ClB TG 16, Suslainable Conslrucl;on , Tampa , Florida, USA , November 6-9, 1994.
INVESTIGATION OF TRADITIONAL HOUSING FROM THE POiNT OF
ECOLOGY IN EASTERN BLACK SEA REGION
Sonay ~evik, Gülay K. USla and Ayhan Usla
Department of Archilecture Karadeniz Technical University,
Trabzon 61080 TURKEY
Introduction
Man has developed a lot of inlellectual approaches and practical experiences on
arranging his relations with his physical environment since he could cover his basic
necessities.
The most important point, which is about creating more healthy and more livable
environments is that these works are oriented towards becoming uni ted with nature and
green to cover people's physical and psychologial necessities.
In historical progress "green" has a meaning and an important at various
dimensions instance nature was regarded as sacred in archaic Egyptian culture. In
mesopotomian culture it is known that the concept "park" comes from the scenes of the
places, where the princes hunted, which became one with pradise. The famous invention
in these times was the vine gardens which were planned companing with nature. In archaie
Grecian culture flowerpot and green were in the houses and used in religrous ceremanies.
In Islamic culture garden has a symbolical characleristics. In Turkish civilization green is
very valuable. The aphorism "if you build a house, you must plant a tree, too", teils the
unity of nature and Iife.
Turks brought their life style from Central Asia to Anatolia. This life style was
integrated with rich cultural and historical background with new concepts under new
geographical condition. Thus the traditional Turkish house took a new form under this rich
historica1 background.
These houses which are considered in Vernacular architectural scope are the
examples far green architecture from the point of life style, production and transportation.
As it is, sustainabIe architecture can be possible with integration of nature, green, history
and culture against to the destroyed natural balance.
The main purpose of the sustainable design is to analyse urban and rural pattern in
terms of physica1 and contructional characteristics and to use them in new designs. [n this
study the rich historica1 and archi tectural characteristics of rural areas of Black Sea Region
were analysed towards the principle of sustainable designs.
Physical and Social Characteristics of Eastern Black Sea Region
Eastern Black Sea vernacular houses are shaped related to the physical and socio­
cultural factors. This region's physical characteristics like topography, climeta, plantcover,
loca1 materials; socio-cultural values like life style, population, economy, tradition, culture,
religion and the structure of family and public are the most important datum which effect
the settlement of houses.
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· Settlement
Eastem Black Sea region locates along the Karadeniz coast in the north east of
Turkey . This land has a steep land an hills which raise on the slopes between high
mountains and the Sea. The land strecthes from east to west as a narrow green band. The
houses are settled on a parallel shape to the slopes because of the topographie
characteristics. In addition the mountains which are parallel to the sea have different
hegihts in short distance through the inner parts and this causes the change of physical
factors and related to this change of being given a shape of the architectures and
settlements (Tosun, 1983) .
· Climate
There is a temperate and a moiste climate in Eastern Black Sea Region. Low
pressure fields which come from west and north-west and the rain which comes from
rising air current are on every month. Moistness is the result of the dense plant cover and
the ratio of heavy rain. The annual average of heat is 14.4 <X:. Dominat wind direction is
from south and powerful wind direction is from west and north-west (Sümerkan, 1990).
· Local Materials
We see the wood as the regional material in Eastern Black Sea. Because of the
forests in Black Sea wooden building structures are developed. There are chestnut trees
because it is strong against rain and moist and also it doesn't bum easily and it is so hard
that worms cannot penetrate (ÖZgüner, 1970). Recently because of the dicreasing of
forests , trees except spruce are not used. Stone is also used. In this region stone and wood
are used together in different constructive ways. They are also used for bridges, ships,
building seranders, and for storing inner architect and handicrafts.
· Socio-Cultural Characteristics
The life style of region's people, economical situation, structure of family , social
life, rehgi on and ahabit of privacy effect the physical formation of houses (Rapoport,
1969) . People's social, economical and cultural sturctures of Eastern 81ack Sea detcrmine
form of the settlement and organization of houses.
