‘istanbul disaster prevention + education center’ by superunion architects, istanbul, turkey all images courtesy of superunion architect
norwegian practice superunion architects have created an entry for the istanbul disaster prevention and education center competition.
located in a void between the city and airport, the site has no historical or contemporary significance.
the flat surface seemed to be lacking community and definition which is why the architecture firm decided to create
a building that bordered on art.
located in a void between the city and airport, the site has no historical or contemporary significance.
the flat surface seemed to be lacking community and definition which is why the architecture firm decided to create
a building that bordered on art.
elevated off the ground by columns, steps, and a statue which appears to be lifting the front end of the structure
loosely based on the ‘atlas’ statue by lee lawrie, the dark horizontal form is elevated on individual elements,
one of which is a gold statue of a male figure. this represents mankind and the importance of supporting the collective science.
the floating monolith is sealing and protecting the knowledge and learning needed for preventing future disasters.
one of which is a gold statue of a male figure. this represents mankind and the importance of supporting the collective science.
the floating monolith is sealing and protecting the knowledge and learning needed for preventing future disasters.
underneath, a public park creates a community space. the garden has greenery and fountains to bring a natural element
to the surrounding area while the shade from the structure above provides cooling and shelter.
to the surrounding area while the shade from the structure above provides cooling and shelter.
view of building from ground level
fountain shooting water into a mezzanine
interior perspective
model of building
site plan
floor plan / level 0
floor plan / level 1 and level 2
section
space planning diagram
aerial view of model
project info:
status: international competition
program: disaster prevention and education center
program size: 5 000m2
site: 27 000m2
location: istanbul, turkey
client: istanbul metropolitan municipality
team: johanne borthne, vilhelm christensen, pål arnulf trodahl, bjørn andreassen
year: 2011
KEEP UP WITH OUR DAILY AND WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS
istanbul disaster prevention and education centre (5)
Jan 08, 2012
Dec 11, 2011
Dec 04, 2011
Dec 02, 2011superunion architects (2)
Feb 04, 2026the spiral structure is built from upcycled lantana camara, an invasive shrub introduced to india through colonial trade routes.
connections: +990
designboom discusses this creative boom with stefano boeri, MVRDV's winy maas, christian kerez, beat huesler of oppenheim architecture, and the team at bofill taller de arquitectura.
Jan 20, 2026the proposal draws from a historic english architectural feature composed of alternating curves.
Jan 15, 2026the zando central market redevelopment turns one of the congolese capital’s most vital spaces into an infrastructure for 20,000 vendors.
connections: +1830
