Barbaros House
The main idea while designing Barbaros House was to achieve a silent living space in a natural environment. Local stone and reinforced concrete were used for the walls and structural system of this project, considering their good airborne sound reduction values due to their high surface densities. Sizes and shapes of window openings were designed by taking natural events in consideration.
Barbaros House is located in Barbaros Village of Urla, İzmir. On the upper east side of the building site, the techno park area of Izmir Institute of Technology is located. While designing the house, the main idea was to achieve a silent living space in a natural environment. Local stone and reinforced concrete were used for the walls and structural system of this project. Both materials have high surface densities and thus provide good acoustic insulation. The room with the exposed concrete façade has two windows and two doors, because it is designed especially for resting and sleeping without any noise. Special acoustic precautions have been taken to prevent any unwanted sound from outside. Outer walls of the whole house consist of two layers with insulation material between them, in order to have thermal and acoustic insulation. Stone walls were built by local stonemasons, and this provides a similar façade image with other buildings in the village. Local materials are sustainable as they have environmental and economic advantages. Sizes and shapes of window openings were designed by taking natural events in consideration. There are blank walls on the north and thin horizontal / vertical ribbon windows on the east façade, as cold winds from northeast are expected. A willow tree in front of the large opening on the west façade provides shade in summers and lets sunlight in by dropping its leaves in winter, which affects the inner thermal comfort positively.
