Side ALMA Restaurant

BBA.istanbul and KUD Design Studio

Side, Antalya, on the Mediterranean coast in the south of Turkey, ALMA Restaurant is a fine-dining restaurant and bar situated on a plot that is almost flat, very close to the shore, and has no significant environmental texture or landscape. In addition to being one of the oldest tourism regions in Turkey, Side is known for its ancient city and historical texture dating back to the 7th century BC, which is located within walking distance of the project area.

Considering the design inputs such as the high temperatures during the day, intense sand-bearing winds blowing from the beach, and being in a noise-sensitive residential environment, the first design decision was that the building should be visually private, but also welcoming at first sight. The building invites its users to its inner circulation through the city without revealing its interior programs directly, creating a unique architectural mystery. Hosting a water element, breeze blocks, and stone walls, the east facade of the building defines the entrance route of the restaurant by creating a gap with the masonry wall that defines the border with the neighboring lot. The continuity created by the closed, semi-open, and open spaces articulated from this gap reaches from the entrance to the terrace areas. This spatial continuity is defined by the use of architectural elements and materials, starting from the entrance, providing ambiguous open-closed space relations.

The natural material palette is applied in its raw texture in both architecture and interior design, and it composes the main character of the building. Manavgat Limestone, which forms its mass on the ground floor, is applied with the dry masonry technique. Pergolas that provide spatiality on the terraces are made of heat-treated structural pine. Jamb and breeze blocks emphasizing the transition between spaces are produced with the in situ casting technique, using a formula that is developed as a result of repeated trials, from raw materials such as dust from Manavgat Limestone, fiber, and cement. On the floor, Antique Beige Stone and Eflani Stone, in their raw texture, are used. For the interior design, movable and fixed furniture made of iroko, teak, and incense oak trees are in warm harmony with the stone structure. This harmony created by these different wooden textures in the space meets the wine red mosaic-clad wall connecting the stair line, emphasizing the vertical circulation of the building. Aluminum sliding doors are used considering climatic and functional reasons. To differentiate formally from other raw and local materials used in the building, the sliding doors are painted black in contrast with the general color palette. All of these architectural materials are brought together with the landscape at every opportunity.

The character of the building has come to life by applying both traditional and contemporary construction techniques to local raw materials with a great effort of its designers, investors, contractors, craftsmen, and most importantly, all workers in a limited time with high precision and perfectionism.