Theorizing Folded Geography in Architectural Design: Experience of Cappadocia

Abstract

This study defines the phenomenologies of Cappadocia in design practice and strategy and attempts to understand how the atmosphere of Cappadocia can re-emerge through specific design concepts in student projects in Design Studio 5. Cappadocia GEOFOLD is based on a new approach in architectural design toward the dynamics of space between humans and nature and the changing balance between them. It aims to acquire and improve upon what is natural and to unfold as a pattern in place. It comprises three phases: Experiencing the Place, Diagramming the Geography, and Mapping the Diagrams. Computer logic is used as a strategy when carrying out these phases in the studio. The aim is to produce a network of relationships strong enough to have a logic of flow, with differences depending on vectors and incorporating variation without distorting internal consistency. Cappadocia GEOFOLD is a phenomenon in which the parts lead to the whole and are defined in terms of intricate links/relations. The final form is carefully considered and important in terms of the relations between these phenomena. These relational forms are defined as connections and configurations of points, either with each other or with sequences of events, together with their distributions. Thus, the design process operates as a dynamic model, opening new ways of creating and thinking as well as engendering unexpected ideas.