PROJECT HISTORY
A few weeks before we started the project, the owners visited Akyaka in the spring of 2015. Their initial impression was that it was a cute town, but as they began to venture out they felt an instinctive connection to the whole region. The mountains, rivers, hills and plateaus inspired them to search for a site that was 10-20 km away from town and more embedded in nature. Akyaka on the Gökova Bay of the Aegean Sea had for many years been an important destination for sailors and sailing tourism due to its natural beauty, favorable winds and isolated location.
The location was on a sloping hillside covered with pine trees high above the town of the Akyaka on southwest coast of Turkey in a serene village called Citlik. The Citlik tree (Celtis Australis or Mediterranean Hackberry tree) that inhabits the site and also gives its name to the town is a symbolic tree in this region. According to the mythology, whoever eats the fruit of the tree will be unable to leave the area. The owners could feel the history lure them to this spot, and unable to venture away, decided to build their home.
Our first meeting was clear and brief. They desired the juxtaposition between simple and timeless, transparent and private all at an affordable rate. They wanted to build a life that was not restrained inside the home. As a botanist, the owner desired a home where her design concept extended out beyond the home and into the natural landscape. Her partner is an off-road motorbike rider and founder of a channel for enduro. They both wanted their home to reflect both their emotional and professional connection to the environment.
These philosophical parameters inspired the design process. The process was expedited by mutual values and professional respect which provided the architect the rare opportunity to freely begin the design. The success of any project depends on the relationship between client and architect. We firmly believe in the importance of listening to the client, but also feel that the site and the surrounding area speak at an equal volume. Quality architecture does not emerge solely from the concepts and material. Exceptional architecture is a composition of sentiment, environment and the individual. Its inception requires a community of owners, architects, master builders, contractors and engineers.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The initial design of the Citlik house was based on the following concepts: the careful merger of the ground floor with the surrounding nature, the simplicity and clarity of materials and the affordability in relation to the project. The house, which was designed for a young couple striving to simplify their lives, is formed with few materials, quality details and simple solutions. The open spaces and transparent facades create numerous opportunities for the unification of open and closed spaces. The paradox of the simplicity of the materials and the deliberate amalgamation of nature and structure makes the project unique and timeless.
The entire site consists of three separate units: the multi-purpose garage, a utility house and a parking garage for cars. The owner’s greenhouse is purposefully situated on the south-east corner that is hidden by trees and plants. The location of the greenhouse was selected based on data collected from a study of the sun and purposefully positioned in the trees on the south-east corner to preserve as much native yard space as possible for planting.
The natural environment was a vital aspect in the orientation of the design. The site is populated with ten trees, a careful concoction of olive and other native trees with the one, sole Citlik tree standing in solitude. Their preservation was essential to our design and the we wove our house into the landscape by making them the focal point in the view from the ground-floor windows. The 1.5mt, full height windows also blend into the natural environment by facing a rolling hill heavily inhabited by trees. The owners can lie peacefully in bed and gaze out into the tranquil view of the sky melting into the surrounding hills. The pictorial view continues to the south with a daphne tree plantation that blends and extends into surrounding agricultural sites creating an endless green painting visible from the bedroom windows. The house exists in solitude with only a few neighboring houses tenuously entering its existence.
While entering through the gate on the north facade, guests stroll over the pebble-stone walkway and bask in the serenity of plants that were carefully curated by the owner, who is also a botanist. The main entrance door is guarded by a few low steps which prop the house slightly above the ground level, a requirement in a flood zone. The door opens up onto an entrance way that is the nucleus of the house where all of its rooms harmoniously communicate. A single wall protects the kitchen from view. The left leads to the stairs while the right leads to the glass-enclosed living room, the link between the interior and the natural exterior.
The L-shaped ground floor is fundamentally two spaces divided by stairs. The elongated side of the L-shape contains the dining room, kitchen and living space that faces south to west. The shorter side consists of two merged guests rooms facing north to west. The entire ground floor, minus the ceiling, is made from structural reinforced concrete. The white ceiling creates a brightness to the room, especially when accented by the sun. The living room ceiling is higher than the other spaces because the codes restrict the height of the first floor to 6.5 meters.
