Oren is one of the few intact coves near the Gokova bay from where Blue Voyage yachts shove off. Oren cove will presumably transform after the completion of the new marina where around 650 yachts may able to moor. However, thanks to its natural geography, Oren will not be as busy as Bodrum or Marmaris and keep its tranquility.
Oren Life Houses aim to present unrestrained comfort to its residents with their plain designs and carefully reduced material diversity, while they fit into the enchanting geography tenderly with the contextual architectural approach of Fores Architecture.
The five houses, each having two floors, offer alternating wise solutions to their residents’ different life styles with up-to-date requirements. The project includes a pool and a common facility for daily usage that enables the users to sunbath while gazing the spectacular mountain view or enjoy the sea in the private beach located just in front of the garden boundary.
Outstanding vistas of the sea and the mountain are offered to every house, which are carefully positioned not to block each other’s view within the site. Thanks to the brutalist architectural style, residents will only feel the nature, the sea and the sun’s existence undistracted by the excessive materials or details.
The houses will hardly require artificial acclimatization due to the qualities of the interior courtyards inspired from the traditional Mugla houses. Characteristic Oren winds blowing from the mountains towards the sea will be carried into the houses thru the delicately calculated openings and from the courtyards, passing among the cautiously positioned blocks to create a microclimate that enable natural ventilation inside.
Courtyards act as thresholds connecting the interior and the common gardens located between the blocks. These semi-open spaces assist houses to keep their privacy while enabling them to benefit from the sun and the wind at highest level.
Five identical houses, each own 204m2 total floor area and four independent rooms with three meters height from floor to ceiling feature spacious interiors that offer maximum usability and comfort to the inhabitants.
Separating the living and resting/sleeping quarters and sustaining a strong visual and spatial relationship between the living spaces and the interior courtyards constitute two main design principles while organizing the spaces within the houses. Open kitchen set up with modern materials was appropriated next to the living spaces, transforming the space to be utilized in four seasons in an orderly manner rather than a conventional summerhouse.
In addition to interior courtyards, each house has a common exterior garden. The ratio of building area to the green area is preserved around 16% as a result of the desire to cherish the nature.
The houses are elevated from the ground for approximately one meter in order to avoid the increasing ground water level in winter months. The foundations with two cells help to create a natural heat and water isolation layer and carefully engineered insulation techniques prolong the life of the buildings.
With all these aspects, Oren Houses modernizes the rational components of the traditional Turkish residential architecture and utilize them harmoniously with nature with respect to ecological concerns.