Final Jury

Here is the end of the online semester. It was a very tiring and wearing period both in terms of mentally and physically. At the very beginning, everything was more difficult and we had to keep up with this online system. Although we had some distressed and tough days, we had completed the period with in balance, harmony and always exciting approaches toward the project with my office.

Let’s continue with the final of the project. Since the beginning, we introduced ourselves as we are the ones, who create landscapes and generations and we aim to produce system that give birth to self-producible future. As Touché, we encourage the self-production and self-sufficiency. In relation, we have been trying to integrate the green into the living space on a large scale. We are trying to design a system that is self-sufficient, capable of producing and green. We aimed to achieve sustainable-green- living environment, vertical farming and mass customization.

Initially and briefly, as approaches, since we chose to study with the different medium in terms of form, we decided on the impact zones and started to produce the plates according to these impacts. Besides, we orient and locate the structure in the most efficient way to get benefit from the sunlight/daylight-especially to the agriculture layer-. In addition, we have the idea about creating a valley-crack-that is from north-east to southwest. We preserved the idea about three stages of green that start with the valley level, the greenest part and continue with the agriculture layer and then housing units with small reflections of the green areas.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

On the other hand, as you all know from the whole process, we want to create agriculture area-soil based farm where both young and elderly people can produce and consume their own foods together, and which is the collective space that create itself on the major scale. At the final stage, we revised the green strips in agriculture layer. We design a strip layout of the green, include the plants that are resistant to the harsh winter, and summer conditions. We predict that they are planted according to the season. On the other hand, because we design a soil based farm on the middle level, we have to consider the slab detail accordingly. We presented the detail slab section of the agriculture layer in the final. Apart from the agriculture layer, we preserved the idea about semi agriculture spaces from the very beginning, that two apartment can share. Besides, on one floor, we also create greenhouse areas as the reflection of the agriculture area.

 

As another point, we revised the structure system too. The form of the tubular columns changed. Rather than producing it with the same diameters, we determine various diameters this time in order to both increase the stability, efficiency of the sunlight and ventilation.

Thanks to our instructors and guest jury members, it was a very efficient, useful and enlightening final jury.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Challenge

One of the critical point that we started to question and tried to find a solution was the structure system of the building. We have to propose an innovative and different solution. Different from the gridal structure system we need something experimental and on a larger scale and form.

Upon that, we started the search for the structure system and tried to find some projects as case studies. While continue to search and after several critics we encounter with the Sendai Mediatheque-Toyo Ito.

The form consist of plates and tubes (the columns) and the plates are intersected by the several tubular columns that include stairs, elevator and service shafts.

• The tubular colums has semirandom layout.

In addition to serve as cirulation and technic cores, we thought that these tubular columnes can be also provide ventilation and help to benefit from the sunlight as well.

 

Pre Jury III

Between the second pre jury and third, we mostly focused on the orientations and shapes of the plates and their unit configurations on it. After we designed several plates, we directly started to redesign our housing unit types. In order to work in reference with the curves of the plates, the peripheries of our units changed accordingly. This was a challenging and very long process. In order to provide the most proper and efficient solution, we had to try and produce various relations and conditions. Apart from the housing unit part, we also designed our collective areas, which include sport center, health clinic, supermarket, workshop areas, bookstore, restaurants and café at the valley level. On the other hand, as a new approach and interpretation, we can mention to achieving the three stages of the green in the project, which is started with the valley level that is the most commercial area and continue with the agriculture level and then housing levels.

In addition the agriculture level include also housing which is for single users and can be serve for temporary accommodation and renting.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

For the next step, we have to consider the structure system of the building that necessitate different approach and solutions.

Pre Jury II

With the new, unexpected conditions due to the Covid-19, the second pre jury took place online. We were very worried and stressed about this condition because we don’t know about how the things work from now on, can we adapt ourselves to this condition and continue to work with the excitement and efficiency same as the beginning. The things we should do started to take much more time. However, this condition was not too challenging for the online jury.

For the second pre-jury we were expected to indicate our design decisions and strategies on the program, approach to the site; sizes and quantities of dwellings, social and shared activities; ratios between different user groups; dimensions of living units, in relation with the site analysis.

As the new approach, instead of using the natural valley at the topography we decided to create and alternative crack-valley- from north-east to the south-west point with a new flow of green, connecting the Loft part to the Nokta buildings. In addition, we define the impact zone that I mentioned in previous posts, which help us to decide on the form of the plates, and then we made the initial programmatic division of the layers.

For the first time we tried to study 1/200 plan detail and tried to integrate our units into the plates that is a challenging part. Because of the curvilinear peripheries, we questioned about how the units come together, how they are located at the plates and create an integrated whole. We always discussed that, we have to ensure that the four unit types that we designed should not be stand at the plates as they are thrown.

This visual shows the shadow condition

Second Stage

After the first stage and site trip, we passed to the second stage that is the major stage and include introducing the main approach and starting to the design of the community housing with the given site and programs.

We started to think on the domestic needs of the young and elderly people and the necessary supportive functions. Upon that, we were expected to interpret these conditions and propose several scenarios and programs. The project scenario should include both the housing units and shared collective areas, social functions and their relations. Accordingly, we started to determine several social functions-collective areas that can be placed in our project. We made some diagrams, analysis related with that. Besides, we also search for new projects as case studies. In order to shape an idea about the form of the structure and how it will be seen in the final, we search for new case studies.

