Fener Women’s Library

 

The building, which is one of the rare examples remaining from the famous Fener Houses of the 17-18th Century in Fener-Balat, was restored in 1990 with the project of Cengiz Bektaş, awarded by Aga Khan and has been used as a Women’s Works Library ever since.

 

The building consist of two adjacent blocks. We guess that they were made in different periods. There is also the wooden entrance/stairs structure that we discovered was lost. Until 1990, these structures were largely demolished and remained underground, but with the restoration that started in 1989, they became what they are today and a concrete amphitheater was added in front of it by Cengiz Bektaş.


Within the scope of the Project inappropriate interventions made after 1990 were cleaned up. Restoration errors that we identified with researches and typological studies were corrected. The timber terrace, documented by the restitution works, was added to the entrance of the building with a contemporary interpretation. The spaces in the existing building were designed as reading rooms, offices and multi-purpose halls.


In addition to the restoration decisions, the concrete amphitheater was partially remodeled in accordance with the topography, elevators were added for unhindered access, and an additional structure buried in the ground consisting of archive, kitchen, security and WC units was designed to meet the needs of the library.

Info

 

Location: Fatih, İstanbul, Türkiye

Client: İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality

Team: Y. Burak Dolu, Nurdan Gürlesin, Onur Sayar, Derya Pabuçcu, Koray Bayraktutan, Büşra Aydemir, Melike Boyacı

Project Date: 2019 – 2020

Indoor Area (m²): 550

Land Area (m²): 1220

Type: Architecture, Landscape, Restoration

Program: Library, Cultural Center

Scope: Concept, Survey, Restitution, Restoration Projects

Structural Project: SRC Engineering

Mechanical Project: Prokem Engineering

Electrical Project: Enproje Engineering

Galery

Project Location

KOOP Architects

 

Şahkulu Mahallesi,
Kumbaracı Yokuşu, No:57, D:5,

Beyoğlu / İstanbul / Türkiye