Carvings and Aggregates: New Prototypes for Cappadocia’s Rock Architecture

The traditional methods of rock carving have created a repertoire of architectural qualities reaching from sectional spatial arrangements to unique surface treatments and detailing. Many of these methods register similar effects to some of the digital techniques we currently use. By synthesizing the analog with the digital, new architectural concepts, shapes, and stylistic features can be achieved without a resolute break from the past.

Three distinct themes will guide the work throughout the semester and provide the larger framework for the scope of the studio. These themes can be summarized as: material, technological, and cultural.

1. Material. The unique geological formations and material aggregations that characterize the site are a result of millions of years of volcanic activity mixed with other environmental factors such as temperature, wind, and water. The projects will study these factors and take them into account when designing the prototypes.

2. Technological. Advanced modeling techniques will be used to expand on the practices of carving and aggregating. The projects will test a low-tech/high-tech approach, which will produce results that advance our discipline while maintaining a realistic stance. An emphasis will be placed on new representational mediums, which highlight the specific qualities of the prototypes.

3. Cultural. The prototypes are understood as “urban” artifacts, in the sense that they reflect the long and diverse history of a place and the communities inhabiting it (past and present). Traces of older cultural traits will be incorporated into new kinds of hybrid mixtures.