Cross-Ref: Reference & Site

For our end-of-term project, we were first given our plots of land. Unfortunately, we didn't go on a site visit this year, so our plots are fictional, and we only know as much about the surroundings as we were given. My plot was a sloping area by the sea. It's a hot and humid place, and somewhat wooded. Throughout the project this year, we worked at a 1/50 scale, and the plot's boundaries were 35x50 meters. So everything we made was very large.

Based on our previous analyses, we needed to choose a reference that had already been analyzed in the studio and create a specific form based on that reference. My first reference was Fisherman House and Gwathmey because I wanted to work with wood, and considering that wood rots quickly in a humid place, I needed a structure like Fisherman that had solved this problem. Due to the slope of the land, I created a form with two steps at the top and three steps at the bottom, and like Gwathmey, this form was a rectangle.

Later, our scenarios were determined. My scenario included a family of three and a rentable space. With the scenario in place, I realized I hadn't used the form and this reference as I wanted; I also felt that it wasn't a suitable reference for the topography and environment. So I chose Memo House as a new reference. Memo House is actually a structure on a rectangular plot within the city, supported by load-bearing walls on both sides. One of its distinguishing features is its green roof. Another characteristic of this structure is that its vertical circulation element is a continuous module. So, while there are stairs inside the house, we see the reflection of these stairs on the roof in a curved way. Of course, after choosing this structure as a reference, the project changed considerably, along with the scenario.

In my first attempts at drawing plans on my own, I discovered some interesting things. A plan should have a plan. Of course, saying it like that isn't entirely clear, but what I mean is: instead of listing the necessary things and randomly placing them, determining the general outlines of what will be on which floors or what will be connected to what makes drawing plans much easier. Of course, although I produced some somewhat unusual plans in the initial stages, I improved them with revisions.

As for the form, it changed as the plans changed, of course. I changed the curved structure above the circulation area to simply an inclined plane because I felt it better suited the overall form and topography of the house. I aimed to create different experiences by using this inclined plane at different angles. Later, based on the feedback I received, I raised the roof of the rentable space slightly, trying to make its form noticeable from within the entire organization and create a special space within itself. I positioned this rentable space so that it can be used independently or together with the entire organization, depending on the needs. In addition to the main entrances of the house, there are side entrances and private small gardens, or courtyards, for the rentable space and the regular residents of the house. I used a green roof similar to the one in Memo House, but I proceeded in this way because I wanted the structure to integrate with the topography. While arranging the topography, I designed a pier that integrates with the form of the house to strengthen its connection with the sea. The topography around the house also changed accordingly, of course.