OASIS “Venice Architecture Biennale – Grounded Pavilion Open Call

Yildirim Okta, Birge ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7872-2239, Okta, Gurkan and Arifoglu, Burak (2025) OASIS “Venice Architecture Biennale – Grounded Pavilion Open Call. [Data Collection]

Abstract

Inspired by the geological phenomena of karst sinkholes in Konya, Oasis emerges not as an imposition upon the land, but as a dialogue with it—an invitation to reconceive architecture as an agent of healing rather than dominance.
Central to this dialogue is the concept of situatedness—a philosophical and material engagement with place that transcends aesthetic mimicry. Rooted architecture, in this context, is both literal and metaphorical: embedded in the land, composed of the land, and accountable to it.
Constructed from rammed earth, using soil and straw sourced from the site, Oasis embodies a regenerative ethic. The material becomes not just a medium of construction but a custodian of memory, climate, and identity.
Integrating passive systems, solar energy, and ecological design, Oasis operates as a “zero-energy” SCADA facility and pedagogical space. It offers a vision of architecture as an agent of rooted transformation, where design is not a spectacle of innovation but a careful, quiet practice of listening, restoring, and re-rooting.
As a research-by-design initiative, Oasis explores how architecture can be redefined as a quiet, restorative, and deeply contextual practice. It advocates for design processes grounded in listening, adapting, and re-rooting—offering a model for climate-conscious, place-based transformation in architectural practice.

Additional Information:	Depositing user's licence comment:
Creators:	Yildirim Okta, Birge ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7872-2239, Okta, Gurkan and Arifoglu, Burak
Uncontrolled Keywords:	330102 Architectural design; 3301 Architecture; 330110 Sustainable architecture; 330314 Sustainable design
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.24377/LJMU.d.00000241
Division:	Art & Design
Field of Research:	Built environment and design > Architecture Built environment and design > Architecture > Architectural design Built environment and design > Architecture > Sustainable architecture Built environment and design > Design > Sustainable design
Date Deposited:	01 Sep 2025 09:39
Last Modified:	01 Sep 2025 09:39
URI:	https://opendata.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/241
Data collection method:	The Oasis dataset was generated through a site-responsive design research process that integrated material testing, environmental observation, and basic digital modelling to explore how locally sourced materials and passive strategies could support a low-impact, net-zero architectural intervention. Environmental and energy data—including sun path, wind direction, and thermal behaviour—were gathered using open-source tools and simple simulations, while the SCADA concept was framed as a speculative, low-tech system prioritizing accessibility and pedagogical value.
Resource language:	English
Metadata language:	English
Collection period:	From To 1 January 2019 14 May 2025