BiTalih Office

Bitalih Office – A Case of Adaptive Reuse within the Emirgan Tulip Museum Located in Istanbul’s Emirgan district, the 19th-century stone building—originally constructed between 1871 and 1878 as a service facility and stable for domestic staff—has recently undergone a comprehensive adaptive reuse process. The structure has been transformed into a contemporary office space for Bitalih, an innovative online horse racing platform. Designed and implemented by Yup Studio, the project exemplifies a sensitive approach to historic preservation while meeting contemporary functional requirements. Covering approximately 150 square meters, the spatial program includes an executive room, a meeting room, a call center back office, an open-plan work area, an entrance lounge, and a kitchen. One of the project’s focal elements is a 60 cm-high original stone wall running the full length of the building, which has been reinterpreted as both a spatial spine and a symbolic anchor within the new office layout. The spatial organization was developed with an emphasis on transparency and minimal intervention. Historic stone walls were left untouched, while new glass partitions were inserted to define spaces without compromising visual continuity or access to natural light. The lighting scheme employs square linear fixtures, establishing a rhythmic and contemporary ceiling language. Material choices such as travertine flooring, natural plywood furniture surfaces, and stainless-steel bar stools offer a refined counterpoint to the historic envelope, enabling a subtle yet deliberate contrast. Large-scale indoor vegetation elements, combined with the building’s generous glazed openings, cultivate a winter garden-like working atmosphere, enhancing user well-being and spatial comfort. The kitchen island and its integrated L-shaped communal work bar serve as the social core of the office, blurring the boundaries between working and gathering spaces while orienting activity toward the scenic Bosphorus view. Along the waterfront façade, the historic stone wall is punctuated with black leather cushions and paired with steel stools and coffee tables, creating an informal seating area for casual interaction. At the entrance, a welcoming lounge zone featuring domestic-style furnishings and plantings introduces a residential softness to the workplace, easing the transition between public and private realms. Throughout the design process, interventions were kept minimal, and contemporary additions were conceived as respectful dialogues with the existing structure rather than impositions upon it. Situated within the larger program of the Emirgan Tulip Museum and Research Center, the office sits alongside permanent and temporary exhibition halls, a library, conference spaces, and cultural amenities. Overlooking the Bosphorus and adjacent to the Emirgan Grove, the building gains a powerful visual presence through its historic stone façade and amber-toned exterior lighting at night. This project does not merely propose a new function, but rather articulates a design language grounded in contextual continuity, spatial sensitivity, and architectural restraint.