AKM — Atatürk Kültür Merkezi

The Atatürk Cultural Center stands at the edge of Taksim Square in Istanbul, redesigned by Tabanlioglu Architects and reopened in 2021 as Turkey's principal opera, theatre, and concert hall. The interior is organised around a monumental atrium — a glazed civic room facing the square — where a spiralling wood-clad ramp ascends alongside the opera house volume, clad in thousands of hand-glazed red ceramic tiles. Travertine, oak, and crystal work in concert to produce a space that is simultaneously grand and intimate.