Emre Arolat was the fall 2025 Walton Critic at CUA!
Since its inception in 2008, the “Walton Family Distinguished Critic” program at The Catholic University of America (CUA, Washington) has hosted a remarkable lineage of world-renowned architects, including Antoine Predock, Claudio Silvestrin, Daniel Libeskind, Alberto Campo Baeza, Juhani Pallasmaa, Michael J. Crosbie and Rick Joy. This Fall, Emre Arolat joined these ranks, stepping into the prestigious role designed to bridge architectural education with deep spiritual and cultural inquiry.
Emre co-directed the studio ‘Dialogues of the Sacred’ with Ana Roman Andrino. Together, they guided 12 students through a speculative inquiry along the Eyüpsultan shoreline. Viewing Istanbul as a palimpsest between East and West, the studio challenged students to design an interfaith center uniting a church, synagogue, and mosque. The semester culminated in a dynamic final review featuring jurors Michael J. Crosbie, Mohammed Bilbeisi, and Rebecca Ambouroue.
