Conservation and Adaptive Reuse of 20th Century Industrial Heritage Buildings in North Cyprus: Case of Narpak Factory Complex

Conservation of industrial heritage subject gained momentum since the 1950s in Europe and spread to the rest of the world. In spite of the increasing awareness and consciousness on industrial heritage conservation field, many important industrial sites and buildings which are representatives of the 20th-century industrialisation era in North Cyprus, are currently either in poor condition, abandoned, demolished or in ruins due to the negligence of the responsible authorities and the society. The Narpak factory complex as one of the best examples of modern industrial heritage in Cyprus, located in the northern part of the island is currently not in use and under the threat of harmful interventions and loss of authentic characteristics. Therefore, the main aim of this thesis is to document existing buildings of the complex, analyse their historical and architectural features and evaluate results to develop conservation approaches against ongoing destructive implementations. The problems due to the abandonment and improper interventions, cause loss of values and harms the integrity of the Narpak factory complex. To understand the significance of the case study, firstly literature and archive researches about industrialisation on the island, conservation of industrial heritage and the Narpak factory complex was conducted. Later, all the buildings within the complex were documented, analysed and evaluated accordingly by using the data collected from the field and the literature surveys to develop policies. The complex has historical, cultural, social, aesthetic and economic values as well as a great potential for adaptive reuse regarding the revitalisation of the area. In conclusion, conservation approaches and an action plan were proposed to the Narpak factory complex by taking into account the international guidelines and the evaluation results. Additionally, recommendations are defined for further conservation studies of the case study.