A tall, slender skyscraper rises prominently above the city at dusk, its illuminated windows forming a vertical pattern against the fading sky while the urban life below continues to glow and move.

Istanbul Sapphire

Istanbul, Turkey

A vast urban panorama stretches across the frame, where a slender modern skyscraper rises above a dense fabric of low-rise buildings, highlighting the contrast between contemporary vertical growth and the historic scale of the city.

Client: Biskon
Year: 2005 - 2009
Status: Built; Key Projects
Type: Mixed-Use

A repeating grid of cantilevered concrete slabs defines the facade of a building under construction, where exposed structure and safety elements reveal the raw geometry and rhythm of the unfinished architecture.

A slender architectural model of a high-rise tower emerges dramatically from a dark background, its illuminated grid of floors and the flowing base structure emphasizing both verticality and a sculptural, futuristic character.

Sapphire Istanbul, located on Barbaros Boulevard and aligned with the axis of the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, is one of the tallest residential towers in Europe. Moving away from the typical square or circular tower forms, the building adopts a slender rectangular profile, with the service cores such as elevators and staircases placed on the north and south sides. This arrangement opens the east and west façades entirely to the apartments, where naturally ventilated winter gardens protect the interiors from the northern winds and control sunlight, creating a refined and transparent presence on the city skyline.

A refined interior terrace unfolds along floor-to-ceiling glass walls, where warm wooden decking, minimalist seating, and a panoramic city view create a serene and elevated living space filled with natural light.

A quiet interior lounge frames a sweeping city panorama through floor-to-ceiling windows, where a small table and chairs invite pause while the vast urban landscape and water beyond become the true focal point.

An unfinished interior reveals the raw structure of a large building, where exposed concrete columns, open floor plates, and a slanted steel-and-glass roof frame distant views of the city.

A close-up view of a steel-and-glass roof structure reveals perforated panels and intersecting beams, where filtered daylight creates a rhythmic pattern of light and shadow across the architectural framework.

A sectional environmental diagram explains the climate strategy of the building.

A tall and finely detailed architectural model presents a slender tower rising from a carefully articulated base, where the transparent façade reveals the internal organization of floors and spaces, emphasizing vertical continuity.

A tall high-rise tower under construction dominates the urban skyline, its unfinished concrete structure and crane silhouetted against a dramatic evening sky.

A luminous architectural model façade unfolds through a rhythmic grid of windows, where warm interior light reveals silhouettes of people, plants, and everyday activities.

A generous double-height terrace unfolds as an intermediate living space between interior and city, where warm wooden surfaces, floor-to-ceiling glazing, and integrated greenery create a calm atmosphere.

The greenery within these winter garden terraces softens the otherwise cold atmosphere of the boulevard and offers residents uninterrupted 360-degree views of Istanbul. At the top, the observation terrace provides a new public meeting point for the city, with panoramic views from a height of 270 meters.

An unfinished concrete corridor stretches forward through a sequence of repetitive structural frames, where exposed surfaces, construction signs, and scattered work tools emphasize the raw and temporary condition of the space.

A top-down view reveals a striking architectural void carved through multiple floors, where a sequence of perfectly aligned square openings framed in wood and glass creates a rhythmic, almost hypnotic perspective.

A long, elevated corridor unfolds with a strong sense of linear perspective, where warm wooden wall panels and a finely detailed timber floor contrast with the cool precision of glass balustrades and vertical window mullions, allowing natural light to wash the space while framing expansive views of the city below.

The interior is conceived as a tall, luminous atrium where stacked galleries, transparent balustrades, and a regular structural grid frame the movement of people, emphasizing spatial continuity, vertical depth, and the controlled rhythm of contemporary architecture.