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Alaçati Beach Club

Concept by Kerim Engin KALAFATOGLU

Architectural work by Babür ÜLGÜNER

The main idea of the Alaçati Beach Club resort village, is to create an ecological concept which would combine the picturesque charm of the old Ottoman-Aegean town with the jest-set lifestyle and all kinds of water sports. At the heart of the resort is an extensive range of health, beauty and wellness offers, whereas at outer edges it is more water sports, jogging, tennis, beach volley and entertainment. The buildings are modelled on the old Ottoman-Aegean type architectural work. The idea is to create an old Ottoman-Aegean buildings with all the facilities of today's world. The buildings, internal areas, furniture, decorations and plants are all interwoven with the external areas such as pathways, garden, swimming pools, restaurant ares, the beach cafeteria or pools. The harmonious architecture reveals a depth of feeling, and mixes all kinds of elements from the Ottoman-Alaçati art and architecture and contemporary internationalism. Ottoman-Alacati had narrow roads with adjoining buildings which mostly had a back botanic garden and a"cumbha"s (bay windows) on the upper floors allowing the lady of the house to watch the road. Having decided to put a two storey limit; allowed the architect to keep the silhouette low and the environment unspoiled by visual pollution. The "buildings" are two storeys high with ground floor walls built of stone. The botanic garden is protected by the outer walls of the building thus creating an area completely protected from the wind.

The building permission and landscaping limits set by the land protection comittee of Izmir is the main controlling factor for the accomodation buildings to be put close to the northern outer limits of the land thus enabling a beuatiful landscaping area for jogging, walking, and doing all kinds of sports all along the coastline. The east-west axis is always shady during the hot summer months. Each "building" has up to 18 rooms, entered through a botanic garden with cobble stone paved walkways or walking up through a typical Alacati sytle open staircase to the upper floor terraced corridor. The guest-rooms have small terraces and French balconies and/or "cumbha"s (bay windows) on the upper floors. The buildings lining the northern side of the land have a view of the botanic garden and a view to inland, to the hills on the back-sides, where small balconies are provided. On the southern side, the buildings are with balconies on the seaside, overlooking the lawns and social facilities of the beach club. Apart from providing views to the sea and the hills, these small balconies at the back also are planned as a means of introducing cross ventilation to the guest-rooms. This is especially valid in this area of the region where the constant breezes are in the north-south direction.

Thick insulated walls are planned as part of the construction process. Stonewalls, plastered surfaces, wooden windows and doors and tiles are also part of the materials to be used in the complex. Aside from the warm climate, another aspect of for the high standard of spending time at the beach club are the mant green areas within the resort.

Once thhrough the main gate, a very spacious otopark is designed to accomodate the guests as the planned beach facilities not only will welcome hotel guests but also the guests from outside of the hotel. It is planned to build the second boutique hotel in this area in future as the bay area develops further. After the main reception building, to the north are the main accomodation buildings. Going straight forward will take the guests to the windsurfing area and to the south the main pool, social facilities and the south beach are waiting to welcome guests. Along the way to the windsurfing area there are number of shops serving the guests with all the necessities. In the resort, there are 64 guest-rooms (48 regular two-bedroom units and 16 suites), with a total of 144 beds in the planned first phase. A similar number of accomodation facilities will be available in the second phase.

The aim of the project is to revive the qualities lost in the hectic holiday tourism of our day and to offer the guests a glimpse of what it is like to live in a traditional Turkish town. It is a well-known phenomenon that the tourist of our day has lost interest in the international architectural style which can be seen everywhere from Spain to Thailand. One would rather be in an authentic environment of the country of his destination, where one may have a chance to live like the locals and be in an environment, which has local architectural characteristics. Thus, if one were in Turkey, in Alaçati, it would be most interesting for one to feel the local atmosphere and not be in "just another hotel" which could be anywhere. Boutique hotel with the local architecture totally respected will be a unique experience along the best beach in the Çesme Peninsula.

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