Social Housing H

Ecological Design and Green Spaces
In ecological design, the existing environment of the building and the land it occupies are considered as a living ecosystem. The aim of ecological design is to preserve the existing ecosystem as much as possible. Therefore, during the design and implementation phases, attention should be paid to preserving the natural structure and green spaces. Green spaces, as is well known, convert carbon dioxide in the air into oxygen, thus cleaning the air. Additionally, they have functions such as regulating humidity, providing sound insulation, adjusting temperature, and protecting from wind and solar radiation. In ecological architecture, trees positioned in the correct direction and manner protect the building from the effects of wind and sun. Moreover, the leaves of the trees absorb solar radiation, cooling the air through evaporation.

The region’s vegetation includes juniper, oak, beech, cornelian cherry, poplar, and sycamore forests, as well as maquis covered with myrtle, laurel, thyme, and lavender. Trees are used to shade the streets and buildings that make up the Antakya settlement. Trees planted in the courtyards and on the southern facades of the houses help to shade the courtyard and building surfaces by blocking solar radiation, thereby cooling the air. The Antakya housing settlement is in line with sustainable design criteria in terms of using green spaces according to climate data.

Water Channels and Streets
In traditional Antakya houses, narrow streets between houses with high walls on both sides contain water channels, known as “arık” or water gauges, in the middle. These channels control the rainwater during the winter months, directing it to flow into the Asi River. These streets, paved with natural block stones of approximately the same size, create a pleasant sound and appearance with the flowing water from the arık after rain.

In Antakya, due to topographical conditions, streets do not adhere to the east-west, north-south rule, resulting in an irregular rectangular city plan. The narrow streets were designed to create shaded areas, protecting against the hot and oppressive summer weather. The grid plan type applied during the founding of the city in the Seleucus Kingdom period evolved over centuries into a complex and organic network, disrupting the symmetrical order with continuous narrowing and widening along the streets. The streets addressed in the project are inspired by the ancient layout.

Neighborhood and Social Life
Modern lifestyles, characterized by independent parking and entrances where users do not interact with each other, strengthen individualism. However, neighborhoods require a backbone where social life is interwoven. In this context, open parking areas have been created on the periphery of the settlement, encouraging users to interact with others while walking to their homes. Functions that meet needs such as shopping, education, socializing, worship, and recreation are designed along commercial spine streets and squares, aiming to revive neighborhood life through spontaneous encounters. The arched street connecting the squares, commercial and social spaces, workshops, market areas, and recreational spaces are designed in parallel, with created voids to strengthen the integration of these two programs.

Space Organization and Courtyards
Traditional Antakya houses generally have courtyards and feature plans with exterior or central halls. In houses without halls, the courtyard functionally becomes equivalent to a hall. The upper-floor rooms typically line up behind a balcony supported by stone consoles, facing the courtyard. Access to the rooms is usually provided by stairs consisting of massive stone steps along the wall. The upper floor, with low ceilings made of wooden materials, is a space where the nuclear family gathers, away from street noise, with greater privacy and a higher number of windows than the lower floor, thus having higher thermal permeability. Over time, as these houses aged and the number of occupants decreased, these upper floors fell out of use and are now mostly used as storage or laundry rooms.

Courtyards, being the most used and lived-in spaces of Antakya houses, vary in privacy according to their users. The decoration of courtyards with paintings and personal items indicates that the courtyard is used as a private space rather than a general use area. The presence of courtyards in all types of buildings, whether residential, religious, public, commercial, or social, throughout history reveals the socio-cultural aspect of such spatial organization and usage. The elements within the courtyard are shaped according to local materials, technology, climate, and lifestyle, reflecting the regional mode of production.

The courtyard, as the most significant space and gathering area of the house, is a common feature across different regions of Anatolia. In traditional Antakya houses, courtyards or halls are invariably used. The courtyard, also known as “havuş” in old language, is always the main space of the house, regardless of its size and features. In the project design, the settlement is referenced on a larger scale to the courtyard system.

The courtyard is seen as a social area where neighborhood residents can interact. In this context, the design includes green spaces to support the courtyard system, which is open to the outside and expected to enrich relationships. The common use of fragmented spaces through courtyard use helps to increase heat loss that may occur in the hot climate conditions of Antakya. By increasing the wall surface with courtyard plans, hot air is expelled through cross ventilation. The courtyard walls, being high and plain, isolate the house from the street except for the entrance door. The aims are to increase the privacy of the house, create shaded areas in the courtyard, and prevent odors, noise, and environmental pollution from narrow streets. Despite the narrowness of the streets, the houses are arranged as spaces that provide comfort and peace, with the architecture focusing on the family’s comfort and tranquility. The courtyard, surrounded by the house on all four sides, aims to create the same effect.

The controlled areas created by inward-facing courtyards provide safe play areas for children and transform into multipurpose spaces that meet various social needs, allowing users in neighborhood units to spend time together.