The Line

‘’Ground has a content that is not only physical but also the basis of human’s existential situation and his deep and complex relationship with nature.’’
The basis of our responsibility in our relationship with nature is to be able to sustain this relationship in a healthy way. The fundamental problem here is the tendency to see ground as a resource that can only be used for human benefit and the attitude-unconsciousness-unawareness of people towards this.
As a perspective on this problem, ECOCRITICISM creates a productive environment to discuss this situation. Creating ecological awareness by reconsidering the relationship of man with his physical environment is the fundamental goal of ecocritical thinking.
In the context of ecocriticism in Güzelbahçe;
with the rubble dumping works that started with the quarry in the past and are carried out today, the perception of fertile soil has been lost and the habitat on it has been lost. Also, rubble dumping works caused direct damage to the earth and harmed living things with the harmful gases released.
In this ecocritical approach to the area, a structure that would provide critical thinking had to be designed here. And while doing this, people had to be encouraged to this structure. Thus, people had to be included in the process while they were still in the city. Therefore, it was aimed to reach the main structure with a promera coming from within the city.
When promera meets the land; The design decision was based on the idea of creating a line/linearity that would reflect the strong and determined stance of criticism and create its process.
It was aimed to build this entire critical thought formation process within this linearity and actually transform the structure into a PROCESS. This linearity, which reflects the power of criticism, will be so strong that it will progress with determination to pierce through whatever comes its way(like nature corrupted by human hands). And the fact that it pierces through the damaged topography will prove the power of that criticism.
The structure's program was created by taking into account the stages of creation of critical thought. This stages are; knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and taking action. Spatial scenerios and spaces were also designed to reflect this process.
Along this route, there are some supporting units throughout the process along with the spatialities.
The first of these are observation noxes. It overflows from the entire linearity by getting stuck at certain intervals in the flow and allows observation of the surroundings within this process.
Another unit is individual thinking tanks. These units are units that people who continue in the process can enter and experience from time to time - generally aimed at revealing specific feelings.
The structure is created by following the steps of the critical thought process, and while it progresses towards learning until the point where it pierces the top, it progresses in a structure where more discussion environments are created at the underground (where it pierces), and where the announcement part takes place at the point where it comes out.

Site Location: Güzelbahçe, İzmir/ Turkey
The structure is created with a wooden skeleton system on the outside. This is the main structure that creates the building and making the story.
There are some circulation paths/routes to make the circulation and keep the spaces attached themselves. In the plan structure, it progresses in a straight linearity and has a set of chains in it.
At the outside, skeleton continues in a straight and strict way while at the inner spaces making some voids and height differences in terms of function.
In the skeleton, the columns are located in every 5m or 10m according to density of function. In this way, a movement has gained to the elevation of the building for the people who observe the structure from the city or the main road.

Designer: Gamze Çalışkan
Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ülkü İnceköse, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ebru Yılmaz, R.A. Ceren Ergüler