ARCH 701 | Fall 2022
Studio Critics: Ferda Kolatan & Caleb Ehly
Partner with Hanyan Chen
The quarry wall's textures, patterns, and hues evoke architectural characteristics reminiscent of a facade. The mountain's texture, combined with the machinery lines and remnants on the wall, tells a unique story. The interplay between the machine and nature, as displayed on the quarry facade, inspired us to integrate an amphitheater as a complementary feature to the hotel. The stone quarry facade serves as a symbolic backdrop for the theater stage.
Cappadocia, a storied region in the heart of Anatolia, Turkey, boasts a wealth of history, varied landscapes, and precious natural resources. During our journey to Cappadocia, we explored a deserted and devastated quarry, which was in the process of being transformed into a hotel complex. The stone quarry had been forsaken as a result of unlawful mining operations. A bucket wheel excavator had once sculpted part of the mountain into two walls adorned with grids and lines. As the years went by, fragments of the quarry wall began to crumble, giving birth to a fresh layer of organic shapes and designs on the wall.
The texture, patterns, and hues of the quarry wall evoke the architectural attributes of a building's facade. The mountain's texture, the machinery lines, and the remnants on the wall weave a tale of their own. The dynamic interplay between the machine and nature, displayed on the quarry facade, inspired us to incorporate an amphitheater as an extension to the hotel. The stone quarry facade assumes the role of a symbolic stage backdrop for the theater.
The concept involves using concrete to cover the existing quarry wall and then carefully removing sections of the concrete to reveal the negative imprint of the mountain and the stone quarry texture. This concrete frame on the stone quarry wall generates a fascinating progression across the entire facade, transitioning from a smooth, polished cast to the negative impression of the mountain, and then to the positive representation of the quarry facade, interspersed with fragments of the concrete remains. The stripped-away negative concrete sections will later be affixed to the hotel's exterior, serving as the hotel facade.
In designing the hotel, we drew inspiration from our object study models, which showcased geometric forms and cultural patterns. We experimented with carving techniques and aggregates on small prototypes, focusing on simple arches.
These prototypes allowed us to explore the relationship and contrast between interior and exterior spaces, as well as the interplay between natural and man-made elements.
The hotel will be accessible from the mountain's summit, with a new road path constructed to link the entrance platform and parking area. Upon arrival, guests can traverse a short tunnel leading to an elevator lobby, which provides access to both the hotel and the amphitheater. Alternatively, they can continue through the tunnel and emerge on a concrete frame walkway that overlooks the amphitheater from above.
The architectural tectonics of our prototype studies represent a dynamic interplay and performance of natural and artificial facades, skillfully merging the transitions and interactions of positive and negative materials, textures, patterns, and forms.
The idea is to use concrete to pour over the existing quarry wall and then peel off parts of the concrete to create the negative part of the mountain and the stone quarry texture. The concrete frame on the stone quarry wall creates a play of transitions of the entire facade, from clean polish cast to negative of the mountain to positive of the quarry facade, mixed with parts of the concrete remnants
The peel-off negative concrete part will later be mounted on the hotel's exterior and become the hotel facade.
