FALL 2022-ARCH401

Dilek Peninsula Büyük Menderes Delta National Park; is a botanical garden where almost all plants naturally coexist on the coasts from the Mediterranean to the Caucasus, a natural land area with raptors, wild animals, and the underwater richness surrounding it, as well as a delta and fish species with hundreds of bird species. It is a natural wonder with historical and cultural richness surrounding all these. The site forms an ECOTONE that includes the integrated habitat areas that give the project its name. In addition to all these natural beauties, the unique architecture of Domatia village determines the identity of the area. However, the visitor center, which exists in such an important land where natural beauties are blended with the cultural past, is insufficient. The Ecotone Project aims to research, teach and exhibit the riches of the region. Continuing to respect the existing architectural texture of Domatia, it defines alternative spaces. 

The design was inspired by the site itself, especially the unique architecture of the village. The houses in the village of Domatia are positioned as the topography allows. Semi-open or open spaces are defined between the houses. The gathering areas in the village are shaped around fountains and monumental trees. The continuing terraced canopies that represent the topography of the Eski Doğanbey created an architectural image and made the whole area very dynamic and vivid. Therefore, a floating canopy was proposed just like a cloud, hugging the landscape and being part of it. 

The Ecotone project encompasses 4 main buildings. These are Research Center, Accommodation Building, Activity Building and Exhibition Building. First of all, important axes in the site are determined. For this, the data available on the site were used. Then, potential viewpoints were determined to form a semi-open area. Afterwards, the land was zoned in accordance with the hierarchy of functions. The first zone is the exhibition zone which undertakes a welcoming function. The first mass we reach after the parking lot is the exhibition building. In this structure, starting from the formation process of the peninsula, visitors will be able to comprehend the species living in the peninsula, their ecosystems, and their duties as a human regarding climate/sustainability. While the exhibition building describes the peninsula, it also makes the visitor experience the topography of the site. The building, which is located at different levels, contains ramps in it. These ramps affect the height of the building and create a terraced building from the outside. At the end of the visit, they will reach the gathering area where the monumental tree on the site is referenced. This center functions as a public center and connects the cafeteria and the exhibition building. After completing their tour, visitors can stop by the cafeteria or enjoy the viewpoint. Visitors who want to participate in post-tour activities should access the education zone, which is the upper zone. This zone is a gathering point where public-private functions converge. Access to the activity building and the conference building is provided from this point. The last zone, the research level, defines a private space that contains the research center and the accommodation building. These two masses have their own special gathering point. The old visitor center will now function as a research center and will be connected to the accommodation building. 

In the project, where the functions are connected with the squares created by taking the trees in the field as a reference, the riverside is divided into semi-open spaces in order to benefit from the view with maximum efficiency. The canopy starts from the exhibition building and connects all the way down to the riverside, which provides a sense of continuity and lets the building blend in with nature. While distinguishing buildings and natural fields, the canopy creates a view just like a courtyard that hugs the existing monumental tree. The ring-shaped canopy creates a space where it not only gathers people around the building but also allows people to fully experience the nature around the whole site. 

Ecotone fully respects and adapts to the existing Greek architecture of Domatia. The structures are positioned as the topography of the land allows. A reinforced concrete structural system was used and the existing texture was maintained by preferring natural stone cladding on the façade. Heights are kept to a minimum so as not to overwhelm the existing old visitor center, and a different colored natural stone is preferred for the façades to distinguish. While the facades of the buildings are natural stone, it is still possible to follow the reinforced concrete structural system. 

As a result, the Ecotone Project aims for people to come to visit, linger around the poetic village, walk under the floating canopy and enjoy the picturesque views of beautiful nature. Additionally, it offers researchers the opportunity to investigate this location on-site, which brings the Mykale mountains to the Aegean Sea.