Yeşim Kozanlı Architecture designed the Radisson BLU Hotel Kaş as an immersive space that embodies the spirit, history, and nature of Kaş.

Located in Kaş, a picturesque seaside town on the Mediterranean coast in southwestern Turkey, the design of the Radisson BLU Hotel is deeply rooted in the topography and cultural context of the region.

Yeşim Kozanlı Architecture‘s main task was to design an accommodation experience based on the primary need to provide hotel guests with the simple comforts of home. The hotel environment needed to extend beyond basic accommodation by highlighting areas where guests could socialise in a luxurious and comfortable setting that was one with nature.

As a result, the Radisson BLU Hotel Kaş boasts an architectural design that compliments the surrounding region with a low-rise structure featuring a natural stone façade, Ottoman tiles and wooden joinery. The interior and exterior of the building are infused with the local colours and textures of the area, utilising the natural climate characteristics of the geography. Earthy tones prevail throughout the project, maximising the environmental landscape effects and ensuring a continuous connection with nature.

The hotel walls are finished in a traditional paster technique, which aesthetically reflects the essence of Kaş and provides natural insulation. The earthy tones used in the plaster enhance this naturalness and create a warm, peaceful atmosphere in the guest rooms.

The floors throughout the hotel are made of natural stone and covered with handmade ceramics. To further enhance the connection to nature, the glass facades and sliding panels provide a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces, which are landscaped with native trees and plants, reflecting the flora of Kaş. Separators effectively divide the sunny and shaded areas, allowing for a seamless indoor-outdoor experience.

The Radisson BLU Hotel Kaş is committed to sustainability and uses waste, energy, and water management practices to minimise environmental damage in Kaş. The design team ensured that every aspect of the hotel respects the city’s ancient heritage.

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What better way to complement the bustle of Istanbul, as seen from above, with views of the beautiful Bosphorus, than with a calm backdrop? At least that’s what the interior architects behind Ofist had in mind.

Forty years ago, a penthouse extension was added to a century-old historical building right in the bustling district of Beyoglu in Istanbul that lacked the traces of the area’s history. Picture low ceilings, a standard layout, layers of careless work, but with a great view of Bosphorus and the old city.

It’s since been rescued, renovated and redeemed by interior architects Yasemin Arpac and Sabahattin Emir, founders of Ofist. “Our main objective was to create a light, open, fresh, bright space with a pleasing, cosy touch,” the design duo explained. Oak parquet and white painted wooden lath ceilings are seen all through the house and iron-framed windows provide a less obstructed view.

The home now consists of two bedrooms, each en-suite, a sizeable living room with an open kitchen and a rooftop terrace with a magnificent view. Highlights include the entrance area wall’s floor-to-ceiling bookshelves; the metal spiral staircase, pierced with small leaf shapes, which climbs to the rooftop terrace and acts as a catwalk to reach the upper shelves of the library; and the sliding iron-and-glass doors in the master bedroom’s dressing room, bathroom and bedroom, which can divide the rooms or disappear within the walls when opened.

See more of Ofist’s projects at ofist.com.

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Cape Town-based international architecture and interior design firm SAOTA are building a 75-villa residential project on Epique island in Turkey.

Construction on the 2.6 hectare peninsula on the Aegean sea has already begun, and the lucky villa owners will get to enjoy access to a large private beach, a beach bar, restaurant, and other amenities including a kid’s club offering daycare and a 250-berth marina.

“In these times of globalisation, and the dominance of international styles and trends, the objectives of our client described an environment balancing beautiful design with the regional flare that we feel creates a richer character,” says team leader and director of SAOTA, Philip Olmesdahl. “Focus was constantly returned to lifestyle and the creation of homes that rejuvenated the owners – where the landscape and architecture met, where casual living and sophisticated environments merged, and above all where homes could be created in tune with the exceptional, ever changing character of the landscape.”

The look of the 136 000m² villas reflects 10 variations of three designs, all prioritising panoramic views and an open-plan living space. Although Cape Town based, 85% of SAOTA’s projects take them all over the world. Epique island is their third Turkish project in the last two years.

For more information and to view other SAOTA projects, visit saota.com.

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By 2018, Grimshaw Architects, Haptic Architects and Nordic Office of Architecture, along with GMW Mimarlik and Tekeli Sisa would have created the largest airport terminal in the world.

Once completed, Istanbul’s new terminal will span approximately one million square metres, boast six runways and serve up to 150 million passengers every year.

To put these numbers into perspective, we decided to do a little comparison with London’s Heathrow airport and our very own O.R. Tambo in Joburg. Heathrow has two runways and in 2013 (its busiest year) it served 72.3 million passengers. O.R. Tambo also has two runways (including one of the world’s longest) and can handle up to 28 million passengers a year.

If you feel like you’re a bit lost when you get to an airport (all of which can seem overwhelmingly large), imagine what this terminal is going to feel like?

The pictures say it all.

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