Istinye Mixed-Use
Istanbul, Turkey
Hard retrofitting for fine dining characterized by the Bosphorus.
IST-IN-YE is a three-story venue with a unique concept gathering a restaurant, office spaces, an accommodation unit, and a roof-top bar that opens up to Bosphorus views under one roof. The adaptive reuse project derives its essence from modern architecture examples from Istanbul’s seashore with contemporary style and sustainable materials.
On the European northwest shore of the Bosphorus strait lies Istinye, one of the finest seashore neighborhoods of Istanbul. Forming a natural harbor and is known as little Golden Horn for decades, the bay is a major reason that makes Istinye a preferred location and has been occupied since Antiquity. Previously a shipyard, the marina today hosts many cafes, fish restaurants, and open spaces for recreation and is a go-to destination for weekends.
The building located on this seashore is known to have been erected in the 60s. Over the years, unqualified additions have been made to the already low-profile architecture of the building resulting in a very poor aesthetic condition that needed prompt betterment both for the sake of the building and the peninsula.
Based on historic, urban, and architectural research, GEOMIM sought a profound relationship between Bosphorus mansions and expressive modern architecture. The rational compositions of the facade elements and the verticality of the openings are used as a basis and merged with the only reference that could be used from the building; the structural system.
Bringing dynamism and movement to the surface has allowed the aura of the building to unfold in new ways to adapt itself to the context yet simultaneously fulfill the functional and aesthetic requirements for a fine dining experience on the Bosphorus.
The project has a variety of functions encompassing a bar restaurant on the ground floor, a fine dining restaurant on the first floor, offices and an accommodation unit on the second floor, and a rooftop bar on the third floor. Every floor of the venue is different in design and yet shares the same color palette.
The setbacks on the upper floors coming from the building’s original form are used as semi-open terraces. The vertical facade elements continued in front, enabling sheltered space formations with retractable awnings is the heart of the projects where visitors expected to enjoy the authenticity of the Bosphorus.
Thanks to the complete rethinking of the facade and the internal layout, the strong retrofitting intervention manages to create an elegant building characterized by refined materials. Wood has a wide range of formats and processes and allows high resistance over time. Furthermore, wood is the best element that reflects the mansion characters of the Bosphorus while at the same time giving the building a contemporary, refined character with a warm feel.
