GENERAL INFORMATION RENOVATION PROCESS RETROFIT SOLUTIONS EVALUATION

Ahmet Aga Mansion

848 Street

35250

Kemeraltı / Konak / Izmir, Turchia

architetto

Cem Bilginperk

Çınarlı, 1587/1. Street No:4, 35220 Konak/İzmir/Turkey

cembilginperk@hotmail.com

+90 232 4227282

Owner

T.R. Directorate General of Foundations, Regional Directorate of Izmir

Fevzi Paşa Avenue No: 4, 35250 Konak/İzmir/ Turkey

izmir@vgm.gov.tr

+90 232 441 52 92

User

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Department of Survey and Project, Directorate of Historical Environment and Cultural Properties

848. st. No.77-79 35250 Konak / İzmir / Turkey

tarihselcevre@izmir.bel.tr

+90 232 293 1329 / +90 232 293 3985

Contact Details

Ozden Coskun Oner

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Department of Survey and Project, Directorate of Historical Environment and Cultural Properties

ozdencoskun@izmir.bel.tr

+90 232 293 1329

Other Information

Visits
Please contact before visit

Related publications
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Ahmet Aga Mansion represents the typical interaction type of residence from the early 19th century of Izmir. It is understood that this mansion was used for purposes other than housing by the late 19th century: firstly, as Gendarmerie School, then as Izmir Headquarters of Committee of Union and Progress – one of the early political parties in the Ottoman Era, and thirdly as the National Library between 1912 and 1933. The building was abandoned and derelict for many years, until Izmir Metropolitan Municipality hired it to restore. The restoration was completed in 2013 and the mansion has been serving as the office of Directorate of Historical Environment and Cultural Properties / Izmir History Project Center since 2014.

GENERAL INFORMATION RENOVATION PROCESS RETROFIT SOLUTIONS EVALUATION

Energy performance

67,15 kWh/m2.y

Climate Zone Csa - Hot-Summer Mediterranean Climate

Altitude 13 s.l.m.

HDD 629

CDD 495

Protection level Listed

Conservation Area:
Si

Level of Protection:
2nd degree of cultural property in need of protection / civil architecture example

Building age 1800-1849

Year of last renovation:
2020

Year of previous renovation:
2013

Building use Offices

Secondary use:
NA

Building occupancy:
Permanently occupied

Number of occupants/users:
40

Building area Net floor area [m²]: 460,15

Building typology:
Semidetached house

Number of floors:
2

Basement yes/no:
Si

Number of heated floors:
2

Gross floor area [m²]:
705,66

Thermal envelope area [m²]:
959,95

Volume [m³]:
2020,76

NFA calculation method:
Net usable area excluding WC, kitchen, stairwell, basement and attic spaces

Construction type

Stone masonry wall with timber skeleton

External finish:
Rendered

Internal finish:
Plastered (on hard)

Roof type:
Pitched roof

+ MORE - LESS

RENOVATION PROCESS

Architecture

BUILDING DESCRIPTION

Ahmet Aga Mansion is a listed urban residence located in Kemeraltı, the old commercial bazaar of Izmir. It was constructed as the mansion for the large family dealing with commercial activities in early 19th century of Ottoman Empire. It consists of two primary sections for men (Selâmlık) and women (Haremlik). The historical building comprises of two parcels with two adjacent masses. The secondary building (Haremlik) cannot maintain its stability without the main structure, since there is no main wall on the south façade of the building. The structural system cannot close and self-supporting without main building. Therefore, the secondary building is thought to built shortly after the main structure. These masses are connected from inside by passages. The main building (Selâmlik) with entrance from the east façade is located on the corner parcel no 37. It consists of two normal floors, a mezzanine, and a basement floor. The interior setting of the building, which has a close-to-square plan scheme, is the same on both floors, and consists of rooms close to the square around the rectangular middle hall extending in the east-west direction. There are two opposite entrances in this hall. The secondary building (Haremlik) consists of two normal floors, a mezzanine, and a basement floor. As in the main building, there is another entrance opening to the garden on the west side of the secondary building opposite the main door. The rectangular hall extending in the east-west direction is in the south of the building, parallel and adjacent to the main building. The rooms and the staircase are located to the north of this hall. The important element of the secondary building is the oriel of the hall on the second floor, which is an extension to the street on the east façade. Rectangular, stone window jambs and column capitals on the facades, floor moldings, interior ceiling decorations are the architectural elements of the building in Neoclassical character.

