BerKM Cultural Center, Bergama
Emre Arolat 

BerKM Cultural Center, Bergama

Emre Arolat 


The Istanbul practice of Emre Arolat and Gonca Paşolar built this culture and leisure center in the Turkish city of Bergama, over the foundations of what was the lower part of the Greek polis Pergamon. A footbridge bordered with vegetation connects the adjacent park to the building characterized by flat green roofs, descending all the way to the courtyard. The volumes of the complex draw inspiration from the ancient city. The main structural elements are kept in their simplest form, leaving the concrete as is, as a demonstration of austerity. There is a theater seating 344, a 170-square-meter library, and three cinemas, one of them open-air. The 3,400-square-meter courtyard is a lively recreational space surrounded by 750 square meters of retail units, maintaining the area’s existing commercial life.