OMA has completed Beymen Tersane, a new department store for Turkish luxury retailer Beymen Group set within the historic Haliç shipyard district in Istanbul. Occupying a series of former shipbuilding halls, the project is part of the broader regeneration of Tersane-i Âmire, the Ottoman Imperial Arsenal, one of the city’s most significant industrial heritage sites.
Rather than transforming the existing structures through extensive intervention, OMA inserted a sequence of freestanding architectural volumes inside the historic halls. These gallery-like elements organize the retail program while preserving the visibility and spatial character of the original industrial framework. The result is a layered environment in which contemporary architecture coexists with centuries-old infrastructure.
Courtesy of OMA.
The department store unfolds as a continuous horizontal landscape, challenging the conventional multi-level organization typical of luxury retail. Distinct geometries, materials and spatial atmospheres define each gallery, creating a sequence of interconnected rooms that accommodate both commercial displays and contemporary art installations.
Ph. © Marco Cappelletti Studios, courtesy of OMA and the Beymen Group.
Founded in the 16th century, Tersane-i Âmire served as the center of Ottoman naval production until the dissolution of the Empire in 1922. The shipyard remained active until the 1970s, before entering a prolonged period of decline and abandonment. Today, the waterfront complex is undergoing a large-scale redevelopment that includes hospitality, cultural venues, retail spaces and public amenities, aiming to reconnect Istanbul with a historically inaccessible stretch of the Golden Horn.
Ph. © Marco Cappelletti Studios, courtesy of OMA and the Beymen Group.
For OMA, the project represents the office’s first completed work in Turkey and reflects a longstanding interest in the intersection between preservation and commercial architecture. By introducing a new public destination within the former arsenal, Beymen Tersane contributes to the ongoing transformation of one of Istanbul’s most historically significant waterfront sites.
Ph. © Marco Cappelletti Studios, courtesy of OMA and the Beymen Group.
“Beymen Tersane brings together two longstanding interests of the office: shopping and preservation,” said OMA Partner Iyad Alsaka. “The project reactivates a site whose significance for Istanbul is comparable to that of Venice’s Arsenale, opening a long-inaccessible part of the city to public life.”
The project was led by OMA Partner Iyad Alsaka, together with Project Architect Anita Ernődi and Saskia Simon.
Ph. © Marco Cappelletti Studios, courtesy of OMA and the Beymen Group.
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Cover image: Marco Cappelletti Studios, courtesy of OMA and the Beymen Group.
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