Created on behalf of Akfen Construction by Tabanlıoğlu Architects, Levent Loft deserves being one of the city's brand buildings'in respect of both its location and the architectural perspective. In recent years, extraordinary structures were built in Istanbul by means of both the housing and office markets. One of them is the building Loft which is situated in Büyükdere Avenue... The project of this modern building was made by Tabanlıoğlu Architects and it is one of the unique examples of Loft architecture in Istanbul. Created with an architectural perspective which appears in the 1970s in consequence of American artists’ searching for a house and which aims to transform the old factories to the living spaces, Levent Loft was established over a building whose construction originally began as an office. Having the signature of Architect Melkan Tabanlıoğlu, the building takes its name, Loft, from this. Architect Melkan Tabanlıoğlu describes Levent Loft which is indicated among the most important buildings of the city as follows: “While approaching the 2000s, there were still industrial structures, especially pharmaceutical factories, at Büyükdere axis which became the city’s central work space. Referring to its recent past, the Levent Loft project, which is a structure transformed by preserving its reinforced concrete frame, is important as one of the houses of that region which is prominent in creating a protected district where people live.” Tabanlıoğlu mentions that during the design phase they firstly imagined who would live in the multi-housing structure and then, foreseen users, their needs and the lifestyle of the building were assessed. Melkan Tabanlıoğlu underlines that they considered some factors while planning the architecture of the building. AESTHETIC OR EASE OF USE? Situated in the center of the city, Levent Loft is among the city’s remarkable structures in terms of architecture from an external perspective. But, did Melkan Tabanlıoğlu prioritize the aesthetic or the ease of use while designing this building? Mentioning that the building was designed by focusing on the ease of use, “The living units which pay attention to the rhythm of the housing user who benefits from the opportunities of the metropolis, works a lot, travels and uses the time well and which therefore focus on the ease of use and designed in accordance with this point of view were planned,” she said. Underlining, however, that they did not abandon the aesthetic, Tabanlıoğlu explains the integration of aesthetic and the building as follows: “Industrial aesthetic was preferred as a common feature of all of these factors. The aesthetic approach manifested itself with the raised ceilings, window spacings from the ceiling to the floor and the bare concrete, and embedded as an essential component of the design and the infrastructure of Levent Loft. However, apart from the architectural preferences as such, the building stands out also with the point of view that supports the good relations between the neighbors.” ARCHITECTURE, LOCATION, SERVICE QUALITY Awarded with so many prizes to date, the building succeeded to attract the attention of the public opinion until the first days of its construction. Attaching its cause to various different factors, Melkan Tabanlıoğlu tells that the positive environment prepared for the human relations is the underlying factor of the project’s charm. In parallel, Tabanlıoğlu mentions that providing ease of transport including the access to the metro, being located at the center of the city and being connected to the activities of the city is also effective in being preferred. THIS IS A PEACEFUL PLACE! Architect Melkan Tabanlıoğlu describes Levent Loft as “a peaceful place with 144 units where different people with similar moral principles live together.” The building where the main entrance is provided through a wide lobby as a principal meeting point, the common-use areas such as meeting rooms, sports/health center and restaurant completes the design. Presenting an organized, quiet and quality life style at modern standards in the center of the city as an alternative to the elite residents moved out of the city in the last 20 years, Tabanlıoğlu mentions that the building which was equipped with a large parking lot, central ventilationheating and security systems was provided with the ease of access and use. Therefore, the building simplifies the daily life of its residents and forms a basis for a happy life along with the technology support, service management capacity and the design that created by inspiring from the metropolis life and requirements. "AKFEN, INNOVATIVE AND PIONEER GROUP" The construction of a good building depends on an investor with a broad perspective supporting the architect in the construction process after relying on the project. Akfen is an innovative and pioneer group that we cooperate in this issue and that we will keep working together also in the new projects. I believe that we work easily and effectively thanks to the visionary and innovative perspective of the management. In the forthcoming days, we have also another project for Akfen in Incek. We are working on a loft project with a greater scale in Ankara; therefore as a composite structure and applied in a wide area with more green spaces, this project will host the residents as well as all of the citizens as visitors. Just like the two other projects we completed together, I believe that this project will also be approved in international arena in terms of its architecture as well as the value to be added to the housing and life perspective of Ankara; because it is tried and true that the consequence of working with a successful and professional Akfen team led by the visionary perspective of the Chairman of Akfen, Hamdi Akın will be perfect.