Goreme Open Air Museum / Turkey

Goreme Open Air Museum

Nestled in the heart of the enchanting Cappadocian region, the GOREME OPEN AIR MUSEUM project stands as a testament to the remarkable synthesis of nature and human creativity. The project unveils the innovat ive approach, showcasing how the design is harmoniously integrating modern architecture with the ancient landscape. The story starts with the endeavor of human beings taking shelter in natural caves, competing for them against wild animals, storing the food from scavenging and hunting, or benefiting from rocky spurs to use them as a shield against the harshness of the weather. However, nature is not only a threat to humans but also a countless and ceaseless source of life.

This is the basic relationship between architecture and humans. Cappadocia is garnished with the most intriguing scenarios where architecture and humans reconnect for supernatural fascinations, and sustain this relationship. With its distinctive rupestrian habitat, culturally diverse but also geographically and architecturally marveling, Cappadocia offers possibilities that contemporary humanity can “quarry” something more valuable and find that sense of peace and harmony in contemporary society has somehow been jeopardized. In this sense, Goreme Open Air Museum project aims to procure ideas of geological and contextual masterpieces into a dynamic dialogue and experience destination for people searching for
meaningful experiences away from contemporaneity and immersed in the mystic beauty of a timeless nature.

The main theme of the project is based on the idea of creating an open-air museum that will host several lightweight and undetectable buildings, structures, and functions coupled with activities set inside a project area. The vast landscape area will be organized as an open-air museum area and outdoor activities such as a walking path and zones for recreation to stimulate exploration and discovery. GOAM and primary activities are envisioned to reuse and redesign the existing open-air museum area, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, in and on a network of walking paths and open spaces.

The current open-air museum area has limited accessibility within the existing landscape and churches. The narrow entrances and steep stairs can be challenging for visitors with mobility issues, making it less inclusive. While the existing architecture showcases the historical and cultural aspects, there is a lack of modern interpretive spaces that could provide visitors with more context, interactive exhibits, and educational opportunities. One of the design strategies of the project is to retain the natural materials and character of the Cappadocia region as a nature reserve. The design approach calls for a non-invasive approach to the design of the open-air museum where functions are supported and new construction is minimized considering many rock-carved dwellings in the Cappadocia region flourishing with their scenic beauty and distinctive geo-morphological landscape.

The open-air museum area includes car & bus parks, entrances, landscaped open spaces, café & shops, and a museum. Functions are designed to introduce user-friendly zones by redesigning the entrances and pathways to be more accessible, with ramps and wider passages, which would ensure that visitors of all abilities can explore the site comfortably.

The museum area is designed to be built with 3D-print components including Mud 3D-Print and concrete 3D-Print structures coupled with clear/semi-transparent glass, corten steel waffle structures, and mathematically modeled waffle structures. These museum design components are variations of simple truncated cones, oblique truncated cones, truncated cones with tilted tops, partial truncated cones, and upside-down truncated cone formations. 3D-Print enclosed structures enlace various cone-form structures in different directions in generating climate-controlled enclosed or semi-open spaces. Plant typology is used in adapting to existing vegetation, particularly in souvenir shops and café areas. Entrance booths and ticket offices are settled topography accordingly to deal with level differences. Different formations using cone-shaped structures, and waffle structures create a variety of functions to harmonize with land.

All lightweight and undetectable architectural components, units, and structures adhere to an innovative construction philosophy and are envisaged entirely prefabricated from sustainable materials. The project encourages the use of high-tech production techniques including 3D printing and additive manufacturing equipment considering the aesthetics and authenticity of the architectural design. By doing that GOAM intends to merge architectural units and activities in a common ground where the lowest environmental impact, environmentally friendly production, and a CO2-neutral settlement are observed.