- European Union Horizon 2020 Program Highest Granted Budget Winner Project
- ISBS 2019 Best Sustainable Practices Comptetion 1st Prize
Film link: https://youtu.be/-T8mopN6J8M
Shaped by the hands of humans, the deformations experienced in the natural environment are transforming today's living conditions. Therefore it has become a necessity to develop new strategies and techniques related to life sustaining activities (such as nutrition and shelter) that can adapt to these transformations. Undoubtedly, the negative and positive effects of such technological developments on a necessity that appears on a global scale are quite high. At this point, perhaps it would not be wrong to compare these technological developments to a negative and positive-faced medallion. Although it is clear that the rapid technological developments experienced after the 2000s has had a negative effect on the natural environment, it is obvious that solutions to these problems are still being sought out through technology. For this reason, how and to what extent the daily increase of the global dimensions of these environmental deformations will affect viability (life) around the world is the subject of many studies today. These investigations are expected to produce alternative solutions to such environmental problems as global warming, climate change and drought, and the degradation of soil quality.
When examined within the context of the scale of Turkey; the proliferation of the built environment has been caused by the further increase of the population through emigration in recent years, paralleled with the increasing need for accommodation. In recent years, this situation has endangered the agricultural areas within the urban context. Due to the fact that shrinking urban centers are unable to respond to the increasing population, the built environment phenomenon continues to spread toward the peripheries of the city while transforming agricultural areas. In addition to this, the changing living standards of 21st century daily life and current agriculture and livestock policies push the inhabitants of rural areas to migrate to the city. The decrease in the number of users dealing with agriculture or animal husbandry across the country shows that there will be serious problems in both activities in the future. When the problem of the lessening of natural resources caused by environmental deformations is added to this kind of reduction trend, the size of the problem will be understood more clearly. The issue of global warming and drought, which has affected the whole world in recent years, threatens the sustainability of life on the planet. Within this scope, using measures and strategies taken at the global (macro) and local (micro) scale, projects that can adapt to threats that may occur in the future and are based on the sustainability of life will be produced and realized. The Sasalı Climate Sensitive Agricultural Education and Research Institute stands out as an exemplary application for these projects in Izmir. The project, which was prepared based on the 2080 predictions of droughts in Izmir, is the product of an experimental study that will serve and attempt to alleviate this drought situation.
The project, which is located in Sasalı within the Çiğli District of İzmir, is designed with education and production as its major focus. Within the context of this project, normal and smart soil applied agricultural fields, high order planting agricultural fields, greenhouses, an eco-market, a multi-purpose hall, training classes, administrative facilities, laboratories, a library, technical services, and wet volume areas were created. By holding together the spatial volumes in a linear fashion, the bioswale (bio-boulevard) and the circulation axis attached to it, stand out as the backbone of the design.
This backbone design construct, enables the users to learn and experience the operational mechanics of the institute during their visit to the area. The entrance to the area along the north-south axis is provided from the north axis. Starting from the main entrance, the circulation backbone brings the visitors/users initially to the education oriented spaces (such as laboratories and libraries). The educational spaces and the spaces with agricultural activities (such as greenhouses and vertical gardens) diverge from each other with the creation of the Eco bazaar that is generated through the expansion of the circulation backbone. The fields of agricultural activities that are located beyond the Eco bazaar area invite users to observe and experience different farming techniques. The backbone design construct ends with normal and smart soil applied agricultural fields located at the southern end of the site.
THE PAST – PRESENT – FUTURE OF URBAN MEMORY
The physical environment of the project area was investigated for approximately a 100 year period. While the project area was located in a rural landscape until the 1970s, from that year on, gradual urbanization activities were observed. With the construction of the Sasalı Natural Life Park in 2008, the project area was surrounded and attained the identity we see today. Within the scope of the Urban GreenUp Program of the European Union, the project area was designed in 2019 with an academia-local administration-contractor collaboration. Due to the fact that 80% of the world's population will be living in urban areas by 2050, the re-naturalization of urbanization is targeted in this process.
According to the IPCC AR4, in the 21st century, the number of days where severe and prolonged droughts, heat waves, and short-term but violent downpours are expected to increase in southern Europe including Turkey. In order to create resilience towards hydro-meteorological extremes within this context; strategies for mitigating the effects of climate change, sustainable storm water management, and the dissemination of nature-based practices were carefully considered and strategies with respect to these issues were developed.
Issues -1 : Water overflow risk - flood
Solutions -1 : Surface waters are transferred to bioswales and collected in leakage pools where it would be cleaned with specially selected local plants. In the case that the flood level is too high, the water will be transferred to the lower drening system. The water will be stored in the drening system until the flood ends and the soil dries, where then the cleaned water is reintroduced back to the groundwater.
Issues -2 : The reduction of pollinator insects.
Solutions -2 : Selecting landscape elements from local plants and pollen plants. By creating pollinator homes with natural materials that do not contain any chemicals, a frequented destination of pollinator insects is established.
Issues -3 : Unproductive agriculture with the increased salinity of the soil.
Solutions -3 : The application of soilless farming techniques, the application of vertical farming techniques, the application of the agricultural techniques using biochar (smart soil), agricultural fields that use high order planting techniques
Solutions -4 : Create a ‘Bio-boulevard’ route in order to create a rout e of awareness for people.
Measure yields with different applied farming techniques.
Support cooperatives
Support the use of natural materials
Store water on roofs for reuse
Within the scope of the largest urban grant program of the European Union “HORIZON 2020,” the development of ‘sustainable solutions’ for such problems as climate change, uncontrolled urban growth, flood risk, food and water security, loss of biodiversity, the disruption of the natural urban environment, and the rehabilitation of the polluted-abandoned-idle urban spaces is targeted.
2019
2021
Architect’s Firm : Mert Uslu Architecture
Website : www.mertuslu.com.tr
Contact e-mail : mertuslu @ hotmail.com
Project location : Sasalı, Çiğli – İzmir – Turkey
Completion Year : 2021
Gross Built Area : 2000 m2
Lead Architects : Mert Uslu
Project Team : Mert Uslu, Nilay Özcan Uslu, Melek Güneysu Öztürk, İmge Yurtseven Koç, Farida Rashidova, Gülcan Gürsoy, Merve Çelik
Landscape Project : Kentselizm
Structural Engineering : Deniz Alkan Engineering
Mechanical Engineering : Project BTU
Electrical Engineering : Ayc Engineering
Main Contractor : İzmir Metropolitan Municipality
Photography : Zm Yasa Architectural Photography
Film : Zm Yasa Architectural Photography, Selim Ateş