Kadıköy Loft: from print-house storage to a luminous home (case study, 1/3)

This series walks through a finished project decision by decision: what we demolished and why, what each choice cost, which risks we declined.

Discovery: three constraints, one opportunity The floor topped a 1962 print house. Constraints: sun only from the south, load-bearing columns, entirely exposed services. The single — and great — opportunity: 3.6 metres of free height.

Concept: 'keep the patina, add comfort' That our clients came from fashion was no accident; we staged raw concrete and black services as a 'found object'. Bath and bedroom became a glass volume at the north end — solving loft openness, acoustics and privacy at once.

Cost breakdown Total build budget: TRY 2.1M (2024): screed and underfloor heating 340K, kitchen 380K, glass volume 420K, lighting and electrical 210K, finishes 750K. Design was charged separately at TRY 1,800/m².

Lesson learned In industrial conversions the most expensive thing is what you don't see: insulation. Twenty percent of the glass volume's cost is acoustic glazing, and it earns every lira.