Ciftci Towers / Elysia, Turkiye

Located in one of Istanbul’s most dynamic and vibrant districts, Çiftçi Tower’s wellness floor offers its residents a special tranquility against the city’s busy city life. Nestled within a high-rise, the project consciously seeks a moment of inner serenity, and light is used as the primary tool that allows visitors to actively find this tranquility. The design quietly transforms a low-ceilinged interior into an expanding sanctuary: horizontal lighting is used to slightly increase the perceived ceiling depth and alleviate the existing structure’s sense of a space with reduced height, while indirect lighting are employed in architectural ceiling details detached from the ceiling. Architectural details are highlighted with lighting to evoke the softness of daylight even in evening scenes, allowing textures and volumes to glow with a natural, everyday legibility.

Lighting levels and carefully orchestrated contrast ratios provide a shared visual comfort for users of different ages and lifestyles, making accessibility and temporal adaptability essential aspects of the space’s architectural identity. Across spa, pool, and fitness zones, adjustable scenes transition seamlessly from energising morning brightness to calming evening warmth, supporting both activation and relaxation. Material selections—mineral-plaster surfaces, warm timber elements, and deep-toned stone-effect porcelain—interact with the lighting to reinforce spatial depth and tactile richness, while reflections of tropical greenery on water surfaces introduce a subtle biophilic dimension.

Through the precise integration of light, materiality, and architectural form, the wellness floor evolves beyond its functional role, becoming a residents-only sanctuary where scale feels expanded, surfaces are thoughtfully articulated, and tranquility becomes an inherent spatial quality.