Rural architecture in Black Sea region: Rize-Findikli-Hara Village-Koseoglu House example

The study area was selected in The Eastern Black Sea Region, the north-east side of Turkey. Black Sea Region contains both different types of rural architectural elements and natural values. Until quite recently, these rural architectural elements were protected. However, today they are rapidly vanishing because of the developing construction technology, its effect on local people and lack of attention on conservation issue. Efforts to solve similar problems are very limited. Laz* House plan type and gözdolgu (cell-infilling) construction system are important examples of rural architecture in Black Sea Region (*The ethnic group basically lives in some distinct of Rize and Artvin). Köseoğlu Osman Cengiz House which shows local characteristics is selected for the thesis study. The house is located in Rize City-Fındıklı County-Hara Village of the Eastern Black Sea Region. The main purpose of the thesis study is to create awareness on conservation of rural architectural elements in Fındıklı. In this context, the history of Laz people, the historical development, geographical position, climate, flora, socio-cultural and economic structure, rural architecture in Eastern Black Sea Region, traditional settlement configurations, local plan type, serender buildings and traditional construction techniques were examined. This local plan type is named as 'Laz House' in the thesis. In Anatolia, rural architectural elements -even plan typologies- basically were shaped according to climate. For example, in Northeast -where the precipitation ratio is high- houses shaped with an inner sofa-anteroom- while the houses in the arid sites of Turkey shaped with a hayat-veranda-. Fındıklı County, is located on the coastal band, on the easternmost of Rize, is surrounded with Black Sea from the north, Yusufeli County of Artvin from the south, Arhavi County of Artvin from the east and Ardeşen County of Rize from the west side. The historical name of the County is Viçe (Viǯe). The settlement is concentrated on the coastal band and the plateaus nearby the streams. The Region contains various cultures for centuries, so the effect of these cultures is still seen on traditional architecture and daily life of local people. This effect is observed on local plan type and gözdolgu construction system. Köseoğlu Osman Cengiz House and its serender, is located in Rize-Fındıklı-Hara Village-Kozmağa location-Köseoğlu neighbourhood-131 block-9 plot, is showing the typical characteristics of traditional housing. As stone, timber is used with its nearest state to its natural existence. Although it is easy to achieve, process and carry, its resistance to the climate conditions is not high as stone. Above all these, for hundreds years, it is used for housing architecture because it has the highest workability. Furthermore, it is easy and inexpensive to substitute the deteriorated parts and give almost any shape to the material. Timber Frame Architecture is a construction technique often seen in Turkish traditional architecture. It is seen as stuffed with timber (dizeme-dizeleme technique), with brick, with mud, with stone, with stone and timber (göz dolgu technique). All this types are named as hımış in Turkey, means timber frame architecture stuffed with a material. In Eastern Black Sea Region, the climate conditions provide timber and stone use in housing architecture. In the region, annual precipitation rate is higher than the country average, so the artificial environment has shaped according to the climate conditions. Coastal region gets more precipitation than the plateaus, so, while we see the masonry solid chestnut-tree houses in plateaus, we see gözdolgu (timber frame filled with timber and stone) houses in the coastal area. For timber example humidity is the main consider, because it is a hygroscopic material. This means it embodies humidity and it balances itself with the humid on air. Its fibrous structure provides timber both high strength and lightness. If we look deeply at gözdolgu examples in the Northeast side of Turkey- in the East Black Sea Region- the technique shows itself as vertical load-bearing timber studs (in some cases supported with diagonal piers). This timber bearer studs come on top of a masonry rough-shaped stone basement. The corners of the timber-frame are connected with a special nailless system, which is called boğaz geçme. Between the prior structural system, there are the secondary studs standing nearly 20 centimeters spaced, and between two studs, as shelving, there are the horizontal timber laths. This shelving system is named as terekleme at the area. This grid timber system -mostly made of chestnut three woods- is filled with square formed one-piece stream stones and gypsum mortar. Interior walls are made of plain timber-chestnut three wood or alderwood-. The look of the chestnut-tree woods darkened by time, the white mortar and the stream stones with various tones of grey is the invariant of the Eastern Black Sea rural architecture. Within the thesis study, survey, restitution and restoration drawings, material, deterioration and period analyses, intervention proposals and a detailed photo album are prepared. Köseoğlu House is located on slope with its serender. It dominates to the tea-tree gardens, located on the east side of the House. As it is seen in local architecture, it has stone masonry foundation and basement walls and on them gözdolgu and timber filled ground floor walls. As it is seen in traditional plan type, the House has Aşhane (Cooking-Room), Lower Room, Upper Room, Mabeyn Room, Inner Sofa, Mansion Room, Big Room and Toilets. The biggest interventions to the House are made before the year 1970. There are many user interventions on the House. They are explained on the Chapter 5 (Restitution Data) in detail. Apart from these, in the timber materials of the House, some problems like rotting and wearing are seen. These problems are grater for the north façade which has limited sunshine duration than the other façades. In addition, there are many losses of gypsum mortar in the gözdolgu walls. During the restoration process, preferred methods should be evitable and suitable to the original material. Moreover the interventions should be kept in minimum. The major purpose is not only the reparation of a building, but also make regulations that satisfy contemporary needs by not losing the soul of the place. For this purpose, determining the traditional materials is not enough, the traditional technologies, construction techniques and conditions of the time period should be understood, too. Köseoğlu House is currently used as resident and it is proposed that, after the restoration intervention, the House will be used as resident, too. Because of that decision, the interventions are proposed according to restitution datum and today's comfort conditions. In this context, by keeping the House's unique historical characteristics, plan type and traditional construction techniques, detachment of unqualified additions, consolidation on proposed spots, integration with original material on the spots that has material or component losses, reconstruction of unqualified modifications and wearing components according to restitution datum and new additions for comfort conditions are proposed.