VitrA Çağdaş Mimarlık Dizisi - Arkitera

Designed as a Mexican restaurant, this building located on Park Street in Ankara was
originally designed as a residence by a different architect before being converted to a
restaurant during the construction phase, according to the wishes of its new owners.
The building consists of two levels and a basement. Wood and brick were chosen as
the primary building materials, together with the use of the warm colors of traditional
Mexican culture and a wall texture created by the bonding pattern of bricks of two
different colors. Half of the first floor slab was removed to create a two-storey void
above the entrance hall. During the night when the restaurant serves as a pub and gets
more crowded, this gallery space creates a visual relationship among the levels of the
extended interior space.
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Eskişehir motorway, which has triggered the development of Ankara in the western
direction; and the investments on office buildings and shopping malls that have started
to form along this artery since the 1980s; have generated the development of new
housing projects towards the periphery of the city; leading to the formation of a series
of low-density suburbs such as Ümitköy. 51 st Street intersecting with Eskişehir motorway
has extended to continue along İncek Boulevard and Doğukent and formed the
first peripheral transportation route; contributing to the accessibility of the new districts
such as Çayyolu and Ümitköy. This development has accelerated the demand for luxury
housing and increased the population density of the region; generating an increasing
need for commercial and cultural facilities to support urban and social life in the region
and triggering small commercial investments rather than the condensed services offered
at shopping centers. With the demands of the luxury houses and new accommodation
units to have the social and commercial centers of the city right next to them,
at their own residential quarters; the first transformation has taken place at Park Street,
with a series of gastronomy and entertainment venues opening on the street which did
not previously have a fully urbanized character. Due to the high land prices of the sites
along the street, the preferred method of transformation has been the refurbishment
of existing buildings. In service at Arjantin Street, one of the most popular streets of
Ankara for a long period; the Mexican restaurant Las Chicas has opened its first branch
on Park Street as Las Chicas XL, in a building converted from an existing two-storey
residence at rough construction phase. Being able to offer service for 290 people at the
same time, the facility has a spatious atmosphere with its open terrace and the mezzanine
floor inside. In accordance with the corporate identity, two different colors of brick
has been preferred on the exterior facade whereas a dimly lit space has been created
in the inside, preferring an intense use of wood in order to create a cosy atmosphere.
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