Bomonti Complex Istanbul, Turkish Residential Building, Extensa Group, Architect

Bomonti Complex, Istanbul : Residential Building Turkey

Istanbul Residential Project – design by Swanke Hayden Connell Architects

27 Jun 2012

Bomonti, Istanbul – Residential Project

Design: Swanke Hayden Connell Architects

Bomonti Complex Istanbul

SWANKE HAYDEN CONNELL ARCHITECTS COMPLETES ISTANBUL RESIDENTIAL PROJECT

Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (SHCA) has completed its 92-unit residential Bomonti complex in a neighbourhood area of central Istanbul.

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The project was undertaken for the Extensa Group, a European property developer whose headquarters is in Belgium, which originally commissioned SHCA to provide a master-plan for a 2.4 hectare site which includes several development plots and an existing organic market.

The aim of the project was to design a “low-rise rather than high-rise” building that is respectful to the surrounding context as well as maximizing the saleable floor area within the local permit regulations,” said Nick Birchall, head of the SHCA Istanbul office.

Ozlem Gokce General Manager Extensa Istanbul said, “SHCA has designed a high quality and environmentally friendly apartment building that has created value for the investors and for the surrounding neighbourhood. As architects, they were responsive – providing creativity and value.”

The design approach has been influenced by the local context – the principal elevations face East and West – and has different design solutions to each aspect.

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On the East side there is a ‘formal’ design response to the surrounding narrow streets by stacking the apartments to form bays that reflect the local town house typology, thereby creating a vertical rhythm.

On the West side the building faces an organic market and has a more ‘informal’ design response grouping apartments in a horizontal arrangement which includes sliding louvers to the windows, the position of which can change according to residents’ preferences. Timber clad balconies are located in a random pattern which is in keeping with the spirit of the informality of the adjacent market place.

The eight storey building is made up of studio, 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments and has nine retail units at street level. The retail units are ideal for small cafes, restaurants or specialist food shops. The building has two entrances – one from West side at ground floor level and one from East side at upper ground floor level.

The building skin has been designed in accordance with international standards and provides a higher thermal insulation than local code requires. The sliding timber louvers on the West facade help to reduce solar radiation and prevent over-heating on this façade, where the sun hits with the lower angle. A mirror clad light-well located in the centre of the building enables natural light to penetrate the common areas. Natural materials used externally on the facades, including stone and timber, provide an authenticity and a sense of permanence to the design.

The building has been designed as a city dwelling rather than a gated-community, so the aim is to create public spaces within the building site. To achieve this, the West side of the building has been planned with steps, timber seats and planters and the shops on this frontage reflect the vitality of the organic market opposite. On the East side where the building faces a narrow street, a large public space has been created with hard landscaping, water features, trees and seating benches to provide a resting place in the busy urban environment for local inhabitants to meet and enjoy a cup of coffee.

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