraga powerplant, which was the 1st and largest power plant in the history of the Ottoman Empire. The plant retired in 1983, and the Santral opened in Sept. of last year, now hosting a variety of artistic and cultural venues.
The engine room is now, predictably, an Energy Museum, open to the public. The interactive installations are nicely done and suited to the cave like architectural spaces below the engines. They demonstrate how electricity is conducted and energy produced.
The control room. Beautiful modernist/deco-ish design. This power plant is truly one of the more beautiful I have seen- much attention was given to detail in the original designs, such as the tiled floors, views from the control room, colors and layout.
The campus/museum grounds are enlivened with installations, student activity and interaction with the public.
The modern art museum (on the left, above), seems irreverent to the historical buildings at first glance, but the modern elements are carefully woven throughout the site (like the concrete stairway/platform on the right), which eases the transitions betweent the two. Below, a sculpture piece in the new museum.
This small, yellow shed has been sensitively restored in order to serve as a small gallery. I admire how well the old architecture has been re-crafted to serve the function of displaying artwork. Soon I will post the plans, which explain flow and focus throughout the rooms- to the affect of making the space feel much larger than it is.
The engine room is now, predictably, an Energy Museum, open to the public. The interactive installations are nicely done and suited to the cave like architectural spaces below the engines. They demonstrate how electricity is conducted and energy produced.
The control room. Beautiful modernist/deco-ish design. This power plant is truly one of the more beautiful I have seen- much attention was given to detail in the original designs, such as the tiled floors, views from the control room, colors and layout.
The campus/museum grounds are enlivened with installations, student activity and interaction with the public.
The modern art museum (on the left, above), seems irreverent to the historical buildings at first glance, but the modern elements are carefully woven throughout the site (like the concrete stairway/platform on the right), which eases the transitions betweent the two. Below, a sculpture piece in the new museum.
This small, yellow shed has been sensitively restored in order to serve as a small gallery. I admire how well the old architecture has been re-crafted to serve the function of displaying artwork. Soon I will post the plans, which explain flow and focus throughout the rooms- to the affect of making the space feel much larger than it is.
