Sited along a gentle slope, this co-educational residence provides much-needed student housing for Bilkent University’s main campus in western Ankara. The constricted project site, adjacent to another, older student residence building, led the design team to distribute the program in an L-shaped configuration to create a courtyard between the two structures penetrated by ample sunlight. The building is deeply inspired by the Passive House Standard, and all spaces rely on natural ventilation and passive cooling—utilizing ample insulation, thermal bridge mitigation, enhanced airtightness measures, triple glazing, and energy recovery ventilation. Each façade is designed to optimize its specific solar orientation; a nearly one-meter depth on the east- and west-facing façades provides interior shading, while external shading devices protect a south-facing curtain wall. A syncopated façade pattern creates a departure from a typical gridded aesthetic and accommodates room modules that are slightly wider than typical student housing.
View Original