Architectural Cases

Reinventing Tradition: The Çardak's Modern Revival

Exploring the Historical Roots of the Çardak

The Datça Summer Workshop 2025, titled "Lightweight Structures in Vernacular Agroscapes II," was a two-week design-build program. Organized by prominent Turkish universities in collaboration with Erazo Pugliese and Erginoglu & Çalışlar Architects, it aimed to explore and reinterpret traditional building forms. The focus was on the 'çardak,' a temporary agricultural structure once prevalent in the region, seeking to adapt its principles for contemporary rural public use. The initial week involved extensive research at Istanbul Bilgi University, delving into archival materials, drawings, and oral histories from Datça villagers to understand the çardak's spatial organization, construction techniques, and seasonal functions.

The Vernacular Çardak: A Multifunctional Agricultural Structure

Historically, the çardak was a simple, demountable timber structure found in agricultural fields. It served multiple purposes within a compact footprint, offering shelter, a workspace, and storage. Its strategic placement between cultivated land and domestic areas provided crucial shade and climatic protection with minimal materials. These characteristics were central to the 2025 design workshop, which emphasized low-tech construction, structural clarity, and adaptability, guided by the participating universities and architectural firms.

Constructing the Modern Çardak in Hızırşah Village

The second phase of the workshop moved to Hızırşah, an agricultural community where the schoolyard acts as the main public gathering space. With support from the Datça Municipality, which provided the site, and Asmaz Ahşap Karkas Yapılar, which supplied timber, the team constructed a 22-square-meter wooden structure. This pavilion, designed around a long built-in table, stepped seating platforms, and shaded areas, creates an open-air room for various activities such as community gatherings, play, informal education, and celebrations. The design incorporates a repetitive timber frame, reed infill panels, and agricultural fabric for shading, echoing the material logic of the historic çardak while allowing for future modifications and flexible use within the village.

Collaborative Learning and Community Engagement

The workshop brought together students and recent graduates from the collaborating universities, along with participants from the Wentworth Institute of Technology. Under the leadership of faculty members Burcu Kütükçüoğlu and Elif Kendir Beraha from Istanbul Bilgi University's Faculty of Architecture, the program integrated academic research, design development, and practical construction experience. Throughout the construction process, local villagers, especially children, actively engaged with the site, observing and interacting with the evolving structure. This approach positioned the project as both an educational endeavor and a community-focused intervention, mirroring the historical significance of the vernacular çardak. The long-term success of the structure will depend on its adoption, adaptation, and maintenance by the residents of Hızırşah.

In the vibrant city of Hyderabad, a groundbreaking residential development known as Nivan Sky Gardens is redefining the essence of urban living by placing nature at its very heart. Conceived by the visionary Studio Symbiosis, this project aims to create a harmonious blend of architectural innovation and ecological integration, transforming traditional high-rise dwellings into lush, vertical communities.

Nivan Sky Gardens: A Fusion of Architecture and Nature

Situated strategically at the bustling intersection of Hyderabad's HITEC City and the Financial District, Nivan Sky Gardens stands as a testament to contemporary design. Studio Symbiosis, a firm with a global presence spanning Stuttgart, London, and Delhi NCR, brings forth a residential ecosystem where every element is meticulously crafted to foster an intimate connection with the natural world. This ambitious undertaking confronts the prevalent disconnect between modern urbanites and their environment by reimagining the conventional residential tower as a living, breathing landscape.

The architectural marvel employs a modular, staggered framework, resulting in a unique layered and shaded facade. Each protruding module serves as an inhabitable garden terrace, designed to evolve into a cultivated vertical forest over time. This approach ensures that the buildings themselves become integral components of a larger ecological system, promoting biodiversity and enhancing the quality of life for residents. The design philosophy of Studio Symbiosis emphasizes synergy, where architecture, landscape, and materiality converge with a strong sense of environmental responsibility. The studio's commitment lies in creating spaces that actively interact with and adapt to their surroundings, rather than merely imposing structures upon them. For them, design is inseparable from ecological performance, culminating in a profound harmony with nature.

The thoughtful layout of Nivan Sky Gardens draws inspiration from the timeless concept of a traditional house with its welcoming front garden, skillfully reinterpreted for a vertical context. Each residence, varying in size from 130 to nearly 700 square meters, is envisioned as a self-sufficient module with a flexible floor plan that can adapt and grow with its occupants. To strike a balance between openness and privacy, the balconies are artfully folded and articulated, carving out distinct outdoor zones. Integrated louvers offer seclusion from neighbors while ensuring an abundance of natural light. These modules are vertically staggered, creating generous planting pockets that further solidify the project's identity as a verdant dwelling in the sky.

Beyond the individual residences, the ground plane and clubhouse are designed as a multi-layered social infrastructure, buzzing with a vibrant mix of recreational and productive landscapes. Residents have access to an array of amenities, including sports courts, expansive open playfields, an amphitheater for community gatherings, and dedicated organic farming plots—all seamlessly integrated within the lush greenery. A central swimming pool, adorned with cascading waterfalls, serves as the captivating focal point of the communal space. Indoors, the clubhouse offers state-of-the-art wellness centers, a cozy mini-theater, and a charming rooftop café that provides panoramic views of the meticulously designed gardens. By establishing fluid circulation pathways between these outdoor activity zones and the elevated amenities, Nivan Sky Gardens successfully bridges the divide between the built environment and an active, nature-centric lifestyle.

Nivan Sky Gardens represents a forward-thinking solution to the challenges of urban density, offering a blueprint for future residential developments that prioritize ecological well-being and a high quality of life. The project encourages a deeper appreciation for nature, proving that it is indeed possible to cultivate a thriving, green oasis amidst the concrete jungle.