Antakya Museum Hotel

Antakya Museum Hotel project is located in the center of Antakya, Turkey, close to St. Pierre Church which is one of the most important pilgrimage sites of Christianity. In Antakya, in a geography where every dig reveals findings of archeological relevance; contradictory to the common practice of concealing the findings and pursuing on with the construction, the client chose to unveil the potential of the site while bringing EAA into the project with the expectation of EAA – Emre Arolat Architecture to take the initiative of envisioning a building where a museum and a hotel could coexist together. The process of dealing with the tension and the attractive potentials of this programmatic dichotomy, the public program of an archeological park and the private use of the hotel became a major input in the design process.
The findings discovered during the excavations and the physical and sociological characteristics of Antakya act as primary sources of contextual information. The hotel, a placeless building-type defined by its own programmatic codes; turns itself inside out to deal with the specific characteristics of this unique place. In order to deal with this unique situation the program elements are considered as individual units spread on the site under a protective canopy, rather than building an introverted, conventional hotel.
The location of the findings determines the exact location of the columns. The composite columns are situated on the trace of former riverbed that goes through the middle of the site and on the periphery of the site in order to minimize any potential damage. The canopy supported by these columns acts both as a marker for the archeological park and as a platform housing the ballroom, meeting rooms, swimming pool and fitness center. This platform creates vista points to enjoy the view of the city and St.Pierre Hill. Slits on the platform act as skylights for the archeological site below and provide a visual connection between the findings and the hotel amenities located on the platform.
The main body of hotel consists of prefabricated hotel-room units stacked on top of each other where main circulation paths are connected with walkways and bridges. These semi-open spaces create an inner world where one can experience the climate and have visual contact with the excavation site. Terraces and gardens located under the canopy enhance the experience. The lobby, restaurant and lounge are located on the lower levels forming a relation with the archeological site. The building is assembled on site rather than being built there and reminds one of the temporary structures built by archeologists during the excavation.

Antakya Museum Hotel by Emre Arolat in Turkey won the WA Award Cycle 23. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.