from field shelter to public pavilion: timber workshop revisits vernacular typology in turkey

"Datça Summer Workshop 2025, titled Lightweight Structures in Vernacular Agroscapes II, was organized by Istanbul Bilgi University, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, and İzmir Ekonomi University, in collaboration with Erazo Pugliese and Erginoglu & Çalışlar Architects. The two-week design-build program resulted in a lightweight structure installed in the village square of Hızırşah on the Datça Peninsula, . The intervention references the vernacular 'çardak,' a temporary agricultural structure once common across the region, and repositions it within a contemporary rural public setting."

"Historically, the çardak functioned as a reversible and demountable timber structure erected directly in agricultural fields. It accommodated multiple uses within a compact footprint, serving simultaneously as shelter, workspace, and storage. Positioned between cultivated land and domestic life, it provided shade and climatic protection through minimal material means. These characteristics informed the 2025 design workshop organized by Istanbul Bilgi University, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, and İzmir Ekonomi University, in collaboration with Erazo Pugliese and Erginoglu & Çalışlar Architects."

Datça Summer Workshop 2025 convened a two-week design-build program that produced a lightweight structure in Hızırşah village square on the Datça Peninsula. The project extended 2024 research into Mediterranean rural landscapes and lightweight agricultural typologies. Participants revisited archival material, drawings, and lectures and incorporated oral histories from Datça villagers to understand the historic çardak’s spatial organization, construction logic, and seasonal use. The historic çardak’s reversible, demountable timber logic, compact multi-use footprint, and minimal-material climatic protection guided design decisions. The intervention emphasized low-tech construction, tectonic clarity, and adaptability while repositioning the vernacular form within a contemporary rural public setting.

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