SolARK
SCADA and Research Center
Urbanites +
In the extreme registers of the climate spectrum, Noah survives with the creatures he takes aboard his ark; and today, to make peace with a nature that has grown wild through human impact, and to reckon with human nature itself, what remains in our hands is, once again, techné.
The SOLARK SCADA and Research Center, awarded the Honorary Mention, is a renewable energy facility and Sustainability Knowledge Hub set within Türkiye's only desert, in Konya. Conceived as a contemporary Noah's Ark, the project takes the form of a distributed campus of capsule-like modules, some above ground and some buried, embedded into the terrain through parametric design and innovative construction. The center serves as a control point for solar, wind, and water infrastructure while hosting an expanding community of researchers, students, educators, and local residents engaged in programs ranging from advanced agriculture to environmental resilience.
With independent climate control per module, a steel-and-shotcrete structural shell optimized for large spans and weak soils, and a design philosophy rooted in microclimate, biodiversity, and ESG principles, SOLARK is conceived not just as a building, but as a living architectural system and a model for what sustainable design can look and feel like.
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In collaboration with
Structural Consultant, Structural Engineer
Oğuz Cem Çelik, Dip. Istanbul Technical University, MSc Istanbul Technical University, Doct. Istanbul Technical University
Climate Resilience Consultant
Naz Beykan, BArch. Istanbul Technical University, MDesS: Energy & Environments Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Renders
Nemer Nabbouh, BArch. RIBA Part 1 Beirut Arab University, MArch Universitat Internacionale de Catalunya
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