erginoğlu & çalışlar architects' timber-clad KA house for artist in turkey

designed by erginoğlu & çalışlar architects and located in turkey, ‘KA house’ is owned by an internationally acclaimed contemporary artist and director.

designed by erginoğlu & çalışlar architects and located in turkey, ‘KA house’ is owned by an internationally acclaimed contemporary artist and director. in addition to his creative endeavors, the person in question discovered his passion for farming and animal husbandry and decided to explore this passion first by building a house on one of the properties he inherited from his family. he imagined the house both as a private residence he could inhabit while he tended to the land and a kind of sanctuary in which he could concentrate on his art. in doing so, he also envisaged an additional and independent studio/room that could periodically accommodate global intellectuals and academics that would need space to work on a specific project.

isolated from its surroundings by a dense cluster of trees, the property designed by erginoğlu & çalışlar architects overlooks a spectacular view of turkey’s munzır mountains. providing maximum privacy was one of the prerequisites in planning the house, which demanded, by extension, ensuring that the use of the outdoor area and the interior spaces to not be visible to local neighbors. the property’s location away from erzincan’s town center lacks the facilities for easy construction. therefore, the building was designed with a steel load-bearing system manufactured in kocaeli and assembled on site. the quality of construction was further augmented through the use of drywall systems on the roof and the exterior walls.

the devastating consequences of the two major earthquakes erzincan suffered in 1939 and 1992 are still very much alive in collective memory. therefore, one of the primary objectives of the design was to create a sense of being in a safe and durable structure, both for the inhabitants and their prospective visitors. hence, the steel structure was also made visible in the interior, contributing to the perception of a studio/home atmosphere of the space.

although the studio/home is a single mass in which all the spaces maintain a visual relationship, the studio area has a separate access from the outside, which, in turn, was resolved by building a single canopy for the entrances of the house and the studio. a void created at the center of this mass facilitates access from different directions. hence, the thresholds are sheltered from the cold and snowy winter days of erzincan. despite being located at its center, this particular design does not affect the depth perception of the property. the furniture of the house was carefully selected by the owner; the family heirloom ceiling roses are mounted above the living room area and the interior is enriched with works selected from the artist’s private collection.