Mezzanine

A mezzanine adds a second level to only part of a tall room rather than splitting the whole height into two floors. Shops use it for storage or an office, loft apartments for a sleeping area, restaurants for extra seating. What sets it apart from an ordinary floor is that it keeps a visual connection with the space below. In Turkish it is called asma kat.

Design considerations

A mezzanine succeeds or fails on how the height is shared. Both the area underneath and the level above need a comfortable headroom, or both end up feeling cramped. The stair position, the guard rail and the view down from the edge are worked out together. The structure is often kept light with steel or timber beams. When a mezzanine is added to an existing building, a structural check is essential, and in Turkey the floor area also counts under zoning rules set by plan notes and the relevant regulations.

How it shapes the feel of a space

A well-placed mezzanine brings a tall volume down to human scale while keeping the sense of openness. The area beneath feels sheltered and intimate; the double-height part in front of it feels bright and generous. That contrast is what gives many loft-style homes their character.

Mezzanines make camera choice harder in visualisation. A sectional perspective, or a view looking down from the upper level, explains the relationship between the two levels in a single frame.