Alexis Şanal will assume the Droga residency in February.
Image: Australian Institute of Architects
Alexis Şanal, of Istanbul-based practice Şanalarc, will travel to Australia for the Australian Institute of Architects Foundation’s 2018 Droga Architect in Residence in February 2018.
Raised in Los Angeles, Şanal co-founded the “knowledge-centric” architecture and design practice Şanalarc with Murat Şanal in 2002.
The practice specializes in civic and civil architecture, city design and research. Among its past projects are the Şişhane Park in Istanbul, which buried a 1,000-space car park and transit hub beneath a landscaped public park.
Now in its fourth year, the Droga residency invites international architects to participate in a three-month-long program encouraging the exploration of new approaches, the exchange of ideas and international collaboration. The program is named after cultural philanthropist and supporter of the Institute Daniel Droga, who gifted his Durbach Block Jaggers-designed apartment in Sydney’s Surry Hills for use during the residency.
Commencing in February, Şanal’s 11-week residency will include three to four studio workshops, and a similar number of public talks, arranged in collaboration with city and cultural institutions across the country.
In her research statement, Şanal said she was interested in using her Australian trip to investigate ideas about public marketplaces built on past research into Istanbul’s open-air neighbourhood markets.
“Open markets are as pertinent to contemporary architecture and city-making in program, construct, community, even iconic identity as permanent civic and civil structures like museums, public libraries or entertainment centres,” she explained.
“Open one-day markets are ubiquitous across civilizations and geographies. Australia, being both the most ancient and [among the] youngest civilization[s], is an interesting platform to further our thesis.
“The design inquiry process will emphasize the important movements of spontaneous [DIY and tactical urbanism] design as an inspirational source for formal architecture as slow city making.”
“To focus our survey of global markets, Australian cities will be a laboratory in terms of specific open market’s architecture as well as investigate the city’s open-market as a whole and their integration into the public realm system and circulation networks.”
Şanal follows the most recent recipients of the residency, architect Martin Ostermann and designer Lena Kleinheinz of Berlin-based practice Magma Architecture, and previous residents Mexican-Canadian academic and architect Alberto Pérez-Gómez, American designer and urbanist Liz Ogbu, Finnish architect and Pritzker Architecture Prize judge Juhani Pallasmaa and emerging British architect Nick Wood.