People work on agriculture and stock breeding in Eastern Black Sea region . it is
necessary to prepare a place to pick up and to dry some crops like tea, nut, tobacco and
corn o For this reason these kind of storing pi aces are necessary in the house and its
sorrounding. Another reason for scattered settlements is socio-economical. People can
supervise their gardens by setting their houses on the top of their sloping fields.
In summer the density of population in the coast and the walleys decreases, but on
the other hand it increases on the plateaus. People in the villages move to the high plateaus.
These high plateaus which are temporary also serve the city people. The other temporary
settlements are the camping-stopping, fields, that called "Mezra" . Mezra's are the
connections between villages and plateaus. The activities about people's production and
life style has an peculiar rilualistic identity. For example going to plateau is a kind of
festival. People wear their folklorical c10thes and adom their animals and have good time
by local dances.
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. Architecrure
Between high mountains and the sea the location of land between high mountains
and the sea gives different architectural charactestics to this region differ from other
regions.
1. Plan with a "salon"
2. Plan with a "hayat".
In the plan with a "salon", the entrance is named as saloon. All the rooms have
similar proportions. At the upper part of the house one of the rooms with fireplace is used
as a küchen. In the plan with a "Hayat", the Iiving room is named kÜchen and is used for
cooking , eaing and serving the guests.
Aesthetic dimension in Eastem Black Sea Region rural architecture comes from the
constructure characteristics of houses. Stone and wood which are used for building
materials give a rich characteristic to the local archiecture.
Formation of Vernacular Architecture of Eastern Black Sea Region Under
Innuence of Socio-Cultural and Ecological Factors.
The Socio-cultural and ecological factors have impact on the formation of
surrounding of buildings, their structures, plans and details in Eastern Black Sea Region.
The topographical charactecistics of this region, also have affect on the formation
of the settlements. From the shore to the inside of the region green slopes are place for
settlements. In the valley. In the valley there is a transportation axes which goes to the
inside of the region to the shore on the parallel of the river. On this transportation axes you
can reach the bridges and settlements by the twisting roads. The bridges are very important
elements of transportation which are made vault shape with stone and wood. Some of
wooden bridges have cover on them. The settlements have different numbers of house
units that they can consist few or many houses in a unit or linear from. These groups
(units) take similar form in a harmony according to using geography and scenery,
(Table 1).
The relationship between units and surroundings on the scale of settlements
provided by entries and doors due to both topography and existing settlement plan. Series
in the settlements physical, funtional relations are made by doors which open through two
directions . This helps continuity of entries. The entries to the near fields, green,
negihbour's house and the continuity which is made. On vital criterion it brings negihbour
liness. Near the houses because of the production there is a small building named
"Serander". These wooden buildings are used for storing dried foOO. Serander are built
suitbale for air-condition. Serander are on the poles and as a result of these some wild
animal connot cJime in , (Table 2).
Houses are built according to the existing plans and improvement and variations of
these plans. On the existing plan, there is a Iiving-room with a fire place in the part where
. locates againts to the slope. There are rooms at the front part of the houses which looks at
towards scenery. At the cellar there are animals and a bam, this bam keeps the house
warm and protects it from moisture. If the number of noors increases, these noors divide
in to the rooms. The most important room of the house at the plans is the Iiving room with
fireplace. Besides this some houses there are ovens that built on the out side wall but the
used from inside. The fireplace locates on the stone wall which is against to slope. From
inside living, eating heating are the characteristic and the collecter of the living room. The
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Ooor of the living room is soil and the doors which connect the house to the both sides
open to this part From this space you can pass to the part which is for sitting and the other
rooms. At these houses both the functional distrubition on perpendicular and horizontal,
and the formation and piace of the barn-rooms at upstars that cannot be warmed, the
fireplace of the Iiving room to the outside ... at the same time air-condition, keeping from
moisture brings some advantages for being warmed . These formation is important for both
people's and the building's health. The Pitched roof is the common form for the houses.
