Antalya, Turkey

In the complex built in Antalya’s Lara region, on one of the many touristic plots that are lined up in juxtaposition and perpendicular to the sea, rather than using the customary fragmented polyphonic masses which form the main trend in the region’s architecture, drawing the entire building complex to the west of the plot and transforming the spaces facing the east and the south – the sea – into open areas created a simple and rigid mass which resulted in a contrast with the neighboring constructions that wasn’t intended beforehand. The main mass comprising the bedrooms was shaped according to the premise that the width of the front elevation remain within the limits allowed by construction regulations, that limits for height would be used to the maximum, and that all rooms would have a view of the sea. The vast space between the two lines of bedrooms was covered with a semipermeable ceiling to create the hotel’s indoor recreational areas.

The shift in scale that was assumed would be created by this area, which is much larger than its counterparts, and the perceptual distortion that would be formed by the landscaped gardens between the interior and the exterior and which divide the area, were aimed to conjure the theatrical world expected from such buildings. This world was to be nourished by the interior lighting which would sustain the tension by changing in color and increasing and decreasing; by the digital platforms which appeared in unexpected places and shapes; by the constant bombardment of information from the scrolling; and by the darkness of the rooms which are far from being Mediterranean. Instead of building imitations to be consumed by tourism, the misty environment that was formed was intended to take the user outside his customary habitat for a limited amount of time.

The choice of construction materials, the questioning of covering and concealing habits, which dominate customary design strategies, and the repeating load-bearing system which optimizes construction techniques made it possible to build the complex with a relatively low budget and in a short time compared to similar buildings.