HOSPITALITY / MODERN-DAY HOTEL

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WORDS REDZMAN

PHOTOGRAPHY

1. The Museum

Hotel Antakya stands guard over a 2,300-year-old archaeological site that is the ancient city of Antioch.

When the Asfuroğlu family was preparing the site of its proposed five-star luxury hotel, they broke ground to an unexpected discovery.

Beneath the riverbed in Antakya, Turkey, they discovered the 2,300-year-old ruins of the ancient city of Antioch.

The location is found a few kilometres away from what is now modern Antakya, home to an important Christian pilgrimage site, the St. Pierre Church.

This discovery completely derailed the original plans for the site.

But instead of foregoing the initial plans of building a world-class hotel, the family decided to embrace the challenge of building said hotel around the archaeological site.

The result? A mixed-purpose architectural landmark that cleverly, and carefully, juxtaposes the modern amenities of a luxury hotel with the public offering of a state-owned, open-air archaeological park.

Today, The Museum Hotel proudly shares its premises with the Necmi Asfuroğlu Archaeology Museum. 35,000 ancient artefacts (from 13 civilisations that date back to the third century BCE) co-exist alongside a modern, 200-room architectural wonder.

2. A modular construction method was used, where the hotel rooms were prefabricated off-site and then assembled and stacked carefully over the archaeological park.

From Roman baths to the world’s largest single piece of floor mosaic, the site is made up of countless archaeological wonders.

Turkish practice Emre Arolat Architecture (EAA) accepted the challenge of designing the luxury hotel that not just surrounds the archaeological site, but also protects it.

Together with the Asfuroğlu family and a “protection committee” consisting of the Antakya Municipality, the Hatay Archaeology Museum and the Adana Conservation Council for Cultural and Natural Assets, the board began work on Turkey’s largest systemic archaeological excavation since the 1930s.

The project took 10 years to complete, and the team continued to uncover groundbreaking archaeological finds.

It started with the excavation of 29 wells, but further investigation revealed more archaeological wonders.

These include a 15,000m 2 floor mosaic (the world’s largest single piece), Roman baths from the fifth century, as well as the world’s only intact marble statue of the Greek god Eros.

As one of the most astounding finds of the 21st century, it became even more evident that EAA had to preserve this incredible area.

One of the most obvious challenges was to build a stable structure above the excavated area, without disturbing the location or integrity of the artefacts and structures of the now-declared archaeological park.

The solution was to construct a “floating” hotel, raised on structural columns, that would ensure that the precious treasure below remained safe and intact.

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Archaeologists working on the 15,000m 2 floor mosaic.

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First, 312 pieces of precast reinforced concrete walls were insulated and installed throughout the site.

With the foundation in place, the architect team erected 66 supporting columns.

In order to minimise any potential damage, the placement of each column was dictated by the location of the archaeological findings.

In total, 20,000 tons of hand-welded structural steel was used. This is four times more than what the Eiffel Tower boasts of.

This formed the multi-storey structure’s framework.

EAA then realised that the best course of action would be to utilise modular construction that would minimise any potential

Structural steel criss-cross above the ground to support the hotel, while the columns were carefully placed to minimise impact on the site.

FLOOR PLANS

FIRST FLOOR

SECOND FLOOR

THIRD FLOOR

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THE MUSEUM HOTEL ANTAKYA

Antakya, Turkey /

2019 /

365,972.95ft 2 /

ASF Hotel & Tourism / ARCHITECTURE AND

Emre Arolat Architecture /

DS Architecture /

Studio Lighting Design /

Mustafa Ozgunler & Karina Design Services /

Alkazar Engineering & Consultancy /

Axis Façade Istanbul / STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Nodus Engineering / MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Termomek Eng & Besa

Mech. Engineering

disturbances to the archaeological park.

To that end, the hotel rooms were prefabricated off-site and then assembled and stacked carefully.

The public spaces such as the ballroom, lounge area and restaurant, were also constructed in a similar manner.

Walkways and bridges connect the rooms to the main circulation of the building, but still respect the treasures beneath.

The result is a semi-open space that circles and meanders over the excavation site.

This “inner world” is further enhanced by terraces and gardens, all of which maintain visual contact with the archaeological park.

EAA designed the canopy roof that acts as both a marker for the historical site, as

well as a platform that houses rooftop public spaces such as the hotel’s ballroom, meeting rooms, a swimming pool and a fitness centre.

This roof/platform is inspired by the local tradition of roof terraces, and also offers vista points that look out to the neighbouring city and the nearby St. Pierre Hill.

Slits on the platform act as skylights for the archaeological site below, and present a beautiful visual connection between modern luxury and historical discovery.

EAA must be commended for the concerted effort it took to pay tribute to the site, while also successfully integrating a thoughtfully-designed hotel over it for guests to experience first-hand the wonders of ancient Antioch 2,300 years later.

Left exposed, the structural steel supports give the hotel a contemporary, industrial feel, a stark contrast to the ancient world it floats over.

6. Walkways and bridges connect the rooms to the main circulation of the building, flanked by glass panels that offer views down to the archaeological site.