FALL 2021-ARCH401

   Karahantepe Excavation House and Research Center Project is a project that turns the distance of the region from the city into an advantage by being in a location that can serve both Karahantepe and Keçlitepe archaeological excavations. The initial idea emerged with the deliberate burial of the finds discovered in Karahantepe and similar archaeological sites and the emergence of a new life on this burial. The Excavation House Project, which aims to transform this historical stratification into a spatial stratification, keeps the entrance level alive like today's time. The exhibition areas, cafes, and administrative units constructed at this level are considered as functions that appeal to the present. At the same time, functions that shed light on the past are located on a lower floor that is spatially below this layer. Warehouses, cleaning and drying areas, analysis laboratories, workshop areas, working and dining areas for archeologists have become a part of the setup within the scope of this sub-level. Within the scope of this fiction, the stair setup, which connects the floors semi-publicly, works as a narrative and presentation space. In the same context, there are exhibition areas just above the storage units spatially. The connection to the private area, where life continues, is only possible with a "nature layer" (inner garden) that visually connects the spaces. The vertical circulation built in the inner garden provides the connection between the living spaces and the accommodation units. At the same time, the area designed as a gathering area for archaeologists was positioned between the inner garden and the hobby gardens, so that the people who came together here became a part of nature. The water to be used in hobby gardens is provided from the cleaning and drying area located close to this area. In this way, the water used for cleaning the finds is reused for the people living here to produce their own food, contributing to sustainability. Another contribution to sustainability is thanks to the construction technique and materials used. The "rammed earth" technique, which is based on the principle of pouring the dry mortar produced using the soil and water of the region into the mold "layer by layer" and compacting each layer one by one, is one of the most important parts of this project. By displaying the soil diversity of the region in an aesthetic way, it also reduces the expenses to be used for heating and cooling in the building, thanks to its heat retention capacity. Since it is included in the design in its two-storey spaces, a load-bearing system has been designed in which the carrier system is constructed as reinforced concrete and the earthen walls serve as filling. It is possible to read the traces of this carrier system from the facade of the building. For some facades of the building, a design that lets the wind directly in is proposed, and it is aimed to ensure the flow of wind inside the building on hot summer days.