St.Regis Istanbul

The “sense of place” of the Macka-Nisantasi district became the most important element in the design process. As other European cities that were developed in the beginning of the 20th century, the urban movement resulted in the necessity of high quality residences for the bourgeoisie. Nowadays, the neighborhood is owned by the upper-middle class İstanbul elite which favored the urban condition with inhabitants of wide social backgrounds. The design sustains principles of density and continuity while infilling the plot. The massing of the building follows a Neo- classical/Renaissance order of base-body- cornice which characterizes the existing urban fabric as the cornice settles on the roof with a set back. The building adapts itself to daily uses by carrying retail activity in the street level while the rooms above are exposed to the two street sides that circumscribe the plot. The design includes a “lamella” folding shutter system (which contextually resembles the louvres in late Ottoman mansions) to protect itself from the sun while providing a view of the Bosphorus in a changing display composition. A similar sense of place is continued in the interior design where the spirit of the glamour of the 1920's Macka is felt through the overall contemporary design.