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Pachamama is the name indigenous people of Andes called to Mother Earth in Aymara language. People of ancient civilizations have given the same importance to Mother Earth, despite being emerged at distinct geographies. The concept is universal, creating a strong vibration for each person around the world. We loved the meaning of the word and named our hotel Pachamama. Thus, we aimed at synthesizing nature and arts approach of very diverse civilizations under this title. We imagined the place not just a modern mode of consumption, but as a unique piece of living and evolving culture. In this regard, we worked with designers and artists, with maintaining the thematic integrity. A sculpture that you see or a motif that come across to you in Pachamama is referring to ancient civilizations which respect to the nature and live in harmony with her. By doing this, we aimed at reminding people their origins and reconnect with them.
Are you ready to wander through the ancient civilizations with the first step that you take inside?
Yoldan Gelen
(meaning : the one who comes from the road)
Pachamama’s door is not an ordinary one. It was hand-carved by the talented carving artist Mecit Çeliktaş with use of traditional techniques. He called the door “Yoldan Gelen”, with the inspiration from wood’s long journey which started from Africa, passing through the workshop of the artist at the Black Sea coast and ending up in Alacati as a beautifully carved door of Pachamama. The ancient symbol at the center of the door is a common motif that can also be found at the doors of historical mosques and churches and houses as well, at a region encompassing the area from Pontic Mountains to Caucasus. The symbol, which was about to disappear since it has not been worked on for centuries, was brought to light again by the young carving artist living on the eastern Black Sea coast.
The Breath
The first step you take inside will be to the hall named The Breath. In Pachamama Hotel, the place is taken as a living thing. Like other living things, this space breathes and exhales. “Breath” is in the center. Apart from its figurative meaning, this space inhales and exhales during the day with ever blowing Alacati wind, thanks to its architectural design. Furthermore, large walls covered with clay plaster helps balancing indoor air humidity. We gave great attention to selection of materials in respect to toxicity of materials. This approach was carried out through the whole construction.
The Spirit
We imagined Pachamama as a living place with a memory, rather than another means of fast consumption that is flourished with the notions of modern life. We chose a universal concept such as “Mother Earth” as the theme that creates the same strong vibration in every human being, and synthesized the nature and art approaches of very diverse civilizations under this theme. We wanted to remind people of their origins who are detached from the nature. We adhered to the criteria based on our theme and philosophy in every detail, from architecture to decoration, from material choices to management understanding. Those constitutes the pillars of our soul.
Swallow Birds
A swallow couple started making a nest in the ceiling of the main hall, during the construction of Pachamama Alacati. We updated our plan by giving care to avoid harming their nest. Many swallow chicks came to life in here. They made their first flights out from their nests in the large volume of our main hall, called The Breath. They used a window which we keep open to allow them to fly in and out. For this reason, we named this window “Swallow Gate”. Young chicks grew, learned to fly and then flew away. Our swallow family, who migrated back to Africa in the autumn, returned back to their summer homes in the spring. The new chicks were born, learnt to fly and the flew away again. After the new juveniles were gone, the swallow couple started building a new and bigger nest at the top of the clay covered wall. Joyfully, we witnessed the process of them making their new home. What amazed us was the similarity between the technique used by the swallows for nest making and the clay plaster technique we used. We realized that we share not just the same space but also a common knowledge with them. When you come to Pachamama, don’t forget to look at The Breath ‘s ceiling and see the swallow nests.
Moon Gate
Moon gate is a circular opening that has been used as a landscape design element in traditional Chinese architecture. It is usually used as a pedestrian passageway to functions as entrance to gardens. It is said that moon gates brings luck. We interpreted this beautiful architectural element and integrated it to our design as fixed windows. There are two of them in the front of main hall named The Breathe. They are directed to the east and west allowing morning and afternoon light enter to the interior. An interface between the garden and the interior…
Clay Plaster
All the walls at Pachamama is covered with a clay plaster that was developed for the project. It is the most striking architectural feature of Pachamama and one of the main feature that contribute to the happening of “genius loci”. The ingredient of the it is all natural. The color comes from the natural pigments. The first coat consists of clay, sand and fibers. The final coat consists of clay, brick dust and linseed oil. The natural plasters have the ability to breathe meaning that it allows passage of humidity. Thus, it helps regulating indoor humidity and contribute to indoor comfort.