Yuzu Magazine – A Lokal

a NEXT-GENERATION OFFICE, SOCIAL CLUB STYLE

https://www.yuzumagazine.com/a-lokal

Designed by Sanayi313, this workspace softens its industrial backdrop with human-centred details, reframing the office as a social club.

A SHIFT IN HOW WE WORK

In a city like Istanbul, the idea of an office can no longer be reduced to desks, chairs and grey carpets. Expectations have shifted. A Lokal, developed by Assembly in Kağıthane, responds to this change with a clear sense of purpose. It is not simply a place to work, but a setting where people can genuinely connect.

From the outset, Sanayi313’s founder, Enis Karavil, approached the project with a broader question in mind—not only how the space would function, but what kind of atmosphere it would create. The generous ceiling height and the sequence of vaulted forms running along the corridor introduce a subtle sense of depth. Paired with a restrained, monochrome palette and filtered natural light, the space feels composed and quietly removed from the city outside.

MATERIAL BALANCE

Rather than concealing the building’s industrial structure, Karavil and his team chose to work with it. Raw concrete retains its presence, yet is softened by the warmth and familiarity of plywood. This tension—between raw and refined, hard and soft—defines the space, giving it a sense of depth and lived-in character.

A SUNKEN SEATING AREA

At its centre sits the most distinctive feature: a sunken seating area, informally referred to as the “conversation pit”. It functions as the social heart of A Lokal. Formed through subtle level changes, this lowered zone shifts interaction away from the formality of standing meetings, inviting people into a more relaxed, eye-level exchange.

As the designers note, the intention was not simply to create a place to work side by side, but to encourage moments of genuine encounter—where hierarchies dissolve and ideas move freely.

Elsewhere, boundaries remain deliberately fluid. Meeting rooms adapt throughout the day, hosting anything from screenings and podcast recordings to informal dinners. Workspaces line the façade, drawing in daylight and maintaining a visual connection to the city beyond.

BEYOND THE OFFICE

Ultimately, A Lokal offers a considered response to the quiet isolation of contemporary working life. It replaces routine with a sense of belonging—less “going to work”, more “heading to the local to meet others”. In this way, it recalls the familiarity of traditional neighbourhood gathering spaces, reinterpreted for today.