d+a | Issue 116 • Jun/July 2020

/ HOSPITALITY / 56 PRESERVING THE PAST Turkish practice Emre Arolat Architecture (EAA) accepted the challenge of designing the luxury hotel that not just surrounds the archaeological site, but also protects it. Together with the Asfuroğlu family and a “protection committee” consisting of the Antakya Municipality, the Hatay Archaeology Museum and the Adana Conservation Council for Cultural and Natural Assets, the board began work on Turkey’s largest systemic archaeological excavation since the 1930s. The project took 10 years to complete, and the team continued to uncover ground- breaking archaeological finds. It started with the excavation of 29 wells, but further investigation revealed more archaeological wonders. These include a 15,000m 2 floor mosaic (the world’s largest single piece), Roman baths from the fifth century, as well as the world’s only intact marble statue of the Greek god Eros. As one of the most astounding finds of the 21st century, it became even more evident that EAA had to preserve this incredible area. BUILDING UP One of the most obvious challenges was to build a stable structure above the excavated area, without disturbing the location or integrity of the artefacts and structures of the now-declared archaeological park. The solution was to construct a “floating” hotel, raised on structural columns, that would ensure that the precious treasure below remained safe and intact. 2. A modular construction method was used, where the hotel rooms were prefabricated off-site and then assembled and stacked carefully over the archaeological park. / OPPOSITE. From Roman baths to the world’s largest single piece of floor mosaic, the site is made up of countless archaeological wonders. EMRE AROLAT, FOUNDING PARTNER AND LEAD DESIGNER, EMRE AROLAT ARCHITECTURE 2