A look behind the scenes In the centre of the “Heritage Wall” visitors can view the Gaggenau oven in detail from all directions.
centre of the Turkish fi nancial and economic sector. Büyükdere Caddesi, a broad avenue lined with skyscrapers sheathed in refl ecting glass, is this business district’s main artery. Yalman is delighted with the showroom’s location. The residential tower is not only an innovative work of architecture but also something of a revolution for Istanbul. “For a long time, luxury residential complexes were only built on the periphery of Istanbul,” says the architect Murat Tabanlıoğlu. “But today the city is expanding in every direction, and people’s commutes are becoming longer all the time.” The city has long awaited a centrally located residential complex, because many of its 18 million inhabitants spend a good two hours every day in rush-hour traffi c jams. The Tabanlıoğlu architectural practice has already designed numerous luxury residences and shopping centres in Istanbul and is also responsible for the city’s museum of modern art, the Istanbul Modern. Tabanlıoğlu has combined all of his experience in catering to diff erent areas of life — living, shopping and enjoying culture — in the Istanbul Sapphire. When visitors emerge from the Istanbul Sapphire’s own underground station, they fi nd themselves in a public square that connects with an elegant shopping mall and a modern hotel. The lifts to the higher fl oors of the tower, which has been specially secured against earthquakes, are reserved for the residents (and guests of Gaggenau), who thus gain exclusive access to facilities such as a pitch and putt course, a swimming-pool landscape and a business centre. The studio and duplex apartments have between 120 and 447 square metres of fl oor space, and the penthouses off er 1,<strong>10</strong>0 square metres. Only the express lift, which goes to the observation platform on the 65th fl oor, is open to all visitors. Istanbul has been the capital of three empires, and it’s the only major city that extends across two continents. The two suspension bridges that span the Bosporus therefore also bear a huge symbolic burden as well as an average of 350,000 vehicles per day. “An old, ring-covered hand stretching out towards Europe” is how Jean Cocteau once described Istanbul, summing up many Europeans’ scepticism regarding the Orient. Fortunately, today the Occident’s sense of superiority has disappeared. After all, the urban “hand” that is Istanbul remains agelessly beautiful and is continually decorating itself with <strong>new</strong> jewels. The Gaggenau showroom, which was designed by the architect Hendrik Müller, has also become a jewel. This generously proportioned apartment on the 32nd fl oor off ers facilities for every purpose. For example, there’s a large fully equipped kitchen where Yalman prepares her delicacies and visitors can experience at fi rst hand all the functions of the Gaggenau appliances. There’s a conference area and a large lounge area for casual gatherings. In this living room, a minimalist geometrical ceiling structure above the seating arrangement echoes the dome-centred aesthetics of Islamic architecture. The border around its interior is decorated with an Oriental symbol of prosperity. Individual decorative elements in this presentation of modern design and high-tech kitchen infrastructure remind visi- tors of a special aspect of the long history of German-Turkish interaction. Openings in a wall panelled with century-old wood from the Black Forest reveal old prints, documents and photos that illustrate the history of Gaggenau. Incidentally, the company was already exporting its ovens to Istanbul in the 19th century. The industrious workers and pretty young women from the Black Forest who came to the Bosporus at the turn of the century even appear in the fi rst modern Turkish novels, which were written during that era. In the centre of the “Heritage Wall” visitors can take a look behind the scenes of Gaggenau’s current production: here the separate elements of the Gaggenau oven, down to the oven door, can be seen behind Plexiglas in precise detail. Ebru Yalman carries a tray with glasses of Champagne out onto the garden terrace, a feature that is part of all 187 apartments in the tower complex. The tower has a double façade, and in the space between the two façades there is room for gardens and terraces. The kitchen in the Gaggenau showroom is in use every single evening. Yalman’s appointment calendar is full of business meetings and product presentations, and it often happens that one of the residents of the Istanbul Sapphire simply wants to enjoy her culinary expertise. The concept of an open showroom that can be booked by the tower’s residents even after normal business hours for events and relaxing evenings is just right for the mixture of exclusiveness, awareness of time and place, and stunning dynamics of the city and its <strong>new</strong> jewel, the Istanbul Sapphire. It’s a magical place. ¤ Further Information www.istanbulsapphire.com/en/index.html An inviting concept The tower’s residents can book the Gaggenau showroom for their events. Inside Gaggenau 13
Change language