Context and contextual criteria in architecture: A case study: Gaziantep Bey district traditional houses

The characteristics of a building arise when the existing context criteria, which is a result of the location, are incorporated into the design and the construction processes. The buildings are not independent of the abstract and concrete environment in which they are located. This environment influences the design variables and therefore, contributes to the production process in the context of topography, physical environment, climate, orientation, local material, and socio-cultural life. When the design and production stages of the buildings fed by the context are examined, it is observed that these buildings are treated as part of their environments. Gaziantep Bey District Traditional Houses are examples of the traditional houses, which are integrated into their surroundings. In order to present the integration of these houses with the traditional architectural texture, the houses with unique quantitative and qualitative characteristics, which reflect the architectural context of the period that they were built, were identified in Bey District. In this thesis, the harmony and the relationship of the Traditional Bey District Houses with their topography and environment, the solutions offered by the design for the climatic problems, the diversity in the use of the materials, and the effect of the socio-cultural life on the design have been investigated. The research outcomes advance the understanding of the architectural context and provide a case study for the relationship established with the concept of the context in the traditional texture.