Berlin, Istanbul, and Los Angeles-based architecture practice Salon Alper Derinbogaz has released a book, exploring the idea of “empathy with the earth”.
The book, titled Geospaces, is a 224-page book that unfolds the relationship of essential components of the earth, topography, geology with the use of technology in architecture.
Salon founder Alper Derinboğaz, who believes in the continuous relationship between topography and architecture, states that in some cases a deeper connection should be established between the context of topography and the cultural context.
According to the architect, the idea should infuse in all geological layers of the site as well as the building.
Published by Actar Publishers in September 2022, the book is presented as an extended visual essay of ideas, images, drawings, and projects, focusing on the work of Alper Derinboğaz over the past decade.
Introduced with a foreword by architect and critic Luca Molinari, he wrote that “we find ourselves within a circualr condition in which every living being influences the formation of the lands we inhabit.”
“In this context, the architectural project is entrustes with a greater responsibility than merely negotiating relations between resources, sustainability and future habitats.”
“This further sensitivity that is required is evident in the work of new regeneration that both local and international, disenchanted with the neo-capitalist aim of globalisation, whilst conscious of its own role in the contexts within which it operates,” Molinari wrote.
The book also presents an essay by Graham Harman, a philosopher, academic and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Liberal Arts Program Coordinator at SCI-Arc.
In his essay, titled Selective Permeability In Architecture, Harman discussed the theory of object-oriented ontology (OOO), a theory that reinterrogates of the human existence over the existence of non-human entities, like things, animals, and other non-human entities. Graham brings this emphasis in relation to the studio’s approach.
“At frst glance this might sound like the exact opposite of the views of object-oriented ontology (OOO). Isn’t OOO a theory of objects inso far as they are not in connection with each other, hidden in formalist autonomy from all relationships?,” Harman wrote in the book.
“This question is a misunderstanding. OOO does insist that we consider the autonomous status of entities in their own right, as something separate from all of their connections with other things.”
“This is simply OOO’s effort to establish that objects cannot be reduced to the sum total of their effects (or even possible effects) on other objects,” he wrote.
The book is divided into four main sections; Earth Shapes, Iterations, Evolutions and Future Hybrids.
Under each section, the book features a selection of projects of Salon, such as Villa Topos in Turkey, Kuori in Finland, a flexible and post-pandemic workspace Ecotone in Istanbul, Fitas Passage adaptive re-use project in Istanbul and the Istanbul City Museum project.
In his book, Derinboğaz traces relationships between topography, geology, genetics, ecologies, and construction technologies, arguing that a hybrid approach to making will shape our future habitats.
“Understanding the city as a habitat, we propose that flexible, hybrid technologies of making can shape a common urban and architectural language that constitutes a new nature,” stated the book.
“In practicality, site often dictates the from of buildings, whether through available materials and construction methods, structural needs such as soil composition and earthquake risk, or cultural conditions such as the social significance of a particular landscape,” it added.
Salon, led by Alper Derinboğaz, is an internationally-renowned architecture studio. Based in Istanbul and Berlin, the practice has recently opened an office in Los Angeles.
The studio is known for its award-winning projects such as Museum of Istanbul, pandemic-resistant office design Ecotone and zero-emission Villa Topos.
Alper Derinbogaz was awarded the 2019 Europe 40 Under 40 Award, organized by the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
More recently, Alper Derinboğaz will launching his new book, Geospaces, at AIA New York on Wednesday, February 15, 2023.
The book-launch event will also host a panel discussion with Derinboğaz, alongside Ferda Kolatan, Michael Young, and Ariane Harrison on how buildings can be seen as iterations of nature rather than artificial objects.
You can join online or in person at the AIA New York Center for Architecture. Register to the event from here.
After the tragic earthquake disaster in Turkey on February 6, the office announced that the proceeds from Geospaces book sales during the event will be donated to earthquake victims in Turkey.
If you would like to be a part of this support, you could purchase the Geospaces book or donate to the following non-profit organizations such as AHBAP or Turkish Philanthropy Funds.
Salon Alper Derinbogaz is known one of the best emerging young architects and designers. The design philosophy of the studio is based on hybrid design process techniques and combines research and practice in his innovative projects.
Book facts
Name of the book: Geospaces
Publication Date: December, 2022
Publisher: Actar Publishers
Work by: Alper Derinboğaz
Foreword: Luca Molinari
Guest Writer: Graham Harman
Editor: Emmy Bacharach
Design: Hazal Özkaya, Ceren Abay
Creative Direction: Furkan Temir, Hazal Özkaya
Special thanks to: Anna Masello, Anja Visini, Bahar Türkay, Blaine Brownell, Di̇lek Öztürk, Debora Vella, Edipcan Yıldız, Emre Taş, Enise Derinboğaz, Kutan Ayata, Laura Pedata, Loris Rossi, Ma Yansong, Marcelyn Gow, Nicola Cherubini, Refik Anadol, Reinier de Graaf, Simona Finessi, Sinan Logie
Photography of the book: Hazal Özkaya, Ceren Abay
First Edition: Printed in Istanbul November 2022
All images courtesy of Salon Alper Derinboğaz.
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