Monk Restaurant, Babylon Beach Club Extension, Istanbul Building Development, Architecture, Images

Monk Restaurant Istanbul

Turkish Seafront Building Development for Babylon Beach Club Istanbul – design by Selin Maner Architect

31 Aug 2015

Monk Restaurant at Babylon Beach Club in Istanbul

Design: Selin Maner Architect

Location: Istanbul, Turkey

At the base of a rocky cliff face on the Turkish coast now stands The Babylon Beach Club housing the Monk Restaurant. Designed by architect Selin Maner, the beach club is a year round restaurant and concert venue. Once a small restaurant covered in asphalt and concrete, the site has regained its natural look and feel through the use of Kebony wood which clads the exterior of the building.

The Monk restaurant presented an interesting creative challenge for Maner, as the size requirements of the indoor and outdoor space alters between the seasons. In spring and autumn, Babylon Kilyos is a venue for outdoor concerts and music festivals, hosting up to 20,000 concertgoers. In the winter months however, only the 100 guest capacity indoor restaurant is used. To solve this challenge the design team devised a glass greenhouse extension on a rolling track; this creates additional indoor seating space for the winter but allows the space to remain outdoor for the summer, providing a decked extension to the restaurant and beach bar.

The use of wood was important to achieve the natural look desired for the seafront space, yet durability and resistance to extreme weather conditions was also essential. Having worked extensively in Southeast Asia, the architect was very keen to ensure that the wood was sustainable and not from a tropical source. Developed in Norway, the Kebony technology is an environmentally friendly, patented process, which enhances the properties of sustainable softwood with a bio-based liquid. By ‘pickling’ the wood with this liquid under pressure, the wood is permanently modified giving Kebony premium hardwood characteristics. Thus, Kebony’s offer of a sustainable, durable and cost-efficient wood product delivered everything that was required of the project without the use of tropical hardwood.

Selin Maner commented “Sustainability, durability and affordability were key factors in this project; Kebony was able to meet this criteria. Also, as the buildings are on the seafront, we loved the fact that Kebony weathers beautifully. Based on our experience with Kebony cladding, we are planning on using Kebony decking material on another project. We hope to set a positive example that there are sustainable and affordable alternatives to using tropical hardwood.”

Adrian Pye, International Sales Director at Kebony commented “This resort is perfect for what Kebony offers. The resort now blends seamlessly into the surrounding area, is able withstand the harsh conditions of the coast and all does this all without compromising the environment. We are very happy to be part of this highly innovative project.”