Augmented Structures

Augmented Structures is a façade installation project that brings together the fields of architecture, mathematics and visual arts.

It is dedicated to the flows on İstiklâl Street (Grand Rue de Pera), a significant social axis of Istanbul. Located in the very center of this axis, there is a public square that witnesses a great amount and a diverse range of passersby and activities everyday. It serves as the cultural center of the city and has never lost its popularity and diversity throughout the centuries.

The project takes place on the façade of the Yapı Kredi Art and Culture Center, which has played a dominant role in the history of the street. On the other hand, the evolving and ever-changing character of the street has always been a problem for YKK, as well as other institutions needing to calibrate themselves with the current context and new developments.

The Augmented Structures project questions the possibility of continuous evolution in architecture and the correlations between the static tectonics of architecture and dynamic new media. In this sense, the project aims for depth and densification in a single surface using contemporary “materials”.

The façade project begins with understanding the essence of the context using a set of contemporary tools, including data mapping technics. To achieve this goal, the sound of the street is transformed into an extension of the physical space and introduced as tangible forms, such as a new façade structure and a dynamic visual occurrence. Therefore Augmented Structures is a form of architecture in a continuous process of development, change and transformation.