Curvestone

Phocaea, which is a multi-layered town dated to Pre-historical, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Genoese and Ottoman periods, is one of the oldest and historical districts in İzmir. It hosts to high number of archeological sites, and the historical and natural texture of the city is preserved. The most important architectural element is stone in Phocaea since the archaic period to the present. The oldest stone structure is ovoid houses in the Phocaea and in Anatolia in the 14th century BC. Another old stone structure is city walls from the ancient world in the beginning of the 6th century BC. Moreover, tower houses are another stone structure from Ottoman period. In addition to tower houses, there are examples of civil architecture from the 19th century, and construction material of these houses is Lithos Phokaikos that is a special stone to Phocaea. The porous texture of that stone increases the durability and level of insulation. That’s why I used the stone as a main element in my project, and spaces are suspended to stone walls.

Also, our site, Değirmeli Tepe, is a special and poetic place above the cliffs of Phocaea. There are three windmills with Phocaea stone belongs to the Ottoman Period. Also, there are a beautiful sea view one side and a rocky mountain view from the other side. In the foothills of this mountain, there are ruins of the oldest theatre in Anatolia. The avant-garde theatre which is the latest theatre of the era is placed backside of the mountain, faces to the rocky mountain. In avant-garde theatre, audience and place can become part of a play, and I thought that natural features like rocks, windmills, and views can be part of a performance so that I placed the building near these features. Also, as an avant-garde theatre, the building allows viewers to experience performers not only in the play but also at other times like practice time. So that, whole building become an experience center.