Earthen Community

l Earthen Community l

Throughout history, shelter has always been one of people’s fundamental needs, yet over time it has evolved beyond merely providing physical protection, gaining social, psychological, and economic dimensions. A reality that cannot be overlooked today — in the face of pandemics, wars, natural disasters, and economic hardships — is that the need for shelter now goes beyond being just a physical structure.

This project, located in Istanbul’s Beykoz district, aims to offer an autonomous living space where individuals can establish social ties. Shaped around the concepts of social participation and self-sufficiency, the project envisions a community where people come together with collective awareness, stand on their own feet, support one another, produce their own goods, share their products at city markets, and strengthen their social bonds by interacting in public squares that evolve over time. It offers a modular space that can adapt to different usage needs.

| Sustainable Approach
Waste Management:
Today, waste management is one of the key issues for environmental sustainability. In Earthen Community, organic waste is transformed into fertilizer through chicken coops, contributing to the nutrient cycle. Each house has its own vegetable garden, supported by natural fertilizer and irrigated with reclaimed greywater, which encourages food production and supports the ecosystem. This circular system not only enriches the soil by reusing waste but also provides a collective model for sustainable production.

Energy Efficiency:
Earthen Community focuses on renewable energy sources to ensure energy efficiency. Solar panels installed on each rooftop generate clean energy, meeting daily electricity needs. Green roofs facilitate natural insulation and contribute to soil nourishment by capturing rainwater.

Heating and Cooling:
Earthen Community prioritizes energy-efficient and eco-friendly solutions for heating and cooling systems. A natural draft chimney system provides interior ventilation. An integrated heat pump ensures year-round climate control with sustainable energy savings. The panels are also connected to the heating system to optimize energy use.

Earthen Community | Construction Technique
"Excavate, Settle, Live"

Earthen Community represents an innovative lifestyle model in harmony with nature for a sustainable future. It embraces an approach rooted in the essence of the land and reinterprets it. The core idea is to use earth as both space and material source.

Local soil, excavated from the site, is reintegrated into a sustainable production cycle and reshaped as compressed earth blocks. These standardized modular molds make construction easier and allow residents to build and expand their living spaces themselves. This way, people are not only homeowners but also experience the satisfaction of shaping their own spaces by hand. This approach, encapsulated in the phrase “Excavate, Settle, Live”, holds a simple yet profound meaning — it encourages a return to nature, reintegrating excavated soil back into the life cycle and planting the seeds of a sustainable future.

Considering the region’s seismic conditions, human life has been the most important sustainability factor in Earthen Community. The approach eliminates the need for conventional concrete by using safe, accessible, and climate-appropriate natural building elements. Lightweight, reinforced earth units, optimized for structural integrity, are enhanced with bacteria (typically Bacillus species) and nutrients that strengthen the soil. This system prevents cracking by filling voids, increasing soil resistance, and transforming Earthen Community into an embracing spatial system — a living organism in itself.

Earthen Community offers a sustainable lifestyle philosophy. This philosophy encourages people to produce, reconnect with nature, upcycle waste, enhance local resources, and strengthen community solidarity. Ultimately, it aspires to be an inspiring example for the future of sustainable living.