RISD ARCH. DIGITAL BUNNY LOUNGE

Istanbul: Maps, Stories, and Buildings

Gabriel Feld, Professor of Architecture, returned recently from a trip to Turkey with 12 students who are participating in his current studio titled “Istanbul: Maps, Stories, and Buildings”. Gabriel and his group had the good fortune to connect with RISD alumni  Basak Oymen BArch ‘97, Leyla Tara BArch ‘89, Mert Yilmaz BArch ‘00 and Fatos Diplan ‘82 BFA/BArch ‘83. These generous alumni, in addition to guiding the group around Istanbul,  arranged a boat trip along the Bosporus, a visit to Bursa–the first capital of the Ottoman Empire and linchpin of the Silk Road, a special visit of the restoration site of the Suleimaniye Mosque (the greatest Sinan work in Istanbul) that has been closed for years, including a ride to the top of the scaffolding (more than 120 feet above the ground) where they literally touched the dome with their fingertips and climbed the stairs of the tallest minaret to take in  breathtaking views of Istanbul all the way to the Asian side. The group was joined for a time by Elizabeth Grossman, Architecture History Professor Emerita, and Baruch Kirschenbaum, Professor Emeritus and former Dean of Liberal Arts, whose independent visit to Itanbul happily coincided with the group.

Thanks to the amazing good will from RISD alumni in Istanbul, the RISD students gained a much richer knowledge of the city, its history and challenges for the future.  Now that the students are back on campus, they will develop architecture projects that capitalize on what they’ve learned after studying Istanbul “in the flesh”.

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