Thought to have been built in the second half of the 19th century and known as the Beyoğlu French School and Pension of Sainte Elisabeth, the buildings were divided into smaller constructions due to changes of use and needs in time.This authentic integrity still manifests itself with the presence of a shared stone floor, which is barely recognizable today, along with elements of windows and facades that show continuity in alignment with each other.

With its main facade facing the Tercüman Çıkmazı Street, the school consisted of two main buildings, four entrances and four wide stairs, with classrooms of 20 square meters located in front and back facades of each floor. On the last floor of the building were the rooms of the janitors and the basement floor that opened to the garden included service areas.

The building that was in an overall damaged condition and the roof that had collapsed due to a fire, required crucial amendments. The brick walls and the wooden beams were preserved and repaired.

The grandiose staircase, which formed one third of the floor plan, was treated as the most important element that needed to be preserved. While the central staircase was renovated with solid wood as per the original, the glass roof over the stairhead was constructed for the sun light to reach the lower floors of the building.

Interiors of the building were preserved without making any changes to the general planning schemes - adding elements of modern comfort. This building which was divided into sections to become home to a variety of workshops and warehouses after having served as a school, was renovated in accordance with the typology of ribbon developments in historical residential areas of Istanbul, and is now used for residential purposes.

The 65 cm-thick brick walls were supported with heat insulation applied from the inside, optimizing the thermal mass of the building. The cooling, heating, ventilation and hot water needs of the building were met with technical set-ups with heat recovery and lower levels of energy consumption.

Speaking of meeting expectations of contemporary living while repairing a historical structure, this restoration project shows that the old construction techniques and the latest technologies complete each other in harmony. Renovating a historical building is an action to protect cultural heritage as well as the environment and can be integrated into an innovative and sustainable approach towards city planning.