 

 

 Case Study

One of is the competition project of MVRDV.

Contrasting with the high rise surroundings the project include horizontal lines and curved shapes and consist of ‘plates’ like in other case study Semaphore. One of our main aim is also achieving that kind of form that can bring along the innovative solutions. While proposing that kind of form we thought that we can create some impact points or zones that give a shape to our plates and at the overall building.

On the other hand, as we have the approach of creating green areas at larger scale, we decided on designing an agriculture area as priority. For this approach, we encounter with the case study House Farm-Spark Architecture.

The project integrate vertical and horizontal farming and the high density housing with a garden environment. They create soil-based farm at the bottom level. So briefly, depending mostly on this case study, the idea of introducing agriculture area became our priority. Parallel with the large scale agriculture area which is one of the major collective area that people can both produce and consume their own food. we decided on also designing some semi agriculture spaces that two apartment can share and make small-scale productions as well.

 

Site Analysis

After the first jury, we went to the site that we will work on in order to make some accurate and clear analysis. The site is in Çayyolu/Koru, ANKARA. In terms of the analysis of the site, we are responsible for the plan update as a group. Therefore, initially we started to analyze the buildings around the site their exact locations, the side roads, sidewalks and their slopes, the level differences between the roads and streets. Besides, because of the slope change at each point at the site, we made detail analysis, take some notes on it and take some pictures. In order to add the missing buildings to the plan drawing that we received, we determined the buildings one by one.

-The site is located between the Nokta Ankara Residence (west) and Loft building(east). There is Meksika Street at the south and Eskişehir road at the north.

 

Pre Jury I

The first jury was based on introducing our offices, with the designed logo, its’ characteristic, approaches and the general ideologies. In addition, the different four unit type that reflect the main approach of the office.

In my previous post, I mentioned to our initial unit ideas that shows the traces of the wall and interior configuration approach of the Diamond House-Hejduk; the continuous and fluid circulation, undefined boundary conditions of the Möbius House. Besides as another of our main approach, integrating the green into the living space, was studied as well.

We named our unit as Type 1, Type 2, Type 3 and Type 4 that are differentiate according to the number of user. However, we still don’t specify a precise and unchangeable user number. On the other hand, in our all unit types we tried to create and search for new experimental conditions. Specifically in Type 2, we had an approach to live the garden inside of the unit that separate it into two part.

Initial Housing Units

After deciding some initial strategies and approaches on housing concept, we were expected to design some housing units, propose innovative set of housing units. Because of the primary goal in this project is to criticize the already existing housing units, apartment types, we were assigned to bring four different apartment type.

According to our case studies, we started to design our units considering the form of Semaphore, which consist of plates that have curvilinear form and spaces on it. This curvilinear plates allow various opportunity to design both fluid circulation areas, collective spaces and the areas where several plants are located and green is dominant. On the other hand, the wall system of the Diamond House of John Hejduk was referred, which has again curvilinear form and allow achieving undefined boundary conditions, spaces and breaking the already existing formation of the spaces; the adopted logic about the ‘corridor’ condition.

In addition we also don’t determine the units such as 3+1, 2+1 or 4+1. We interpret some spaces as they can change according to need. The unit for two people sometimes can turn into a type that three people can live. On the other hand, we didn’t design the units and offer a situation like, this type is designed for younger people and this type is for elderly.

Moreover, we also tried to include the green inside of the housing units. We want to let the green live in the housing.

Community Housing in Ankara

This semester the aim of the studio is developing an urban-based architectural understanding and dealing with the design problems in urban scale; with considering the various complex relations and multiple scales. Correspondingly, this term we are going to work on a project mass housing as a group, which will help us to consider and understand several architectural concepts like rationalization of spaces, multiplication of units, mass production, environmental concerns etc. The concept of “living together” and later “community housing” will be the focus, and this housing project will be for people from two different ages; university students and elderly. They will live together and form a community.

As the first stage, we were expected to bring some innovative approaches, outlines on housing concepts, determine some strategies etc. Accordingly, our studio started to search for the new ideas that directly correspond with our attitudes and what we want to achieve. First, we decided on that we want to make an ecologic, green and sustainable design. Then, we started to search for example projects that turned to case studies. Various scenarios and ideas, scenarios for cohabitation, relation and spread of green was discussed.

For the case studies, apart from the green and ecologic designs, we also searched for how to achieve fluid and continuous circulation, spaces; the spaces and paths that are defined by uncertain boundary conditions. The reason is because, one of our initial aim is creating unexpected conditions.

Initial case studies are; The Möbius House, Diamond House-John Hejduk and Semaphore.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After Erasmus l Turning Back to Reality l New Term

The new term started with the new system. For the first time we will work as a group throughout the entire term. Although I have many doubts and reservations, on one hand, I know that at some point we had to experience working within a group for a long time.

At the first step of group working, we were expected to create our office made up by four person. In relation with that, we need to name our office, design a logo and define the identity, approaches and attitudes of the office. Including me, our architects are Alara Ata, Arca Çavuşoğlu and Mehmet Ünlü. So, here we are, TOUCHÉ.

Touché Studio is a design studio which targets the innovative, experimental, mostly ecologic and sustainable designes and exploring new ways of living. We are focusing on tactical and experimental innovations in the cities while trying to make an effective and unusual points. We are reinterpreting the existing one. We want to people to be the part of the changing system and unusual conditions rather than the conditions that we already encounter. On that point, we can say that, we want to make someone reconsider the situation.