Beymen Tersane,
design: OMA
Beymen Tersane is a luxury department store designed by OMA for The Beymen Group. The project was created within the preserved shipyard halls on the grounds of Tersane-i Âmire—the former Ottoman imperial arsenal on the Golden Horn. Rather than obscuring the site’s history with a new function, OMA highlights its industrial character and integrates a contemporary space for commerce, art, and urban life into it .
Beymen Tersane, Istanbul — © Photo by Marco Cappelletti. Courtesy of OMA and Beymen.
The former arsenal returns to the city
Beymen Tersane occupies part of Tersane-i Âmire, the former Ottoman imperial arsenal. For over four centuries, it was one of the most important centers of maritime production in the Ottoman Empire. After the shipbuilding industry was relocated outside the Golden Horn, the complex gradually lost its significance and had remained largely abandoned since the 1970s. Today, the site of the historic shipyard is undergoing a major transformation. In a place that had long been cut off from the city’s daily life, a multifunctional district is emerging, featuring hotels, cultural spaces, retail, and a promenade. OMA’s design is part of this transformation, but its strength lies in the fact that it does not treat the old halls as mere decoration. The preserved structure remains visible and lends the new space a distinctive character.
Beymen Tersane, Istanbul — © Photo by Marco Cappelletti. Courtesy of OMA and Beymen.
.
Retail Integrated into the Industrial Structure
OMA does not impose a classic department store layout on the former halls . Instead , it designs a series of freestanding structures that organize the interior like successive gallery rooms. They vary in geometry and materials, yet allow the shipyard’s historic structure to remain constantly visible. Instead of a layout based on floors and sections, a horizontal space has been created that can be traversed lengthwise and crosswise. This layout transforms the user’s experience: it does not impose a single, obvious route, but allows visitors to independently compose their own journey through successive exhibitions, passageways, and views.
Beymen Tersane, Istanbul — © Photo by Marco Cappelletti. Courtesy of OMA and Beymen.
Luxury and Art at Beymen Tersane
Contemporary art installations are a key element of the design . Thanks to them, the department store functions not merely as a retail space but takes on the character of an urban gallery. The products, displays, and the preserved structure of the former shipyard create a shared setting in which the new function does not dominate the space but is embedded within its history. It is precisely this tension between the raw past and the precisely designed present that defines the character of the project. OMA does not distance itself from the industrial heritage but uses it as a framework for the new program.
Beymen Tersane, Istanbul — © Photo by Marco Cappelletti. Courtesy of OMA and Beymen.
The city reclaims its waterfront
Beymen Tersane is part of a broader transformation taking place along the Golden Horn. A section of the waterfront, which had been inaccessible for years, is becoming part of a new neighborhood open to residents and offering access to the water. In this sense, OMA’s project goes beyond simply adapting historic warehouses. It restores their urban function and breathes new life into their interiors—from commerce and art to the everyday experience of the place.
Beymen Tersane, Istanbul — © Photo by Marco Cappelletti. Courtesy of OMA and Beymen.
Between History and the Contemporary City
OMA’s project brings together two themes that are important to the firm: commerce and working with existing architecture. Beymen Tersane showcases them in a unique context—a former Ottoman arsenal whose significance for Istanbul is compared to that of the Venetian Arsenale. Beymen Tersane can therefore be seen not only as a luxury department store. It is also an attempt to revitalize a part of the city that for decades has remained suspended between the memory of past grandeur and the contemporary drive to reorient Istanbul toward the water.
