VitrA Çağdaş Mimarlık Dizisi - Arkitera

The design for the building was selected through a national architectural competition
won by Orhan Bulak, Ergun Unaran and Doğan Tekeli. Since Ergun Unaran and Doğan
Tekeli were students when the competition was held, they were able to participate
as the team of their professor Orhan Bolak. Aiming to offer an alternative to nationalist
architectural approaches, the building was designed with the troubled, but also exciting
and innovative sprit of the 1950s. In this respect, the traces of International Style
were the most important parameters of the design process. The design language of the
period was adapted to respond to the expectations of the target user group. Designed
as a prestigious business hotel and a city club, the hotel provides a peaceful and comfortable
atmosphere and has been praised for its elaborate detailing and quality of
workmanship.
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Hotel Key is located on the parcel overlooking Cumhuriyet Boulevard and Atatürk Road
in the Gümrük Area of Izmir. The project was carried out along with the renovation of
the Izmir branch building of the TC Merkez Bankası (Turkish Central Bank) which was
constructed in 1950 based on the results of a national competition. The building was
designed by Orhan Bolak, Doğan Tekeli and Ergun Unaran, and is registered to be protected
as modern architecture heritage. It is one of the leading examples of modernism
from the 1950s. The Izmir branch of the TC Merkez Bankası had 6 floors, one being the
vault, and is constructed around a covered gallery space like other government buildings.
In the process of transformation, the current structure, architectural details and even
the atmosphere of the interior were preserved and some details that had been lost
over time were reconstructed. The building underwent a very interesting construction
process and special care was given to strengthening the current concrete structure,
resulting in no changes in dimensions and ratios of the building. In order to meet requirements
such as elevators, some special production techniques were used to create
infrastructure that was unique to the project.
The hotel is located on the most prestigious shoreline of Izmir and is one of the few
boutique hotels located at the city center. It aims to serve the distinguished workers
of the business sector. The hotel succeeds in being a secluded retreat with its limited
accommodation capacity, making it a space where esteemed clients wishing to escape
the pressures of working life can stay.
Hotel Key is one of the most significant works constructed in Turkey in terms of revitalization
of modern architectural heritage.
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