Hello everyone,
I am writing this article on the last day of 2022, with curiosity of the surprises that 2023 will bring us. In the new year, we will start an adventure full of architectural discoveries with you in this column of the ARTTMODERNMIAMI
newspaper. I am very happy and excited to be involved in this new beginning. Shall we meet before we start our adventure?
As you can understand from the title of contemporary architecture with Simin, I am a young architect full of ideas. After completing my education life in Milan, Domus Academy, I can describe myself as an architect who quickly entered sectoral life. I started my business life by working in architectural offices both in Milan and Turkey. But since college, it was our dream and main goal to open an office with my current partner, who was then a schoolmate. We took the first step towards realizing this dream by participating in architectural competitions and getting positive results. About a year and a half ago, we established Kanopi Architecture.
As my article coincides with the beginning of 2023, I will share with you what we will encounter in the New Year, in architecture, and in the design areas we live in. You may have heard its name a lot so far, but I would like to talk about a term that will become a part of our lives in 2023, beyond hearing its name. Sustainability will appear more and more in the new year, on the way to becoming a concept that is included in the design and shapes our lives, rather than just a word.
Zero Waste lifestyle is no longer just product-oriented but is realized on a larger scale. The zero waste approach has begun to reflect on the designs of the spaces we spend our lives in.
I would like to talk about a place that caught my attention recently. Silo Restaurant in London was designed with this perspective. Every architectural element that you can see and touch around you in Silo Restaurant is made of
recyclable materials. The vegetative part of mushrooms is used in the material of the lamps that illuminate the dining table. This is a place that reflects that there is room for different possibilities in contrast to the concept of
consumption-oriented areas such as dining. However, in the smallest detail, it shows us in the design of the place that mushrooms are not just for use in food. How about enjoying your mushroom risotto on a table illuminated by a mushroom lamp?
Making dynamic and moving elements the main part of the design is the most important step for a sustainable space. Products that can be easily installed and removed after completing their purpose and can be brought back to life to serve again in a different place minimize the waste rate in the design.
In large areas such as theater design, using elements such as movable seats that exist during the task it undertakes and can be removed later on allows us to use the created space in different possibilities.
In an age where everything is easily consumed and trends change within minutes, the idea of adapting to every moment and place to be sustainable can be challenging. Are you ready to challenge the age of consumption with
sustainable designs, among the goals we want to achieve in the New Year?
Wishing you a dynamic and active year,
Simin Pakakar
Co-founder of Kanopi Architecture
Istanbul, Türkiye
Instagram: @kanopimimarlik
References:
https://silolondon.com/
https://huitetdemi.fr/projet/salle-de-spectacle-polyvalente-de-st-remy-de-
provence/
