Project, 2006
Our plan for two tracts in a sustainable resort community on a spectacular site on the southwestern coast of Turkey combines twenty-first-century environmental design strategies with tried-and-true adaptations to climate typical of Mediterranean seaside hill towns.
The east site—the Peninsula Club—offers a plateau halfway up the mountainside and a peninsula that juts out into the sea, sheltering beaches to either side. Our plan locates a village square on the plateau and encircles it with roads that lead to rowhouses and single-family houses set into the natural grade. The staggered and hierarchical organization optimizes the views from the residences and gives the whole an iconic massing when seen from above or below. Towers capture sea breezes; whitewashed stone walls, canopies, and awnings mediate the bright sunlight; shallow pools set in the path of prevailing winds cool shaded courts. As the village steps down to the sea, the houses are larger and the density decreases to preserve panoramic views.
The West Ridge site rises between two valleys. The entry road threads through an olive orchard to a residential village set on the west-facing slope. To minimize disturbance to the natural landscape, streets climb obliquely to crisscross the village and residences zigzag up the slope to offer westward views to the sea.
Both sites are edged with lushly vegetated natural ravines that accommodate footpaths from the village centers to the coves that shelter sandy beaches
