World Architecture Awards Submissions / 50th Cycle
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The project is located in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The land area is 1020 square meters. The total area of the house is 429 square meters. The ground 1 floor villa living room is double height floors high. On the left side there are 3 rooms and a family room. The house has 6 rooms in total. While designing the house, an architectural identity was defined with reinforced concrete floors at different levels. In order to prevent the houses on the other side of the road on the right from watching the balcony on the 1st floor, the 1st floor terrace was closed with a blank wall in this direction. 3 different floors and the console wall on the right side are surfaces that slide over each other and define each other. On the left side of the house, a mass was designed with a sloping roof that would create a contrast with these flat floors, and different movements between the right and left of the house were provided to strengthen each other's existence by creating a contrast. At the front of the house there is a sitting area which is an extension of the living room. This semi-open sitting area of 30 square meters is a part of the garden. The swimming pool, which is 4 meters by 14 meters, was designed on the boundary wall side of the garden. The architecture of the house is unique to this villa due to the client's desire for privacy on the first floor balcony. The floating floor pieces allowed us to achieve an original design, distinguishing the architecture of the house from other existing house stock.
G 1 floors
Plot area: 1020 sqm
Total construction area:429 sqm
Selim Senin
Bilgehan Kucukkuzucu
Izmir has been a cosmopolitan, important coastal and port city of Western Anatolia with its port and commercial identity that developed depending on its background area from the past to the present, and with its cultural identities it has lived on. In the 17th century, the city was dominated by the Ottomans. The city turned into an eastern Mediterranean port city in the 17th century and became a commercial center. The mouth of the estuary was completely closed, this area turned into a swamp formed by seafood and soon filled with warehouse type inns.
İzmir Konak Square, lesser known as Atatürk Square, is an area that has undergone a lot of changes in its history of more than 200 years.
Konak Square has been a square, far from being a fixable place in its active history, with its 'structure' according to the political identities of different periods. This transformation has become more evident with the growth of the spatial scale over time. Until recently, Konak Square has been an open space that does not offer an ideal public life and has low spatial use due to the nature of the structures and uses that define it. It can be attributed to the fact that it outweighs it, that it cannot go beyond a mere landscaping and that the scale of the area has been lost.
The project has been designed to reference the historical past of Izmir. While the assembly hall, which is the symbol of democracy, was handled gradually and designed in the order of the ancient amphitheater, the triple columns that will carry this structure refer to the columnar architecture of the Agora. The three-column, in which the assembly is carried, represents the people who shape democracy with the elections they have made, and explains that the assembly can survive with this popular election. Thanks to the gradual elevation of the assembly structure to occupy the least space on the square, the remaining area opens towards the mosque and monument with steps and continues the public space in the project area. Instead of a building that covers the whole area, the building is positioned in a way that touches the ground the least and increases the use of people.
The semi-open public space designed on the basement floor can be accessed from two points, and the exhibition area and cafe area below can be accessed.
Plot: 3332 sqm
Composite Structure
Selim Senin
Bilgehan Kucukkuzucu
Alev Doru
Mehmet Bikec
Dicle Yildirim
Beyza Kinsiz
The project is located in the city of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, at one of the most central points of the city. The land area is 14 000 m2 and has a slope of approximately 20 meters. The campus, which includes 5 different departments:
1-School of Computing and Information Technology
2-Business School
3-School of Law
4-School of Education
5-Graduate School-Masters
In order to reflect the topography of Kigali architecturally, we created a hill-shaped architecture by breaking down the masses instead of a single large mass, and referenced the topography of Kigali consisting of thousands of hills. The campus, where more than 5000 students will study at the same time, also references the fragmented architectural texture in the surrounding area with its fragmented masses.
The curvilinear architecture that dominates the exterior architecture of the building continues in the interior as well. This curvilinear geometry forms the main structure of interior architecture design in classrooms, atriums, conference halls and lecture halls.
At the junction point of the masses, there is a 20-meter opening, and a semi-open amphitheater for 400 people is formed here. This area is an amphitheater area where the university can hold various social activities for its students.
Since the building is on a sloping land, entrances to the building are provided from different elevations. The campus can be accessed from the upper road and the lower road, and there are 7 different entrances to the building.