Urban context

The building is located in the heart of both Ottoman and Republican bazaar of İzmir, namely Kemeraltı, determined as the 3. Degree Archeological and Urban Historic Site with 2316 listed buildings. The archaeological findings and historical buildings belonging to Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and Republican periods such as castle, theatre, agora, stoa, churches, mosques, synagogues, inns, public baths and dwellings constitute the prominent historic and cultural references of this area. As an essential stop on Mediterranean sea trade, it has been the commercial center of western Anatolia since 17th century. The surrounding area also includes food & beverage services and art & cultural facilities. There are many types of public transport to reach Kemeraltı such as metro, ferry, bus, and tram.

Heritage Assessment Files

180-36.pdf

180-37.pdf

State of repair

Conditions of the envelope

Structurally, the building is divided into two as main and secondary structure. The body walls of secondary structure are perpendicular to the main building's body wall and weakly connected, thus it is hard to maintain its stability without the main structure. After a fire, the inner structure of secondary walls was collapsed while only main body walls were remained with serious cracks on it. The wooden window frames on these walls were burnt. The main buildings’ roof was partially collapsed. The basement floor was filled up with soil and rubble stones. The wooden floor coverings of the rooms above these basement spaces were changed with marble. The window openings were changed to door openings at the rooms of ground floor which were used for commercial purposes. Some of the inner walls of the buildings were covered with wooden panels. The plaster and paint of exterior walls was spilled. The metal shutters were rusted.

Description of pre-intervention building services

The mansion had kept its derelict state for a long time until 2011. Therefore, there is no enough information about original conditions of building services.

HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE

ELEMENTS WORTHY OF PRESERVATION

Floor moldings on the exterior walls, columnar at the corners of the exterior walls were the elements affected by energy related interventions such as thermal insulation boards. Therefore, thermal insulation could not be applied to the exterior walls.

Heritage Value Assesment

The building resembles the traditional 19th century İzmir house with its plan typology, construction system and façade layout. It is a good example for interaction type of house in which the construction technique was taken from the Levantine type of houses of this period while the plan typology and spatial organization were organized by Turkish traditions such as "Haremlik" (section of women)" and "Selâmlık" (section of men). With these architectural qualifications, aesthetic values, and social meaning in the history of Izmir, Ahmet Aga Mansion was listed in 1980s.

Aim of retrofit

Renovation

This long-abandoned building is restored for the purpose of adaptive reuse with a particular attention to the conservation of envelope and main architectural elements. The initial aims are to structurally re-erect the building, to complete destroyed parts and reinforce existing body, to protect the cultural heritage values representing the 19th century urban Izmir housing characteristics, and provide a comfortable environment for office users of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. Besides to conservation-oriented solutions, the project aims to increase energy efficiency by the usage of energy efficient VRV systems, the addition of insulation on the ceiling, the re-creation of the basement, and the increase of sealing of the building envelope. Furthermore, the restoration project supports social sustainability aspect of cultural heritage by including participatory processes such as workshops and meetings into the public-oriented projects conducted by Directorate of Historical Environment and Cultural Properties that is going beyond its office function.

Was there any change of use?

This house was used for different purposes. Beside the dwelling function, the building was used as Gendarmerie School, Izmir Headquarter of İttihak ve Terakki (Committee of Union and Progress-one of the early political parties in Ottoman period) and National Library. Recently, it was used as polyclinic, shop, discotheque, and cafeteria. After the restoration, it has been used as an office building.

