Tessitura - Carpet Weaving Hub, Adaptive Reuse of Toskana Leather Factory

Project idea

This project aims to reconstruct the former burned leather factory located in Basmané. The design approach seeks to preserve the historical traces and spatial memory of the existing structure while introducing a contemporary environment for production, exhibition, and public interaction within the ruin. The intervention strategy proposes an independent structural system that does not directly intervene in the historic stone walls, clearly distinguishing old and new while maintaining architectural legibility.

Project description

Concept-Weaving:
The project is conceived as an architectural weaving system derived from the logic of Anatolian carpet making. Weaving functions not as a metaphor but as a generative system informing spatial, structural, and organizational decisions.
Vertical interior walls operate as warp (ordito) elements, establishing spatial direction and organizing circulation, while the roof structure acts as the weft (trama) through a grid system intersecting the warp walls orthogonally. Through this interaction, the weaving logic expands from a two dimensional organization into a three dimensional architectural system integrating space, structure, and movement.
Spatial Design:
Spatial organization is based on horizontal layering and non linear circulation. Exhibition, workshop, conservation, and communal spaces are distributed vertically while remaining visually and spatially connected. Warp walls guide movement and define degrees of enclosure without isolating functions.
The ground floor functions as a calm and accessible public layer, while upper levels transition into more controlled production and conservation spaces. Circulation unfolds through angled walls, platforms, stairs, and landings, creating a sequence of varied spatial experiences. Transparency between spaces ensures continuity between making, exhibiting, and movement.

Technical information

Materials and Structural System:
The structural system is designed as a readable and modular framework based on an insertion principle, allowing the new structure to be resolved entirely within the existing ruin without intervening in the historic stone walls. The existing walls remain as spatial boundaries and carriers of memory, while the new structure functions as an independent, self supporting system.
Primary vertical loads are carried by steel columns integrated with a reinforced concrete structural core, while steel beams and secondary framing elements enable wider spans and flexible layouts. The roof structure, derived from the weaving grid as the trama (weft), spans independently and intersects with the vertical warp (ordito) walls, completing the three dimensional weaving logic. Structural gaps, joints, and connections are intentionally exposed to emphasize the distinction between old and new and to maintain legibility of the structural system.
Material selection prioritizes durability, aging performance, and material legibility. Microcement is used on the ground floor and main circulation areas to ensure continuity and durability. Workshop spaces are defined by terracotta flooring to introduce a warmer, tactile surface, while upper level conservation spaces maintain the same spatial logic within a more controlled material environment.
Interior partitions incorporate mesh aluminum panels to allow permeability and filtered transparency. Main dividing walls utilize titanium coated panels mounted on steel profiles. The facade is articulated as a ventilated corten steel system, allowing controlled oxidation, long term durability, and clear expression of material layering through exposed junctions.