Employer: ​Osama Haniya
Project Location: Kirkpinar, Sapanca, Sakarya
Year: 2022-2025
Function: Residential
Size: 300 m²
Situation: Built
Issue: Architectural Design
 

O.H. HOUSE is an introverted weekend house project designed for different uses and user types, situated on a sloping corner plot overlooking Lake Sapanca.

 

Instead of a single mass expected to rise on the corner plot, the structure is designed by considering the relationships between road, slope, neighbors, and view. It is structured around three distinct masses – common areas, rooms, and circulation units – interwoven to create new relationships derived from the need for space and the slope. The height differences between the masses are determined to allow the structure to spread out on the ground and blend into the topography as much as possible.

 

The first two-story mass, containing the rooms and extending perpendicular to the slope along the neighboring plot, is connected to the second single-story mass, which has terraces overlooking the view and minimizes its connection to the road, with the kitchen and living room at different levels. These are connected by a wide, transparent third connecting wall at both ends, extending horizontally and housing the staircase, reception hall, and all circulation areas. The structure, formed by the coming together of these three masses, creates high-quality, usable spaces that are integrated into the interior and surroundings as an inner courtyard/garden. The interplay of light and shadow created by these spaces at different times of the day allows the building to function like a living organism.

 

The entrance hall is placed in the center of a horizontal connecting mass linking two distant masses, aiming to greet visitors with a visually stunning view of the lake and nature. The corridor placed in front of the ground floor room expands the perception of the hall, creating a semi-transparent structure that allows for legible movement; this aims to strengthen the relationship between the living room, reception area, kitchen, and bedrooms through the transparent connecting mass.

 

To limit interaction with the environment and create an inward-facing atmosphere, the building's minimalist facade design is achieved through individual walls placed on the landscape around and on the facade, and semi-transparent fixed facade panels used in front of transparent surfaces.