NoXX Apartments
In a narrow dead end in Cihangir in Istanbul, Turkey, the small residential building pays tribute to local construction techniques from the early twentieth century. A complex location and a rigid schedule for construction were the reasons of going forward with a steel structure.
NoXX Apartments is located in a narrow dead end in Cihangir/
?stanbul. Due to the location of the project and the short timing for construction, conventional construction techniques seemed unattainable, therefore a steel structure building is designed with an industrial sensibility and as a homage to the rare standing structures from early century typical of the area.
The underground level of the building is reinforced concrete while the upper levels are established as steel structure. Composite structure is left visible on purpose, without using plaster, paint or any cladding material in the inside and the outside.
The buildings construction system consist of the column structure that intersects with the lateral walls and the elevator & stair structure which is in the centre of the building as a reference to 19th century residential buildings elevator & stair planning.
The building is adjacent to the next building on one side, and the facade on other side must be a blind wall as well, according to regulations. This blind facade is composed of steel structure with insulation materials in between, and brick walls on both faces. Custom-made bricks are designed to be placed unevenly on the facade in a natural pattern, creating different shades at different times of the day, breaking the monotony. These juts are also functioning as roosts for birds.
Front and rear facades are designed wide to the utmost, to let the maximum light in, opening up to French balconies from living rooms.
The factors that specify the interior space organization are the value of the space usage and flexibility against functional changes according to potential requirements of the user profile. Therefore, current and future user profile shaped the spatial distribution by means of dimensions and size. There are 3 flat studios which are about 55m² and 4 duplex ones which are about 90m², including two attic duplex and two garden duplex.
Visual aspect of the elements which are separators vertically and horizontally are left unclad inside as well. Plywood is used layered with acoustic insulation materials in between as flooring and ceiling finish. On each level, first row of the brick wall is build jutty from the wall surface on purpose as a baseboard.
Metal structured doors, the elevator, stairs and fixed furniture are custom-made. The aim was to minimize the use of mass-produced finishing components. Every detail was shared and decided with the client.
In NoXX, heat insulation is highly elaborated for energy preservation. The maintenance scenario of the building is very easy because of the unclad surfaces of the building and important in terms of cost and sustainability as well as the usage of local materials.
Size of the Site & the Building:
Building is settled on a 165m² site with a 128m² ground floor area. The gross floor area of the building is 733m².