Champions of architecture awarded
Kastamonu Entegre hosted the fourteenth Arkitera Awards ceremony organized by Arkitera Architecture Center this year. The Arkitera Young Architect Award and Client Award were presented at the ceremony held at the KEAS Concept Studio in Kastamonu Entegre headquarters building, which is a signature work produced by Sedad Hakkı Eldem and Hamdi Şensoy.
Kastamonu Entegre, the leading brand in the wood-based panel industry, continues to accomplish works that support the culture of architecture. The Arkitera Awards, organized by Arkitera Architecture Center to honor the qualified productions in the Turkish architecture scene and the names behind this success, were presented to the winners in a ceremony held at the KEAS Concept Studio with the support of Kastamonu Entegre this year. The ceremony for the awards given in the categories of Client and Young Architect witnessed intense interest from guests from architecture, design, art and academia circles.
Speaking at the opening of the ceremony, Kastamonu Entegre Marketing Group Manager Tunç Emre Esin emphasized the importance of sustainability in architecture and design disciplines, and said, “Today, in a period of multiple crises our world is going through from climate to social life, from security to energy, designing sustainable living spaces has become more important than ever. This is why sustainability criteria play a leading role in every new investment decision taken by our corporation, which is the fifth largest manufacturer in the world and the fourth largest in Europe in the wood-based panel industry. We, as all stakeholders of the industry, believe today more than ever that we need to work with a shared wisdom and under the guidance of science for ecologically, economically and socially sustainable structures.’’
Arkitera Client Awards
The Arkitera Client Award, for which the jury includes Boğaçhan Dündaralp, Mehpare Evrenol, Ali Hızroğlu, Emre Torbaoğlu and Sevilay Uğur Çekim and which is given to underline the importance of the client for quality architectural production and to encourage investors to build quality buildings and spaces, was presented in two categories this year, like every year: public sector and private sector.
The winner of the Arkitera Client Award in the Private Sector category was Türkiye İş Bankası with İşbank Painting Sculpture Museum, while the top prize in the public category was presented to Izmir Chamber of Commerce (IZTO) with IzQ Innovation Center and the runner-up prize was presented to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism with Rami Library - National Archive Building and Rami Library Landscape Project. The Jury also presented the Incentive Award, given for the first time this year, to Izmir Metropolitan Municipality for its Pako Social Life Campus for Stray Animals.
Arkitera Young Architect Awards
As part of the Arkitera Young Architect Award that was given for the first time in 2004 to publicize the works and names of young architects and thus to enable them to take further part in architectural production, the top prize was presented to Begüm Bilgin and Caner Bilgin, partners at Bilgin Architectural Design, while the runner-up prize was presented to Lebriz Atan Karaatlı and Sacit Arda Karaatlı, partners at KAAT Architecture + Urban. Architect Büşra Al and architect Kerim Miskavi were awarded with an Incentive Award each by the jury consisting of Gönül Ardal, Deniz Aslan, Başak Emrence, Mehmet Metin Polat and Ahmet Mucip Ürger.
Emra Karaaslan, who hosted the ceremony as the Corporate Communications Unit Manager for Kastamonu Entegre, presented special gifts to the young architects of the year, Büşra Al and Kerim Miskavi.
The Arkitera Awards ceremony ended with the presentation of appreciation plaques to the jury members as well as a group photo shoot.
