The Istanbul City Museum, which was commissioned by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, is planning to tell the 8,000 year story of the Turkish city.
The 38,000 square metre development is designed as a "centre of attraction reflecting the past, the present as well as the future situations of the city".
The project, based in the Topkapi palace museum, was designed by Salon Architects, and is intended to give the impression of "being carved out of a solid mass" with a "low profile that communicates but also avoids any hierarchical competition with the historic walls nearby".
A 100m-long facade made of anodised metal and glass will cover the structure.
The museum hopes to mirror the "qualities of the Istanbul topography separated by the sea" and contains a courtyard which can accommodate open air performances as well as exhibition spaces, a library, children’s workshop, showroom, activity areas, restaurants, cafes and a temporary exhibition hall.
It will contain museum offices and a conservation and restoration laboratory.
Images courtesy of Salon Architects