Architecture & Cultural Tour of Istanbul's Halic Waterway

GAD explores the historical architecture of the Golden Horn – Haliç waterway of Istanbul. Gokhan Avicoglu, architect Ferda Kolatan and architecture critic Gokhan Karakus of the GAD Foundation on board the Nisque boat. They first attend the annual Greek Orthodox ritual commemorating the Greek Orthodox Christmas period and Epiphany on January 7, 2021. This ritual is where the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I throws a wooden cross into the Golden Horn and swimmers try to retrieve the cross to receive the blessing of the Patriarch. Next the team sails to the Halicport project to inspect the renovated waterfront buildings that were previously the Turkish Navy shipyards and drydocks. Today this area is being reprogrammed as tourism, retail and exhibition area. The GAD Foundation team discuss the implications of organizing the Istanbul Architectural Biennial here on Istanbul’s waterfront. Next, the Nisque navigate towards the mouth of the Golden Horn to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Drydocks. Ferda Kolatan of the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design has undertaken a series of studios with his Master's students in the 2019-2021 academic years. Kolatan describes his approach to architectural fictions created through the inspiration of the existing historical deposits of these dry docks into new architectural fictions for the 21st century. Lastly, the crew sail through the Bosphorus to GAD’s completed Divan Kurucesme event space for Koc Holding completed in 2021 to inspect GAD architectural design that brings the 18th and 19th architecture into contemporary use.