Lessons learned

The "restore, operate and transfer" model is a widely used model in Turkey that increases the role of local governments to protect and preserve the worn out immovable cultural property. It is a system based on cooperation between institutions and during its execution. Time loss and troubles may be experienced due to the weight and restrictions of bureaucratic procedures. Time losses affect the weariness of the building. Thus, unforeseen damages may occur during the project which requires revision. Furthermore, the lack of data about the historical buildings' construction system details causes the as-built project to differ from the first restoration project prepared before the restoration application. Through the restoration process of Ahmet Aga Mansion, managing cooperation between institutions and disciplines had been a challenging process. To reach a consensus among the site supervision team (consisting of civil engineers, architects, technicians), architect of the project and contractor regarding damages and new findings encountered during the application process was hard. Yet, the most effective solutions preserving the authenticity of historical building and not forcing the institutions in terms of costs have been sought. Despite all encountered difficulties, the restoration of Ahmet Aga Mansion was awarded by the Union of Historical Cities Award for the "Application" branch of the national "Competition for Encouraging Historical and Cultural Heritage Conservation Projects and Applications" in 2013. The essential thing was to maintain a collaborative attitude in times of crisis, to be consistent in policy decisions and to preserve project integrity. Besides, the supervision must be strict, and the controls must be careful.

Stakeholders Involvement

Public sector
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality
Cumhuriyet Avenue, No:1, Konak/İzmir/Turkey
him@izmir.bel.tr
Tel.+90 232 293 1200

Private Sector
Yücel Günçe
8795/5 Street No. 6/2 Balatçık / Çiğli / İzmir/Turkey
info@gunceyapi.com.tr
Tel.+90 232 445 21 74

Architect
Cem Bilginperk
Çınarlı, 1587/1. Street No:4, 35220 Konak/İzmir/Turkey
cembilginperk@hotmail.com
Tel.+90 232 4227282

Conservation Consultant
İzmir Regional Council for the Conservation of Cultural Property, No:1
1491 Street No:4/A Alsancak, KONAK / İzmir /Turkey
izmir1kurul@kultur.gov.tr
Tel.+90 232 489 38 44

Structural Engineer
Hüsnü Murat Şenatalay
235 Street. No:101/19/C Özkanlar Apt. Bornova/İzmir/Turkey
Tel.+90 232 343 52 87

Services Engineer
Metin Çetin Güres
İslam Kerimov Caddesi Martı Tower No:1/702 Bayraklı / İzmir/Turkey
info@ogemuhendislik.com.tr
Tel.+90 232 484 61 75

Other
Bahadır Sarıca
Sakarya Avenue No:49 35580 Bayraklı/İzmir/Turkey
info@albaelektrik.com
Tel.+90 232 373 52 76

Tools used

Was the renovation process done following a specific methodology? No

Energy calculation Thermal Insulation Regulations of Turkey (TS825)
Hygrothermal assessment Thermal Insulation Regulations of Turkey (TS825)
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) No
Other NA

"Difficulties of Architectural Restoration Projects in the Implementation Process: An Example of Historical Building in Konak Kemeraltı," Proc. of 5. Symposium on Strengthening Historical Artifacts and Transferring them to the Future Safely, 2015, TR "Application Award" in 2013 within the scope of the "Competition for Encouraging Historical and Cultural Heritage Conservation Projects and Applications" organized by the Historical Cities Association (in Turkish)

RETROFIT SOLUTIONS

External Walls

Masonry wall

Both exterior and interior facades were not insulated in order not to cover the original architectural decoration elements such as moldings, jambs, and columns.

U-value (pre-intervention) [W/m2K]: 0,9 W/m²K U-value (post-intervention) [W/m2K]: 0,9 W/m²K

More Details

Original wall build-up

Plaster - Lime Plaster:
20 mm

Stone - Rubble Stone:
500 mm

Plaster - Lime Plaster:
20 mm

Retrofitted wall build-up

Plaster - Lime Plaster:
20mm

Stone - Rubble Stone:
500 mm

Plaster :
20 mm

Windows

Double-Hang and Double-Sash Windows

Almost all windows were either deteriorated, demolished or lost its original properties. Therefore, the complete reconstruction of windows and doors was considered.

