Historic Building Restoration and Renovation

Restoration: bringing a building back to life while preserving its original value

Repairing a historic building is a different discipline from constructing a new one. The aim is not only to strengthen the structure but to make it usable again while preserving its original features. For listed buildings, the process starts with measured survey, restitution and restoration projects; these are submitted for approval to the Regional Council for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, and supervision continues throughout the works. We describe the process step by step in our historic building restoration guide.

Topkapı Safa Bath

The historic Safa Bath in Topkapı, Istanbul was handled together with Topkapı Doğa College on the same city block. The bathhouse, with a construction area of 510 m², was restored in about 5 months in 2010, brought back into use as part of the education campus and handed over on 12 November 2010. According to the project record, in its new use the building houses technology-design, painting and sculpture workshops as well as public relations and lobby areas.

Renovation: adapting an existing building to a new use

Not every old building is a historic monument, but not every old building has to be demolished either. A building with a suitable structural system can be completely reorganised for a new use. A large share of ÇET Yapı's renovation projects are education buildings:

• Cevizlibağ Doğa College (Zeytinburnu): 9,612 m² construction area; 49 classrooms, 3 laboratories, a 344-seat conference hall, sports hall and pool. Completed in 4 months in 2012 and handed over at the start of the academic year, on 17 September 2012.
• Güzelce Doğa College (Büyükçekmece): 5,436 m² construction area; 35 classrooms, 3 laboratories, a 371-seat conference hall, sports hall, pool and riding track. Completed in 7 months in 2012.
• Beşiktaş Geo College: school building renovation; the project started in 2018.

Before you decide

Whether a building should be renovated or demolished and rebuilt is decided by looking at the condition of the structural system, earthquake safety, zoning rights and cost together. You can find the criteria in our guide seismic retrofit or rebuild. If there is any uncertainty about your building's earthquake risk, the right place to start is the risky building assessment process.