restoration field trip

IAED 401 Field Trip Report by Kemal Korkmaz Assisted by Özge Başağaç and Thomas Keogh

Key Hotel Governorship House Konak Pier 2

KEY Hotel

Key Hotel in Konak is designed by Doğan Tekeli and Ergun Unaran in 1950 and restorated by Derya Akdurak of Makomim in 2011. It is a significant piece of architecture which reflects its period. Key Hotel is built up with a design which is from an architectural design competition.

It has an important place in the silhouette of the gulf. It has a landmark value in terms of spatial feature with its plaza (square) in front, clock on it and sophisticated, young style which increases the value of its environment and contextually in a harmony with Cankaya, Konak district and other republican period buildings near Key Hotel. It is quite a republican period piece of architecture.

It is been used as central bank (merkez bankası) before. It was a competition project designed

by Doğan Tekeli and Ergun Unaran. The project is designed while D. Tekeli and E. Unaran

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were undergraduate students in Istanbul Technical University Architecture and Engineering Faculty and they apply the competition with the name (Orhan Bolak) of an assistant in university. After the project is won, they worked together in construction drawings and construction phase with Orhan Bolak. After 1985 the bank moved to another location and the building is bought by Ozgorkey group and done restoration as a hotel.

The function of the building is changed day by day. For hotel function, the architect plays with interior spaces while re-functioning the building. Then we come up with a problem that the building is not perceived as its function from exterior. The building is perceived as central bank as what it is for. That is the design decision that to preserve the collective memory of Izmir society.

The materials are stone and concrete; it resembles a sophisticated approach to architecture.

The building is revolutionary in terms of its style, simultaneously it is omitting the old approach (not denying) with use of materials. In the restoration progress, the envelope is preserved for preserving, saving the collective memory of Izmir in terms of social and cultural life. It is important that having the consciousness of the collective memory. Architecture pieces are usually significant with not only its function, program, circulation and style; but also its social, political and cultural parameters.

While the restoration is in progress, the faรงades and structure is preserved and repaired. The massiveness of the building is still preserved. The building is close to the exterior and in terms of interior design; it is regenerated for hotel building.

The building is successful in terms of details. Finishes and fixtures are designed for the building and they are well-thought for the building. For instance sun breakers enable the user control the light. The building is special and significant because of these detailing. Even the drainage of water goes from rooftop to the ground is well designed in terms of aesthetics and function. These kinds of details also increase the spatial quality in the building.

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Figure 1: the sun parameter and shaders.

Figure 2: reflective surfaces make the space spacious.

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Figure 3: reflective surfaces make the space spacious.

Figure 4: bronze material on opening finishes belong to the period when it is built.

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Governorship House City Culture and Tourism Management

The city culture and tourism management building is located on kordon district. It is stated in the city center near the sea. The stylistic feature of building is neo-classical architecture which is internalized in first republican period. When the building is done, the location and environment were different than today. Today there is much more traffic and intensive building pattern. Such parameters are affecting the infrastructure of the building. The foundation of the building is weakened by these parameters day by day. So the foundation should be renewed soon. The damage on building can clearly be seen from exterior and interior. There are a lot of cracks.

This building has a reputation and significance in collective memory and in social and economical aspects, the building should be get trough a restoration. Also people, tourists from abroad could want to see this building in terms of function, form, style and social aspects.

7 Figure 5: The style is neoclassical, entry of the building and its canopy.

The materials are concrete, steel and timber. The concrete envelope is covered with plaster and many ornaments which reflect its style and period. Openings in the building are preserved. In reverse of the envelope, the structure of the building is steel; but the steel parts are covered with plaster in order to protect it. The steel parts could be decayed and oxidized easily because of its location. Iodine, wind and the traffic can affect the steel columns and beams. Day by day they can loose their function of conducting (the weight of the building).

Operations for strengthen the columns with steel rings do not seem effective and sustainable in long term. There are timber partition walls in the entry lobby in order to create private offices. Timber use in the building can be also seen on stairs. The staircase is made out of dark timber. The stairs are covered with timber in restoration and renovation. Also in the interior surfaces, there are many timber ornaments which reflect neoclassical republican style.

There are also some badly done details. In some parts, the capital is shown partially.

The building is important because the program is functioning well in terms of location, orientation, and stylistic features; but the restoration is done badly. The building should be restored and renovated once again in a considered way. They miss the point that the traffic jam is intense there, also there is social life and a plaza in front and they could use the plaza and attract society for visiting the building. Also the building is damaged and ornaments are not well restored. It could have shown better.

The relationship with sea and gulf is ignored in the building. The offices are looking to the see but visitors cannot see the view of Konak Pier and the old harbor of Izmir. Timber panels are useless in terms of other users and strict the interior space in terms of spaciousness. The high

8 Figure 6: Details and ornaments in the building. Entry faรงade

end spaces loose its effect and sense with the panels. It should be done with other kind of

Figure 7: Timber panels which disturbs the relationship with the sea

permeable or translucent material. The new and the old should meet if the new is functioning.

Figure 8: high end and timber style

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Figure 9: Details on faรงade

Konak Pier Konak Pier is designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel in 1868. The building get through many functions since it was built. It had been used as customs warehouse, and that area of the sea had been used as harbor. It also blurs the boundary between the sea and the coastline. It is connecting the sea to the center of Izmir.

The function of Pier is changed many times after abandoned from being customs warehouse.

It has been used as fish market, parking garage and later on finally it is used as a shopping centre. These changes bring adaptation problems as well. That’s why we need restoration and renovation together. There could have been a need of new spaces with new spatial understanding of the time we live in. For instance there could be a need of HVAC system and there is no space for it, in renovation restorers should consider the needs of our time. Some of the openings are used as billboard in this building. These windows are loosening their functions. Also because of the need for boutiques, there is a need of architectural elements such as walls, doors, etc. Also the building has many entries that we do not use today, because of security in armada naval zone.

In the restoration, the architectonics of the building are preserved in a classy and respectful way. The heights of shops are not breaking the continuity of the building. Also the spacious effect is preserved and skylights are added. On the other hand we can see the building have additions from outside but we do not perceive them inside.

From the interior, we can observe that the existing condition of stone walls and steels are repaired. The ornamentations and the stone is preserved and the feeling of being inside of an old building. As I mentioned above the restoration and renovation is done respectfully, so the HVAC system, the structure and connections are seen by visitors.

The building is penetrating to the sea, it is effective in terms of carrying the sea effect in the building. We can smell the iodine from inside. The circulations are designed widely. This is well thought in terms of the spatial quality and gets rid of rigid effect. The façades are perceived as old and modern. The glass and steel could be perceived as modern style; but in detail, we can see neoclassical ornaments on steel parts. These steel parts were probably renewed because the building is near the sea and they could easily be oxidized. The exterior 10

faรงade is quite readable in terms of mixture of old and new. Also on the south faรงade, it is created a tactile texture which shows up itself.

Figure 12: the entry faรงade

Figure 10: Steel and Glass use coul be perceived as modern

Figure 11: techtonics and rigidness of the pier

Figure 13: non functional openings

Figure 14: tactile texture of entry

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