STONE HOUSE DESIGN & PRODUCTION

Current architectural products emerging as a response to crowded populations, industrial production and the market economy demonstrate short-term solutions nourished by fashionable trends. In specific locations such as Bodrum, rich in historical and natural assets, it is necessary to emphasize traditional values. Having no chance of competing with industrial products, traditional handicrafts and products of local workshops are almost extinct. Therefore it is extremely important to create areas where these can be utilized.

I started to make researches on the traditional architectural building culture since 1987 all around Bodrum peninsula based on the idea mentioned above In addition to the researches on many important traditional and ancient Anatolian quarries, I have visited many places such as Greek islands, Italy, Sicily, France, Spain and worked on the Mediterranean culture and traditional architecture.

After a long term research I have built and reconstructed over 70 traditional stone houses all around Bodrum peninsula.

Within this file some examples of the Yarbasan Evleri (Yarbasan Houses) that we have made their projects and constructed and produced almost all the materials used by our craftsman and artists can be seen.

While building Yarbasan Evleri traditional solutions are used to match and satisfy today’s needs as the main idea.Within the Project there are about 27 various size houses, cafes and workshops that are gathered to form a traditional village concept and the correlations between streets, squares and forms are considered as well as each single house being individually organized to match various individual needs and expectations.

In the manufacture of the Project mostly hand-made traditional building materials and handmade ceramics, tiles, etc. have been used produced by a well-trained craftsmen team and our artists.

Local andesite stone is used in the building of the houses and wooden beams, brick or stone vaults, domes or arches are used in the building of the roofs or terraces while no cement has been used.

Almost all the materials used for the manufacture of the houses were produced and utilized within our workshops including the excavated original stone of the land, wooden elements such as window frames, beams, wooden carvings or some of the fitted furniture, ceramic tiles, stained-glass, glass-mosaic, marble, wrought iron, painting, textiles, plumbing, electrical fittings and through all the work traditional methods are used. We worked with the local craftsmen as well as the bachelor artists to accomplish the main concept of the Project.

As a result while each one of them being an art piece, these types of houses produced with the methods mentioned above have no dampness, moisture problems within and they are naturally cool through the hot summer days of the Mediterranean climate and houses can be easily heated during winter. months. They supply very convenient indoor and outdoor living areas and communal areas such as squares, cafes, workshops, and promise a peaceful living habitat in harmony and well being.

Tahir TOKER