About the project
Situated in Gaziantep on the east side of Turkey, Hisvahan Hotel is the transformation of a 16th century cotton warehouse by designers GEO ID, (hisva means cotton and han means house), into a boutique hotel that opened to visitors in 2017. Related with Seljuk and Ottoman architecture, Hisvahan is accepted as the oldest (1577) han building and example of civil architecture in Gaziantep and up until the hotel opening, had been closed for decades due to regulations regarding heritage buildings of 1st degree. The designers worked hard to maintain the character of the 440-year-old structure with a series of subtle interventions, from preserving the ruins that date as far back as the eighth century, to merging contemporary elements with local artisanship.
The design brief was clear – to add value to the region. Hence, a great deal of attention was paid given to the essence of Hisvahan’s local and ethnic context through use of traditional craftsmanship, locally sourced materials, and historical motifs. The overall complex now consists of 10 rooms with bathrooms, a daily use space, and a gourmet restaurant with a bar. The courtyard has an outdoor seating arrangement made of portable elements, and can be used in summer as an extension of the hotel lounge and patisserie area. Hand-carved folding screens provide intimacy and exclusivity. The rugs, coffee tables and lighting elements made up of baskets were all produced locally from within the region. Antep is also well known for the Zeugma Mosaic Museum and the ancient mosaic designs have been a source of inspiration. These patterns have been re-produced in on the building’s exterior as separators, and in the portico.
The bedrooms have monochrome, natural stone flooring, and the bedsides and ceramic walls feature patterns inspired from traditional kundakari craftsmanship and custom produced by Gorbon tiles. Traditional fabric kutnu weaving with original red and dark blue colours form the bedding.
The limitations of working in a heritage building certainly posed some challenges, some of which were overcome by creating spaces within spaces using metal meshes. Quite a few elements of the complex were retained, and the historical ruins below the ground were left partially visible through glass floor panels in common areas.
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