SO? architecture builds a prefab house on the turkey-greece border

SO? architecture and ideas ventured more than 100 miles from its studio in istanbul to the turkey-greece border for this project. aptly titled ‘cabin on the border,’ this project was created to help to get in touch with nature. to do so, the architects had to sacrifice the convenience of infrastructure. in this beautiful valley, there is nothing around; no gas-lines nor electricity, nor neighbors, only beautiful views of the rural landscape.

all images courtesy of SO? architecture

according to SO?, the structure has to function something like a sailboat, fairing mild and inclement weather, with its simple portable structure. ‘in a warm rainy afternoon, the polycarbonate window becomes a canopy to lay under and watch the sky over the plywood façade that becomes a terrace,’ explains the design team. ‘on a stormy night, both the window and the façade is shut down, then the cabin — totally made of laminated wood structure with insulation — becomes like a sailboat in the ocean.’ and, just like a boat, the construction was prefabricated, hand-made with malleable plywood. 

as charming as the process seems, it was not without its trials. ‘designing a contemporary off-grid building in nature, is not only about collecting rainwater or utilizing solar energy or locating the building according to the sun and wind; it is rather about a more direct, unequivocal way of relating with nature,’ continue the architects. the house is certainly successful in this respect, with only 18 square meters of interior living space, it is necessary to do many everyday indoors activities in the open air, and, accordingly, the architect incorporated places with shade into the design.

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project info:

type: dwelling
size: 18 sqm / 194 sqf
location: edirne, turkey
status: completed
team: sevince bayrak, oral göktaş, şeyma erdal, cansu özay, metincan güzel, gizem aşçı, alex gahr, baran aybars, tuğçe selin türk, cemal temel
structural consultant: asmaz ahşap
photography and drawings: so? architecture and ideas