The coverings are tiles or wocxlen materials (Hartama). The attic is suitable to dry some
focxl and also is used for storage. The characteristics of the place, climatic changes have
impact on the use of the materials in this region. The usage of the material changes
according to the characteristics of the piace. Stone can be used at the walls, and wocxl can
be used on front walls of the second noor or all of the walls, wocxl also is used single or
with other filling materials. The unity of materials and construction can be seen as stone­
pile, wood-pile and wood-pile+special formation of pebble and brick, (Table 3).
At Eastern Black Sea Region vernacular acrhiecture, settlements, surrounding of
houses, from the usage of topograph to forming a group or series, f rom direction,
scenery, transportation , traditional building plan, functional organization and the most
suitable usage of the materials, all the environmental and vital data make physical
environments which show the connection of human-environment to planned environment.
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Table 1. Settlement patterns and Architectural Elements in Eastern Black
Sea Re ion
Settlement Direction Scenery Road Ne twork Rlze
on
(Aksoy, 1974, 36)
.The irregularity of
.Slopes are abundant and green
The Bridges As Transfor­ mation Ele­ ments/ Bridges Wooden bridge
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Table 2. Surrounding of Village Houses and their Architectural El ements
.Entrances
And
Continouty
Direction of Slope
........
•Neighbourhood
.... ..
~
.......................•.
(Kuntay , 1982, 17)
.Architectural
Element s /
Serander
Facade of Serander
Serander (Storage)
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I
Table 3. Organization Characteristics of Village Hou s es
.The type of
plan
With "hayat" types
With "salon ll types
Roof/Barn
House/Rooms/Hayat_
Stable
.Distrubution
of Functions
according to
floor level
...
...
t'l
r-
Section
.Living space
and determina
element/
fireplace
oven
r>
.Roof forms
\l
wood
.Use of
material
facade
\l
0
wood + stone
\l
stone
\l
--­
.Texture of
facade
according t
material an
constructio
" eö z Dolgu"
Cellular/Square-shaped
box type
803 "Muskall"
Triangular/Triangle­
Shaped pattern
trian ular
Settlement in Eastem Black Sea Region
Serander
804 Stone Bridge
Walley festivals
805 Conclusion
At the region that the study is about there is an approach which does not care the
factor mentioned and use the positive points of view are seen. There are situations like this
in the other regions of Turkey. It is necessary to use the traditional architecture and life
. style and environmentaI datum which is necessary to integrate with new designs both this
region and in other regions.
In vemacular architecture all the formation (from function to aesthetic) comes from
a necessity. The basis of this necessity can be defined with the principle of continusty
which comes from the mutual inllucnce of human, animal and plants of the environment.
However today we see a styless and dangerous building tradition that left out the
traditionaI architecture a side. Repetition of formation can cover the necessity of modern
life. lt is possible to create an environment which is sustaniable only by using the
principles of the vemacular traditional architccture plans which are experienced.
References
Aksoy, Ö., 1974: Uyum Sürecinin Mimarlik Sistcmi iyinde Örneklenmesi, Karadeniz
TechnicaI University Trabzon, 68 pp.
Kuntay, 0.,1982: Yaya Mekam, Karadcniz Technical University, Trabzon, 98 pp.
Özgüner, 0.,1970: Köyde Mimari-Dogu Karadeniz, Middle East Technical Univesity,
Ankara, 106 pp.
,
Rapoport, A., 1969: House Form and Culture, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall, Inc.,
London.
Sümerkan, M.R., 1990: Biyimlendiren Etkenler Aylsmdan Dogu Karadeniz Klrsal
Kesiminde Geleneksel Evlerin Yapl ÖzeUikleri (Unpublished Doctorate Thesis),
Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, 307 pp.
Tosun, V., 1983: Environmental Forces that Influence House Form in Vernacular
Architecture. A Case Study in the Eastern Black Sea Region (Unpublished Master
Thesis), Middle East Technical University, Ankara.
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