Wooden joinery was developed based on the window joinery details determined during the restitution. Double-hang and double-sash window frames were renewed with locally impregnated wooden elements in original shape and size. The existing cast iron outer shutters were maintained and preserved.

Existing window U-value Glass [W/m2K]: 0,0 New window U-value Glass[W/m2K]: 5,8 Existing window U-value Frame [W/m2K]: 0,0 New window U-value Frame [W/m2K]: 2,2

More Details

Existing window type	Double-hang and double sash windows
Existing glazing type	Single
Existing shading type	Outer shutter

New window type	Double-hang and double-sash windows
New glazing type	Single
New shading type	Outer shutter
New window solar factor g [-]	0,819

Other interventions

ROOF

GROUND FLOOR

OTHER

ROOF

The half of pitched roof was totally collapsed, and the rest was in very poor conditions.

According to the intervention decisions of restoration project, the original roof elements are protected by simple maintenance and repair, and the missing ones are renovated by original construction technique.

U-value (pre-intervention) [W/m2K] 2.73 U-value (post-intervention) [W/m2K] 2.24

More Details

Original roof build-up

Tiles - Turkish style clay roof tile (Alaturka):
10 mm

Other - Air:
140 mm

Other - Timber Roof Plank:
10 mm

Retrofitted roof build-up

Tiles - Turkish style clay roof tile (Alaturka):
10 mm

Other - Air:
140 mm

Bitumen - Waterproofing Membrane:
2 mm

Other - Under-Tile Board:
20 mm

GROUND FLOOR

Wooden beam slots were discovered on the walls of rooms at the ground floor of the main building as a result of the rasping process performed during the application. This proved that the ground floor coverings were originally "wooden" contrary to the restoration project that suggests "marble" as the ground floor coverings in accordance with its current situation. Because, the walls could not be rasped at the survey project process. As a result of the excavation, basements, which were filled with rubble stone and soil and ventilated with windows from the exterior facades, were revealed. It has been observed that it is very essential to allocate time and budget for sensitive researches in the survey stage in order to create a better restoration project base.

U-value (pre-intervention) [W/m2K] 3.27 U-value (post-intervention) [W/m2K] 2.36

More Details

Original groundfloor build-up

Other - Marble Tile:
20 mm

Concrete slab - Concrete:
100 mm

Retrofitted groundfloor build-up

Other - Wooden Floor Covering:
30 mm

Other - Air:
0 mm

OTHER

CEILING OF FIRST FLOOR: There are two kinds of ceiling coverings such as wooden and lime plaster above baghdadi straps. The ceiling of first floor is thermally insulated by 5cm of rockwool boards.

As typical with the dwellings in the Mediterranean climate zone, the attic floor of Mansion is an unoccupied / unheated zone with its height and dimensions. It serves as a buffer zone to control heat gains / loses. Yet by conservation principles, no proposal has been made that damages or destroys the original elements of roof disrupting the architectural integrity in the static reinforcement project. Therefore, the rockwool board with 5 cm thickness is preferred for thermal insulation in the attic (outer side of the first floor ceiling) to hide the intervention. As a result, the U-value of wooden ceiling of first floor is upgraded from 2.42 W/m2K to 0.52 W/m2K. The lime plaster ceiling's U value is upgraded from 2.49 to 0.48 W/m2K. This solution remarkably contributes saving energy in this intermittently used office building.

HVAC

HEATING

VENTILATION

AIR CONDITIONING

HEATING

There was no any heating system installation before the restoration. Traditionally buildings used to be heated by stoves and fireplaces. During restoration, a central heat pump system were installed to heat and cool the building.

