Material ConneXion will open its sixth global consultancy office this June in Istanbul.  This new location will offer the same services as the offices in New York, Bangkok, Cologne, Daegu and Milan: an innovative materials library, consulting services, customized materials research and product development support, and a wide range of public programming, including exhibitions and conferences focused on materials innovation.

"Istanbul is becoming the design capital of its region. The new location will help raise the level of innovation and ingenuity among creative practitioners and material manufacturers as well as enhance the value of Turkish design worldwide from architecture to products," said Baris Onay, General Manager of Yapi Endustri Merkezi (YEM), an organization dedicated to the promotion and exchange of materials information and resources in the architecture industry.

"Istanbul today is undergoing an exciting cultural renaissance," stated George M. Beylerian, Founder & CEO of Material ConneXion. "We look forward to contributing our vast materials expertise to the city's rebirth as a design capital."

A city with a rich cultural and industrial legacy, Istanbul has emerged as an important hub for technology and design in the past decade. As the region's leading platform for innovation in the architecture industry, YEM has been instrumental in this evolution. Established in 1968, the center oversees a variety of programs from lectures and publications to Turkey's largest materials trade fair, INTERNATIONAL YAPI/TURKEYBUILD ISTANBUL, that make information on new materials more accessible to architects, engineers and contractors.

Visitors to this year's show will have a chance to preview Material ConneXion Istanbul through an exhibition of 100 of the latest innovative materials culled from the global Materials Library. On view April 27-May 1, it will also present Material ConneXion's MEDIUM AWARD for Material of the Year, an exhibition of the 10 best material innovations to be added to the Library in 2010 that debuted earlier this year in New York City.

"Our office in Istanbul will be a vital link between our branches in Asia and Europe," stated Michele Caniato, President of Material ConneXion. "It will strengthen our capacity to serve our expanding global client base while allowing us to provide crucial materials intelligence to the region's booming design industry."