Golden A' Design Award in Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design Goes to Cunda Despot House Hotel by Isil Gencoglu

Isil Gencoglu recognized for cultural heritage and culture industry design by the international grand jury of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 23, 2020 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Golden A' Design Award in the Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design category for Cunda Despot House Hotel by Isil Gencoglu, designed for KHG Architecture. The recognition forms part of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Golden A' Design Award Means

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

Regarding Cunda Despot House Hotel

Cunda Despot House is a restored historical building in Ayvalik, Turkey, brought back into use as a hotel. The main building and its cistern were repaired with respect for the original materials and construction techniques. Later additions were removed, and old paint and plaster were cleaned. Wooden floors, doors, windows and the staircase were rebuilt in accordance with the originals, and the foundation and structural system were reinforced. The main building holds twenty rooms, while a restaurant, a spa and pools support the hotel function.

About Isil Gencoglu

She has been working as an architect in Turkey for about 30 years. She designs and constructs hotels, schools, hospitals, residential buildings. Also, she has been trying to prevent the destruction of historical buildings by dealing with restoration for many years. She completed her doctoral thesis on the preservation of historical buildings and their re-functioning.She teaches students in design courses at universities. architecture is a passion, and being part of design is the most exciting thing ever.

Award Record

This recognition makes Isil Gencoglu a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design Award

The A' Cultural Heritage Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good designs that preserve, protect, and promote cultural heritage. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to cultural heritage designers, culture industry professionals, cultural heritage specialists and museum designers from all countries. Entries typically include cultural heritage projects, cultural conversation, preservation and restoration and protection projects. Awarded cultural heritage designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/cultural-heritage

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/100787
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/100787
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!100787
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/268587
Further Information from the Laureate: http://khgmimarlik.com/

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Cunda Despot House Hotel
Function: Hotel
Category: Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design
Discipline: Communication Design
Industry: Arts and Social Impact
Colors: Light Blue, Dim Gray, Dark Slate Gray, Gray and Rosy Brown
Images: 5
Client: KHG Architecture

The Recognition

Laureate: Isil Gencoglu
Country: Turkiye
Recognition: Golden A' Design Award
Edition: 2019 - 2020
Design ID: #100787

Credits

Team: Isıl Gencoglu (Architect,PhD.), Suleyman Tasar (Architectural Restorator), Team members:, Basak Gencoglu (Architect,MSc), Busra Yucel (Architect), Gokhan Manastirli (Architectural Restorator), Gokhan Cokcetin (Civil Engineer) and H.Kubra Simsek (Architect,MSc Student)

Design Details

Unique Properties: Despot House has been taken from its ruins and it has taken its place in the world as part of 'protection and historical continuity' within the scope of a design and application work without damaging the original texture of the historical building.
Inspiration: This building has hosted major events in the past. The story of the house was the inspiration for us. It made us excited to bring this valuable structure, which has remained idle for many years, back to life.
Research: When we started the project, an important historical archive research was made. because an intervention that would damage this important historical structure would be to damage its precious history. we would never want that. For every detail of the building, we reached as old photos as possible, historical information, and even old Turkish movies taken in the building. We couldn't have missed any detail.
Challenge: The historical building is in an important location in the region. When the reconstruction started, it was aroused excitement and curiosity by the people of the region because it was abandoned for many years. This is an important responsibility for us. The bearing system of the building, the stairs, the walls are in a very bad condition, and it has required careful work. Difficulty was reached in transportation between floors because of the stairs were destroyed. The ceiling of the ground floor was destroyed. During the construction phase, the structural system was suspended and the structural system was rebuilt. Therefore, the construction site phase is a very difficult process.
Realization and Technology: •Unauthentic attachments have been removed, herbaceous plants have been cleaned. All of the paints and plasters on the walls have been also cleaned by a scraper. •Wooden floors have been completely renewed with impregnated wooden floors, rafter and purlines. •The wooden floor coverings, which were destroyed as a result of the fire and destruction, were renewed with impregnated wooden beams and the floors were created. The wooden ladder, whose spine and steps were partially destroyed, was reconstructed in accordance with the original. The foundation of the building was reinforced by supporting curtains, jacketing was done. Roof construction and building elements were completely renewed.
Project Duration and Location: 2018-2019 - Cunda Island,Ayvalik/Turkey
Specifications: Despot House, which has hosted many functions until today, has been restored and brought to the present day with a hotel function. The existing main building and the Cistern structure serving it were re-functioned as a hotel by respecting the original materials and construction technique. Additional functions such as restaurants, spa baths and horizon pools supporting the existing structures are also considered within the building complex. In order for the users to benefit from the services easily, a design aiming to keep the inter-connections of the functions strong is aimed.
Keywords: Cunda, Ayvalik, Despot House, Traditional House, Hotel, Spa, Restaurant, Restoration, Renovation.