“The analytical aspect of construction and the ontological exposition of the wall dominate. Construction points to technique, the wall to culture. Construction is transparent, clear, luminous. It gives rhythm. It does not conceal itself, its function, or its back, but shows. It is weightless. Neutral. Oriented towards the future. The wall, however, is dense, concealing,… View Article
“The analytical aspect of construction and the ontological exposition of the wall dominate. Construction points to technique, the wall to culture. Construction is transparent, clear, luminous. It gives rhythm. It does not conceal itself, its function, or its back, but shows. It is weightless. Neutral. Oriented towards the future. The wall, however, is dense, concealing, resistant to the passage of time. It is loaded with allusions to itself and what lies behind. Ambiguous. It opens towards memory, thus towards the past. It retains what has been forgotten.” (Bilgin, 1997, p. 73)
In his essay “Nerdeyse Hiç” (Fol Magazine, Issue 7, November 1997), İhsan Bilgin draws attention to the linguistic connection between the German words for wall (Wand) and garment (Gewand), emphasizing the theoretical similarity between weaving/textile work and building a stone wall. He notes that a stone wall can render a building perceived as an indivisible, cohesive whole. Furthermore, this association links craftsmanship with culture and memory. Through this lens, Taş Mektep has carried multiple narratives across different historical periods, maintaining traces of various functions over time.
Changes in a building’s use, destruction, preservation, or alteration are closely tied to collective memory. Tracing the layers of the past is more achievable when engaging with historic structures. In line with this, the design approach for Taş Mektep employs a palimpsest methodology, where understanding the building’s layers, acknowledging historical traces, and determining how to position interventions relative to these layers became a key design strategy.
The primary design decision was to restore the largely dilapidated historic stone structure authentically while integrating new functions entirely for public use. The project aimed to make the space, with its impressive atmosphere and unique views, a cultural hub for residents and visitors.
On the ground floor, the building houses a reception area, café, library, and workspaces. The upper floor accommodates exhibition and event spaces, while the basement, limited by low ceiling height, includes technical rooms, a kitchen, staff rooms, and a children’s library.
Additional structures built during the building’s previous school use remain: an annex at the basement level and three small outdoor structures. The annex is designed for workshops and events (lectures, concerts, etc.), while outdoor buildings serve as a book house, café, and wet facilities.
The restoration emphasized maintaining the original materials of the main building shell. New functions were integrated using contemporary materials to frame interventions without erasing historic character. Restoration preserved stone masonry, wooden frames and doors, pitched tiled roofs, wooden floors, marble and terrazzo stairs, and iron railings, renewing elements where necessary.
Interior interventions highlighted the contrast between historic and new elements. Rustic wooden frames on the façade were complemented by black steel minimal door frames indoors. Existing stone walls and plaster ceilings with historic traces were exposed wherever possible. Newly added walls featured textured, reinforced plaster; the ceilings received new wooden coverings. Original guillotine windows were restored in dark green, shutters removed, and large glass panels introduced to mark thresholds between old and new.
The ground floor preserves room divisions while maintaining openness; transitions are defined using steel frames rather than doors, creating fluid and spacious areas. Furniture primarily uses black steel and wood, emphasizing detail and transparency to highlight existing textures. The café shares the same palette, serving both library users and event attendees.
Staircases connecting the basement and upper floors retained original terrazzo treads, while railings were designed with linear steel elements. The exhibition and event spaces on the upper floor feature open layouts, white walls articulating previous room divisions, and fully exposed wooden roof trusses. A black metal grid system below the trusses organizes lighting and electrical infrastructure, creating a secondary layer independent of the structure. The wooden flooring stops short of walls, leaving a gravel border to respect historic traces and prevent new interventions from harming the original fabric.
The basement mainly accommodates technical functions due to low ceiling height, with isolated workspaces and a children’s library preserved. Doors from the hall open to an annex building, connecting to outdoor spaces and retaining two historical structures converted into wet facilities. The annex was rebuilt following structural requirements, exposing a steel frame and using white finishes and micro concrete flooring to create a clean, distinct volume. A stepped seating area at the entrance maximizes audience capacity for events.
Situated on Kadıyoran Street, the building benefits from panoramic views of the Bosphorus and the Island, enhanced by the site’s slope and central position. The front garden provides a grand perspective of the building and city, while a stepped amphitheater transforms lower garden levels into an open-air cinema/theater for concerts and screenings.
Rear garden areas host renovated auxiliary structures serving as a book house and café. Seating areas at varying levels offer quiet spaces for individual reading and work. The annex workshop at the lower level includes a terrace designed to optimize views, while the diagonal layout enhances visual connections.
Overall, interventions and material decisions respect the building’s historic atmosphere while introducing new layers of functionality. The project ensures that Taş Mektep serves both collective cultural events and private, individual experiences, reflecting a dual approach to spatial programming in the interior and landscape.
Taş Mektep History
Büyükada, the largest of the Istanbul Islands, has historically been isolated in terms of settlement and daily life despite its geographical proximity to the city. Over time, it has served as a place of exile, refuge, rest, recreation, and inspiration. Taş Mektep was built on Kadıyoran Street on Büyükada in the second half of the 19th century by Sofronios, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the era. The architect remains unknown. Also known as the Sofronios Mansion, the building was used for a long time as a summer residence by Patriarch Sofronios.
In 1922, the Istanbul Municipality purchased the building and relocated the first official Turkish school on Büyükada to this site, operating under the name Köprülü Mehmed Paşa Sample School. In 1925, its name was changed to Büyükada Primary School, popularly referred to as Eski Mektep (Old School). Until 1967, it served as Büyükada Primary School; thereafter, it became Büyükada Middle School. Following a fire threat during the 1978–79 academic year, the building was vacated and remained unused until a restoration decision in 2021. Its layered history reflects the multiple uses and influences of different governments and communities over time.