38 400 sqm
5000 students
Selim Senin
Bilgehan Kucukkuzucu
Alev Doru
Located in the foothill of Seolak Mountain, one of the main challenges of designing this villa was to respond with the context of its site. In this hillside location, the solution was to adapt an ancient Korean traditional courtyard design. Along with the natural topography, four volumes are stepped and formed a courtyard. 400 M2 house with five-beds and four-baths, has four wings: Master Suite Wing, Living & Dining Wing, Kitchen & Amenity Wing, and Guest & Gallery Wing. Inward view of this courtyard, not only accommodates various family activities but also provides a mountain view through the center opening of the courtyard which enhances a quiet and contemplative aura and avoids the unpleasing view of the tomb and the adjacent hut.
As with the Korean courtyard style, the use of the local and natural materials was cost-effective. The Korean ‘giwa’, a form of ceramic tile used in the old traditional roof construction, was applied in the wall construction kneaded with a special colored mortar to emphasize the horizontality of the facade along with the overhanging local granite stone roofs. Traditional, but yet this modernized design in many aspects also introduced sustainable and passive design. Instead of using oil or LPG generated heating system which consumes large amounts of energy, more efficient geothermal system was adapted by digging down 154 m of the ground. Grass rooftop was designed to act as insulation and to avoid heat buildup which substantially reduced the energy and cost of maintenance.
Four volumes are positioned at a different level in responding to the sloped site. Each volume of space is arranged in the form of Korean traditional houses. The living quarter was divided into sectors with individual volumes and separated with outdoor space. The corridor is a mediator between outdoor and indoor space. As these four integrated volumes in different level positioned, various levels of openings are deployed. For this construction, continuous wall girders with horizontal beams are used to lift to create void space: openings for the entryway, garages, lights and views. Each opening frames out new boundary and brings new relationship of outdoor space.
Site Area: 1,768 SM
Total Built Area: 499 SM
Structure: Reinforced Concrete
Building Material: Granite, Ceramic Tile
Ventuno Marina Izmir is an apartment project consisting of 24 units, located within walking distance of the marina, which is the heart of Çeşme. Ventuno Marina distinguishes itself in the region of three-story apartments with its mass approach and the materials used.
Built on a 2,417 m² parcel, the Ventuno Marina project consists of A and B blocks, featuring 1 1, 2 1, and 3 1 apartments. These blocks are connected by a 1,500 m² basement that includes parking, storage areas for the apartments, a staff room and technical spaces.
Access to the project is provided through the center of the two blocks and from the west side of the parcel. In the middle of the two blocks, on the left side of the pedestrian entrance, there is a 250 m² swimming pool and sunbathing area, separated from the walking paths by both elevation differences and surrounding landscaping. The parking entrance is located at the northwest corner of the parcel. The main circulation paths of the parking area are illuminated by daylight through roof windows (light wells) located in areas where the landscape and buildings allow. The paths are similarly lit by lighting fixtures found in these light wells during the absence of sunlight.
Storage areas of 5-9 m² allocated to each apartment are grouped in the basement, having access from the A and B blocks cores that include elevators and staircases.
Thanks to the local climate, the project implements the previously common open corridor system. These open corridors, which connect the apartment entrances and vertical circulation, are protected by a semi-transparent façade made of perforated metal sheets, covering the entire facade to shield from rain and wind. This semi-transparent façade also serves as a railing, and there are planters that transform into seating areas in certain places along the corridor side. All floors feature apartment entrances from these landscaped corridors.
The apartment layouts are centered around wide balconies and terraces that give mass movement to the blocks. These balconies/terraces, which open to the living room and kitchen, are essential for the climate of the projects site. These balconies are defined by the railing systems and materials seen in old İzmir apartments, while the overall apartment design showcases raw concrete, in the ceilings of the living rooms and kitchens, as well as in the basement, general corridors, and on the exterior facades, including balconies and eaves.
Aluminum profiles used along the height of the façade serve to conceal bathroom windows in some areas and provide partial shading and semi-privacy in others. The natural stone cladding used throughout the façade employs a mechanical mounting system, which hides the rainwater and wastewater drainage lines.
To integrate the project with its landscape, a significant portion of the basement is utilized as green roof, achieved by designing a 50 cm soil over the basement. This green roof predominantly features low-growing plants, while the exposed soil areas outside the basement incorporate tall trees selected in proportion to the building height, with acacia trees between the blocks and palms along the road façades becoming part of the architecture.
The perimiter walls creating planters on the road side, enhancing the project’s integratarion with the urban environment via landscape.
• City: İzmir
• Country: Turkey
• Project Type: Apartment
• Design: BAD- Başak Akkoyunlu Design
• Client: Karaaslan Yapı
• Civil Engineering Project: Genoser - Mert Genç
• Mechanical Engineerig PRoject: Arda Erşan
• Electrical Engineering Project: Mehmet Yapar