A Very Special İnterview On Architectural Projects With HABİF ARCHITECTURE, Specializing İn Office Designs

Hakan Habif & Çağrı Kaan Çetin / Habif Architecture Corporation Spokesperson

-Habif Architecture is an office specializing in office designs. Olka / Skechers, Spyke Games, Ünlü&Co, Arzum and Pronet are just a few of them. What are your priorities and what makes you different in this diversity of brands and identities?

We are a young and dynamic team that has been working together for a long time, coming together for a main purpose: to create “timeless” designs.

We do not build our business to comply with trends and fashions. On the contrary, our business must retain its value in the course of time. Of course, we benefit from current developments, but we do not want the spirit of the time to get in the way of our work. It's actually a matter of delicate balance. Since we have been a team working for this purpose for a long time, it is now an instinct for us to establish this balance.

- What can you say about your perspective on architecture and your philosophy of design?

We are a team that doesn't like to be assertive at its core, but unfortunately we can't be very humble when it comes to marking our signature on "Timeless" designs. We are ambitious about this.

The key to this is that whatever is designed, it should primarily function correctly. When you lay out the plan that works like a machine, we lay the foundation for a valuable design product that can be used for a long time.

It is also very important not to be stuck with the same things and to stay up to date. We have an open and democratic working environment. The idea of the newest intern among us is just as valuable as that of our oldest friend.

We approach our work somewhat emotionally. From the moment we started the project, the house is now our home and the office is our office. We live the whole process with our customer.

-Do you have a dominant style, a signature touch in your designs?

We love to use natural materials and textures. You will not see non-woven, plastic surfaces in our works. It is important for us that the work appeals not only to the eyes but also to the skin. In each of our Projects, there are natural surfaces and design elements that not only look pleasing to the eye, but also invite you to touch them.

-Let's talk about the recently completed Tezmarin project.

The sea is a big part of Tezmarin's work. In fact, the materials, which are the toys of architecture, are too hard to speak about the sea. Therefore, designs that generally refer to the sea exhibit exaggerated lines. We didn't want to do this. We aimed to explain this through calmer, soft touches and small jokes, and to make the user feel the sea without showing it.

Perhaps the most difficult material to describe waves is stone. We took it as a challenge. We processed the travertine stone very finely on the reception counter and used it with a soft and rhythmic form expressing the waves.

On the wall surfaces, on the other hand, we placed the wooden posts at soft angles facing different directions. When we look from the depth of the space, we get facades that refer to the waves of the sea moving back and forth.

-What were the privileges and difficulties of designing for an old and well-established group like Tezmarin?

Tezmarin has a story to be told and it is the best possible material for an architect. When we understand this and explain it well, the foundations of good design are already laid.

This story is the leading actor in Tezmarin. It was really enjoyable to design the areas where the trophies and awards won and the collections of the Tezman Family will be displayed.

-You stand out with office designs, but your home designs are eye-catching. Your Bahçeköy project received an award. Boğazda bir Köşk', SB Bebek Evi, E Pool House received great acclaim. What is the approach that separates your home designs from your office designs?

We approach house designs with the same perspective. It is important for us to treat it as an architectural project, not as a decoration project. The dynamics of housework are very different. Personal preferences, needs and tastes vary widely. We aim to capture Timeless spaces that will reflect the common spirit of us and our customers by analyzing them well.

The Bahçeköy House project became an important milestone. We are very happy to be evaluated and awarded by important international organizations. Boğazda bir Köşk is a very special work in terms of its location and being located in a historical building. Although E Poolhouse has a very small space, it is a place of escape where all details such as embroidery have been meticulously studied. SB House, on the other hand, is a house project intertwined with nature in Çeşme Ovacık. We have many more ongoing house projects, each of which has a different world and a different story in itself.

-Where do you stand in yacht design? What distinguishes these projects from others?

Yacht interior design is a completely different, new and exciting world where we started to take the first steps. The dynamics are very different. It requires developing smart and striking solutions with flexible and minimal designs within a limited volume. In fact, while large projects may seem difficult, small tasks are actually more difficult. It requires more care and attention. It is an exciting challenge to transfer this experience to yacht designs with our own line. As a result, there will be simple and timeless designs with a function-oriented approach, away from decorative and crowded ornaments.

-Can you tell us a little about your future projects?

The construction process of our house project in Bodrum, which belongs to an Italian customer, continues. We have ongoing works in many locations such as Bahçeköy, Bebek, Beykoz, Arnavutköy. Our chalet project is starting in Bolu. In Çeşme, we have works whose project process has been completed, waiting construction process to start. In the office part, the construction of the Spyke Games office continues.

We will have a hotel project that will be located in a very special historical building. In addition, we have a project with Ak-İş Gyo that will create a different shopping experience for Akasya Shopping Center.

We say that such creative thinking must be fed by a broad worldview and vision. Do you travel often? Where does travel and cruise stand in your life?

Art is the primary source that feeds us all. We are people with different tastes and tendencies in our private lives and our office reflects this, we work among paintings and sculptures, listening to the books we love and the music we love on the shelves. But this remains sufficient up to a point. That's when travel is needed.

Çağrı likes to make impromptu trips. Although the routes he draws must contain contemporary and historical architectural works, the hidden beauties he finds on the roads he accidentally enters are his greatest pleasure. Hakan's new pleasure is kite surfing. He is after domestic and international travels where he can seek kite surfing trainings and opportunities. We have friends who definitely travel abroad every year, and those who prefer to rest with their family in the same summer house every holiday… It is very valuable for us to convey these to each other and share experiences when we come together.

Curise is not our main holiday choice, even if we experience it a little. While answering these questions, we realized that maybe it is a good idea to plan a short destination as an office one day and have a joint travel experience.