MATERIA RENATA

Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Architecture, Ankara

Project idea

Materia Renata emerges from an observation of the former Gümüşlü Olive Oil Factory in Ayvalık, where the traces of time continue to actively transform the site. Rather than interpreting decay, weathering, and material deterioration as conditions to be prevented, the project understands them as productive processes capable of generating new spatial and ecological realities. The proposal therefore moves beyond conventional preservation approaches that attempt to stabilize buildings in a fixed state. Instead, it explores architecture as a continuously evolving system shaped by the interaction of matter, ecology, and time. This perspective is extended to the wider olive landscape surrounding the factory. Every harvesting and pruning season produces leaves, branches, fibers, and other vegetal residues that are commonly treated as waste despite already being part of ongoing cycles of growth, decomposition, and regeneration. Materia Renata establishes a connection between these biological cycles and the material transformations observed within the factory. Olive cultivation residues together with algae collected from the coastal threshold become the basis for a local material ecology and the production of bio-composite architectural systems. Rather than proposing permanent architectural objects, the project conceives materials and spaces as temporary states within larger cycles of transformation. Production, decomposition, reuse, and regeneration are understood as continuous architectural processes through which memory, ecology, and matter remain active participants in the making of space. In this sense, Materia Renata is not a project about preserving a factory; it is a project about constructing an architecture that evolves through transformation itself.

Project description

The project is conceived as a multi-layered spatial system that integrates research, production, habitation, and public engagement. Instead of a centralized architectural object, the masterplan adopts a distributed organizational strategy that follows the existing ecological, topographical, and historical conditions of the site. The existing Gümüşlü Olive Oil Factory is reactivated as a research institute dedicated to bio-based material studies. Along the coastline, an algae harvesting and processing zone forms a crucial component of the material production cycle. Habitation units are positioned on the remains of the former Tayfa houses, reintroducing everyday life into a landscape of memory and abandonment. Open-air fermentation fields facilitate the biological processing of organic residues generated through olive cultivation, while the production facilities transform these materials into bio-composite construction components. Together, all programmatic elements establish a continuous relationship between research, production, and habitation, creating a sustainable ecological network rooted in local resources and regenerative practices.

Technical information

The project is based on a circular production system that utilizes local biological resources. The primary raw materials consist of leaves, branches, fibers, and organic residues generated through olive harvesting and pruning, together with algae biomass collected from the coastal environment. The production process includes the collection of organic waste, open-air fermentation, drying, fiber processing, and the fabrication of bio-composite panels. These materials are used for building envelope systems, interior panels, and experimental architectural components. The existing factory structure is preserved and adapted into research and laboratory facilities, while new interventions employ lightweight construction systems and modular bio-based panel technologies. Low carbon emissions, local resource utilization, material recyclability, and biodegradable construction methods constitute the project's primary technical design principles. By enabling materials to be reused, recycled, and reintegrated into natural cycles, the proposal establishes a closed-loop production model that supports long-term environmental sustainability.