Old Cesme Conservation

Çesme, Türkiye

The 18th- and 19th-century houses in the coastal town of Cesme are the product of a unique blend of antique Aegean and Turkish Ottoman cultures. Though individual in design, they display a unity at an urban scale. This project aims to define a similarly consistent approach to their restoration. By giving precedence to local materials and the use of local labour, it lowers costs to a generally affordable level. Interventions are realised through strengthening, renovating and rebuilding - in that order. Many of the buildings originally had shops on the ground floor and apartments above. Wherever possible, this arrangement has been preserved.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture