layers of reuse
Studio Project
Illustration, Visual Story Telling

“Layers of Reuse” is a self-initiated illustration series developed by Studio Fandam, exploring how architectural storytelling can visually communicate adaptive reuse strategies. Set in the historic Pasalimanı Flour Factory in Üsküdar, Istanbul, the project reimagines the site as a layered public destination combining a contemporary art museum, community workshops, and a track garden.

The project illustrates a transformation that respects and reactivates the site's industrial heritage while unlocking its spatial potential for the neighborhood. The illustrations juxtapose before-and-after conditions, making visible the architectural, social, and ecological transitions. Existing elements, such as the theatre hall and flour factory, are preserved, while new uses unfold around and within them, including the reopening of the neglected garden at the rear as a community space.

Rather than relying on formal architectural drawings, the project employs a more intuitive and emotional visual language to convey atmosphere, transformation, and memory. It positions illustration as both a design tool and a method for making spatial ideas accessible and open to interpretation.
Animated timeline showing the architectural transformation of Paşalimanı Flour Factory in Üsküdar, Istanbul.





// Existing Situation // 

In the existing situation, the Flour Factory stands as an obstacle between the water and the greenery. There is great potential to correlate the three main aspects: the greenery, decay, and water, for the city dweller.
A digital illustration of the current site plan of the Paşalimanı Flour Factory and its surrounding context.
A hand-drawn sketch showing the street-facing façades of the existing buildings at Paşalimanı Flour Factory.





// Green, Decay, Water //

 To actualize the united potential of the green, decay, and water, The flour Factory was taught as a ‘Gateway’ which unites the green and the water. Rather than a solid envelope, it was considered a pathway where people experience an alternative relationship between human-made and natural ones.
Animated GIF showing before and after states of the factory and surrounding site. Caption: A visual timeline expressing the transformation of the Paşalimanı Flour Factory through layers of reuse and intervention.
Concept sketch showing proposed spatial transitions and accessibility improvements around the factory.





// Reconciliation With Past //

As an abstract way of representing it, the modern part of the museum surrounds
the Flour Factory walls as if creating peace with the history of the location
where it is placed. In terms of human experience, the users can experience the
old one, provided by the new one, which is a creation of the users.
The final illustration presents the transformed factory and garden as an accessible public space for art, learning, and gathering.
Perspective sketch showing human-scale interaction and new spatial layers.
Illustrated site plan showing the full reuse proposal for Paşalimanı Flour Factory, including art museum, workshops, and community garden.
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