Is the Traditional Rural Architecture in the Periphery of Istanbul Climate-Friendly? The Case Study of Şile, Gökmaslı

Abstract

Nowadays, the decrease in available resources due to excessive use and the deterioration of ecological balance have
revealed the necessity of developing approaches compatible with nature for the whole world. The effects of these
approaches have been seen for a long time in the construction industry, which constitutes a significant part of energy
consumption, and therefore in the field of architecture. There is an increasing environmental awareness not only of
the design and implementation phases of new buildings but also of reconsidering existing historical rural settlements
built according to natural and climatic conditions in the past. This paper aims to verify/falsify the theory that it would
be beneficial to protect and sustain the traditional rural architectural heritage in combating the negative effects of the
climate crisis, which is widely accepted in the literature. These criteria
were questioned in-depth on a case, which have rural heritage value. The existing physical environment in the Gökmaslı rural settlement of Şile on urban periphery of Istanbul was examined in terms of ecological sustainability, and the possible contributions of the preservation of historical settlements to climate adaptation studies are discussed.