https://www.architecturalrecord.com/rss/1577-tabanlioglu-architects en-us Firms working everywhere from China to Saudi Arabia have to navigate the often grandiose ambitions of authoritarian regimes.

]]> sipopo-congress-center-tabanlioglu-architects.asp Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7902-sipopo-congress-center A double-height space finished in wood, glass, marble, and metal greets visitors attending meetings at the Sipopo center.   Photo © Emre D'rter Murat Tabanlıoğlu arrived at the pattern on the project’s exterior metal screen by first sketching the canopies of trees in the surrounding forest and abstracting the forms into an irregular geometric lattice.   Photo © Emre D'rter Members of the Assembly of the African Union arrive at the Sipopo center via a bridge that connects the project to an existing convention hall.   Photo © Emre D'rter The designers based many of the Sipopo center’s details on Bioko island’s tropical flora. Murat Tabanlıoğlu arrived at the pattern on the project’s exterior metal screen by first sketching the canopies of trees in the surrounding forest and abstracting the forms into an irregular geometric lattice.   Photo © Emre D'rter The firm modeled the alternating mirror and wood panels of the wall coverings in the restaurant on the skin of local pineapples.   Photo © Emre D'rter The designers used a palette of wood and metal for the interior-wall surfaces in the public spaces.   Photo © Emre D'rter They lined sections of the central meeting hall with perforated acoustical panels.   Photo © Emre D'rter Tabanlıoğlu Architects custom-designed most of the Sipopo center’s interior finishes, including the raindrop-inspired lighting fixtures found throughout the project.   Photo © Emre D'rter