The mechanical and electrical systems were installed to meet the requirements of the new function of the building and to provide today's comfort conditions. These additions were conducted in a way that would not affect the architectural aesthetic and integrity of the building as much as possible. Also, these interventions do not disturb the aesthetics of the interior and exterior façades. For example, the wiring in the interior is hidden under the plaster and in the attic as much as possible, The outdoor unit of the central heat pump system is placed on the backyard.

More Details

	New primary heating system	New secondary heating system
New system type	Heat pump	NA
Fuel	Electricity	Electricity
Distribuition system	Central air-to-air heat pump system were employed. Only refrigerant is circulated between indoor and outdoor units.
Nominal power	100 kW	kW

VENTILATION

The building’s interior and exterior openings allows cross natural ventilation adequately. There is no particular schedule for opening windows. Users can operate the windows according to personal fresh air needs.

The mechanical ventilation option is kept out of preference, since its ducts and units that would be added to the interior space, could damage the holistic perception of the original architectural elements like plasters ceiling adornments and wooden cornices. Therefore, the original natural ventilation strategy, i.e. cross ventilation, is kept with a specific attention to the original location and function of openings on the façade.

More Details

Original roof build-up	New ventilation system
Type ventilation system	NA (Natural)
Type flow regime	NA (Natural)
Heat recovery	No
Humitidy recovery	No
Nominal power	- kW
Electric power	kW
Control system	Occupant control

AIR CONDITIONING

No cooling system was employed to the building before the restoration. Thermal mass, small windows and natural ventilation were kept the building cool during summer season traditionally. During restoration, a central heat pump system were installed to heat and cool the building.

More Details

	New cooling system
Type	Heat pump
Distribuition system	Central air-to-air heat pump system were employed. Only refrigerant is circulated between indoor and outdoor units.
Nominal power	90 kW
Electric power	90,0 kW

Energy Efficiency

Energy Performance

Energy performance certificate: No

Energy Use

Heating
Primary Energy 67,15 kWh/m2.y
Consumption_estimation_After: 67,15 kWh/m2.y

Primary Energy
Consumption_estimation_Calculation_method: Derived from energy bills
Consumption_estimation_Including_DHW: No
Consumption_estimation_After: 67,15 kWh/m2.y

Measured Parameters

Internal Climate
Type_of_monitoring: Continuous
Description: Five HOBO U12 dataloggers are installed at different locations of two storeys to monitor air temperature and relative humidity values for one month through the heating period (07.02-10.03.2020). The microclimate data prior to restoration is unavailable, since the building is completely damaged/demolished.

Documents:

Ahmet Aga Mansion_Monitoring Report.pdf

External Climate
Type_of_monitoring: Continuous
Description: Monitoring period and results are given in the Monitoring Report above.

Construction
Type_of_monitoring: Punctual
Description: The externall wall U value was measured with TESTO 635 temperature and humidity measuring instrument.

Documents:

U value measurement of the externall wall.jpg U value measurement of the externall wall_2.jpg

Internal Climate

Temperature

According to POE survey conducted with 30 office users of the building at February 2020, nearly all of the office users feel warm (53%) and hot (43%) in winter, while only one person feels calm. For summer, 54% of the users feel calm, while 25% of them feel warm (25%). Only 2 persons feel neither hot or cold.

Indoor Air Quality

The same POE survey indicates the users prefer partly to open their windows when the heating or cooling is operated. They need fresh air.

Daylight

45% of the building users satisfied with the artificial lighting levels in their rooms, yet 40% of them find the natural lighting levels in their rooms as “bad.” More than half of participants (55%) keep their sun shades open during office hours, and need more daylight.

Acoustic Comfort

Artifact Conservation

Post Occupancy Evaluation

POE-Report Available:

POEReport_Ahmet Aga Mansion.pdf

Costs

Financial Aspects

The construction phase was financed by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality with the subsidy of Izmir Governorship, Department of Investment Monitoring and Coordination.