METU KALTeV

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METU KALTeV, 2017

1. SITE
The project is located on a socially promising site that connects multiple pedestrian routes and is bordered by a vehicle-bicycle route on the northern border. The multiple axes reaching the site have thus been an important factor in the design, defining the building blocks as well as the programmatic organization of the building complex. Views of the valley and the prospective Science Park on north, the view of the Mediterranean on west, and the recreational valley on south are important potentials for physical and social integration with campus life.

Views of the valley on the north of the site constitutes exciting vistas, and the proposal is designed to connect with the Science Park on the edge of the valley. The Mediterranean Sea on the west provides the design with an infinite focus towards which the allés are oriented.

The recreation valley on the southern border of the site also promises important potentials for the proposal’s social connection with campus life.

2. INTERACTION ZONE – “STREETS”
The pedestrian axis extending from the Engineering Laboratories (EL) Building is continued in the form of an inner activity street, on which offices and laboratories connect with each other. Thus, the learning-producing functions in the EL building continuously flow into the new structure. Laboratories and offices extend into the inner street along gathering functions to promote chance encounters and interdisciplinary interaction.

3. CLIMATE INPUT
The hot and humid climate of Cyprus has been the determinant factor in the organization of the proposal. The impact of direct sunlight is avoided by locating programs around inner courtyards, which also enhance cross-ventilation throughout the building. The roof is designed to absorb the hot air inside the building and release it into low pressure air flows outside. The ventilation flues on the roof also help reflecting sunlight into the building, reducing the overall energy requirement for lighting.

The climatic conditions also shape the design of the landscape, which mainly focuses on endemic planting and xeriscaping in order to reduce the requirement for irrigation. Storm water is collected and re-used for the same purpose.

The design makes use of various combinations of bricks to control daylight by creating closed, open and semi-open areas where necessary. The design features a reinforced concrete structure, which not only contains less embedded energy, but also is easier to craft and maintain on site. Sunshades and large-span roofs of the inner streets are built using steel with weather-resistant paint treatment.