Studio-X Istanbul is an off-campus event space and urban future think tank founded by Columbia University. Part of the Studio-X Global Initiative, it was opened in Tophane in November 2013, under the directorship of the Turkish architect, Selva Gürdoğan.

With locations in the downtown centres of New York, Beijing, Amman, Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Tokyo and now Istanbul, it forms a new avenue for real-time sharing of projects, people and ideas. The Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture strives to be global and its approach, rather than simply opening branches, and is more interested in creating a platform for discussion in vibrant parts of the world.

Around five to six research projects will be carried out yearly, all resulting in exhibitions. In addition, regular lectures, workshops and seminars will also be staged. The theme of the programme is ‘cities’ – the initiative is interested in the future of the built environment. Although fairly new, the initiative has already been very active. Watch this space.