The main-floor bathroom is located below the stairs. The stairs are a bridge that help transition between concepts and materials. Since the house is in a first-degree earthquake zone, the codes restricted the use of concrete on the first floor. The walls of the first floor are made of brick and plaster and painted white. The ceiling is also white. The white paint not only helps protect the climate of the room by reflecting the sun, but it also alludes to Mediterranean architecture.
The first floor is a private sanctuary for the owners punctuated by a 3mt cantilever that is situated over the kitchen and grounded to the surface by large steel structures. The cantilevers provides a respite from the sun in the summertime and also lures the sun through the glass facade in the winter. The first-floor master bedroom is situated on the south side and faces across from the bathroom and utility room on the north side. The floor also provides access to The Sunset Terrace on the west that also serves as the roof to the dining area.
MATERIALS CONSTRUTION AND TECHNOLOGY
The building is composed of three elements: concrete, aluminium-framed glass windows and natural wood. The foundation of our design revolves around our fundamental principles. We only use pristine, unsullied materials to enhance how they interact and create the atmosphere that we’ve conceived. Our materials preserve the integrity of our designs and also reduce the cost of the overall project. Unfortunately, the use of less materials and layers can challenge the builder or master craftsman who must focus on the precision of details when constructing the concrete walls, steel beams, floors and canitlevers. They only have one opportunity to get it right with no room for error.
Our design initially presented a challenge to local builders. To reduce building costs we eliminated the basement floor and decreased the excavation area to less than the actual footprint. This along with structural and design challenges; including, ground-floor cantilevers extending from the rooms, large cantilevers the provide shade for the terrace and extend the space in the first-degree earthquake zone, frameless glass corners and longer, linear-shaped window openings, and big frames for transparency, and rain spouts instead of gutters. To overcome this challenge, we provided them with the necessary technology and data so that they could exert all of their resources, passion and skill into the project.
The local builder is a visionary civil engineer who employs high-skilled master builders. Their love for their craft fosters their desire to work with precision and care. The drawings that we provided were the achievement of many hands. We abandoned the idea of experience in order to collaborate with a variety of architects, engineers and builders. We focused on ideas, not on the ego, and listened the the voices that could most effectively bring out project to fruition. Our builders used their knowledge of method, material and technology as a foundation, but were also open to new ideas and challenges which enhanced the overall process. This collaborative symbiosis of architect and builder created a relationship that will sustain into the future and has already initiated a collaboration on future projects.
PROJECT SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT
Our motive is to empower local builders and create an mutually-beneficial relationship where we can both enhance our knowledge and understanding of the construction of buildings. The project has not only impacted the owners, but its positive influence has spread to the land, people and culture by providing a nucleus where knowledge, experience and lifestyle meet to echo out into the community.
Through our process of development we unearthed a significant historical connection that more closely linked our project to the region. Gokhan Karakus originally sparked our interest in the architectural trends of Akyaka in his critique of The Citlik House called “Super Regionalism in Akyaka.” In his critique, he builds a connection between the design and construction of our Citlik house with Nail Cakirhan’s Aga Khan Architecture award winning “Nail Cakirhan house.” We built upon this connection by exploring the use of materials that Nail Cakirhan used while constructing the canopies that were used in Turgut Cansever’s Karatepe-Aslantas Canopies and museum project at Neo-Hittite archaeological site built in Adana in 1961. According to sources, Cakirhan was a pioneer of the use of raw concrete as a building technique, which he exhibited through his construction of these canopies.
We discovered this connection after building had commenced, and were pleasantly surprised to discover that we were unknowingly building a relationship between mid-twentieth century Turkish design and today. This discovery also enhanced our appreciation and affection for the the project because it allowed us to unknowingly acknowledge our predecessors and convey our respect.
