Sustainable Living Spaces Design Roadmap
A new living space will be built on a piece of land,
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Home and garden for an individual or family,
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Ecological farm,
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Site, living space for a group of people,
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Ecological park
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It can also be an ecological village for a larger number of people.
We avoid making big mistakes in the design of sustainable living spaces because big mistakes can lead to huge costs, loss of time, demoralisation, frustration and bankruptcy. Small mistakes can be made, these are mistakes that can be corrected, and they can also cause us to do more solid work afterwards by taking lessons.
The first big mistake is not clarifying the vision and mission at the beginning.
First Step Vision and Mission
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How do you imagine the living space you want to build 5 years later, 10 years later?
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What are your expectations in the short, medium and long term?
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The target should be determined so that a road map can be created to reach that target.
Example: 1-2 acres of land with a house and a garden
Vision: To be as self-sufficient as possible, to grow its own natural food, to produce its own clean energy, to have a low-cost, pleasant living space. It may be desirable to generate income, or if income is generated from other sources, the priority may be to produce enough natural food to meet the needs of the individual/family. If income is to be obtained, it should be considered how and in what quantities. In smart design, there should be reasonable expectations within the existing resources, possibilities and local boundaries.
In addition, each individual may have a different geography and climate. Your expectations should match with the place you want to live. You may want to have land on the sea coast or close to the sea in the south, or you may have land. But there may be a serious water shortage in this region. If you do not have sufficient water supply, you may not be able to realise many of your dreams.
The vision and the land where you will realise that vision must match. At this point, choosing the right land to fit the vision comes to the agenda. If you do not have land, the next step will be land selection. If you have land, then it is necessary to develop/change the vision in parallel with the resources and opportunities of that land. At this point, the next step should be to investigate the resources and opportunities of the local area.
Example: A housing estate for a group of people
Vision: I want to make money by building a site and selling it to people. It should be different from similar projects and potential customers should prefer this project. But the costs should not be different from similar ones.
To achieve surplus, abundance, abundance is the result that the design wants to achieve. Financial abundance - there is no problem in making money. However, you can use the functioning between the components in the design so effectively that more than one benefit can be obtained at a similar cost or with a slight difference. In other words, while making money, you can also offer solutions that provide multiple benefits for the people who will live in that campus.
Step 2: Choosing the Right Land
If there is land available, then the vision needs to be shaped according to the resources of the land and the local area. In this case, the next step would be to investigate the available resources.
If there is no land yet and land is to be sought for the vision, then it is critical to select land that fits the vision.
Wrong choice of land is one of the biggest mistakes; it can increase costs a lot and make life difficult. For example, buildings on north-facing slopes: open to cold winter winds, excessive energy costs, more difficult to produce food, energy. If there are deep crevices in the sloping land, there is a flood risk. If it is open to prevailing winds, it causes various problems, especially heating. (These are given only as examples, there are many more situations with the risk of making big mistakes).
It is very useful to know how to read the landscape in order to choose the land suitable for the vision. Reading the landscape is covered in our Permaculture Design Certificate courses.
Step 3: Exploration & Research
In some cases, the right choice of land and research may need to be carried out at the same time, together. Think of it this way:
We have a vision - we can liken it to building a puzzle. We want to complete the puzzle and see the picture of the whole. But first we need to gather all the pieces of the puzzle on the table. The pieces must not be missing, the research part is very important in this respect.
When a suitable land is selected, or if there is an existing land, it is very useful to carry out some critical studies to determine its suitability and capacity for our vision:
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Understanding the energy capacities on the land: solar, wind, water/rainfall
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To learn the current and past climatic conditions of the local area
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Recognise soil structure
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important both for growing natural food and as a source of building materials for natural buildings
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Understanding the water holding capacity of the soil
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Recognise the vegetation
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Identify local resources in and around the site
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To determine the capacity of the land to produce clean energy
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To determine the plant, animal species and quantities that can be grown on the land
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Identifying surpluses that can be produced on the land...
The more data we collect, the more puzzle pieces we put together. It is an important step for correct and effective design.
Among the services we provide, 'Permaculture Design of Land' includes these researches.
Step 4: Capturing Geographical Data of the Land
We have identified the land where the project will be realised, researched its local resources, confirmed its suitability to our vision. The next step to start designing on the land will be to obtain the geographical data of the land. This requires professional services.
Until recently, we had only one option, to bring in a survey engineer. The surveyor makes measurements on the land and gives you a topographic map of the land. It is a map similar to the one below:

These maps may seem like a lot of complicated lines for those who do not know how to read, but they are essential for the architects and engineers who will design and implement the project. These maps indicate levels (isosurface curves) at the same altitude/level in the field. For example, there is a hill at an elevation of 4300 meters in the lower left above, and we see that it drops to 1500 meters towards the upper right. The shorter the distance between the lines, the steeper the slope, and conversely, the wider the distance between the lines, the flatter it is.

With the topographic map, land contour lines are determined, but other objects on the land are not known. If there are trees and structures on the land, the surveyor may be asked to place these objects on the map - this is an additional work, a separate cost. The survey engineer gives you their locations by placing dots on the topographic map where trees are located.
With new advanced technology we can do much more than this.
When we go to explore the land, we fly a drone and take hundreds of photos of the land and its surroundings from above. When we return to the office, we use these photographs to create a 3-D model of the terrain.

We can easily measure the size of trees on the land, the distance between trees, surface area and volume on the digital model:
We can publish land digital models on the internet. We also provide free visualizer software to the project owner so that they can visualize these models on their own computers.
(Click to navigate through the 3-dimensional digital model of Belentepe Farm recorded in April 2016.)
The current state of the land at the time of exploration is recorded. By recording the later stages in a similar way, a 4-dimensional (3-dimensional Cartesian coordinates + 4th time dimension) recording library of the change over time can be obtained and shared on the internet.
We also obtain the topographic map of the land and start designing on the digital model of the land.

Step 5: Permaculture Design of the Land
After collecting all the necessary data to start the design, it is time for 'Permaculture Design', which is about what can be done where on the land. Some general principles of permaculture design:
First, determine the location on the land of the place where you will spend the most time (for example, your house in a small settlement).
Many criteria are taken into account to determine this location: access, insolation, wind/flood/fire threat, soil structure, building type...
Place things around the structure(s): optimizing human energy and preserving relationships between components, considering multiple benefits.
Places we need to visit frequently should be close to us, places we rarely visit may be far away,
Consider sun exposure, wind, flood/fire risk situations in the design.
For example, if the insolation status of the area where the building will be built is known, precautions can be taken to protect it from the extremely hot western sun in the afternoon in summer. With passive solar design, it may be possible to significantly reduce heating costs by inserting sunlight into the building in winter and heating a heat mass...

Belentepe Farm Permaculture zone and slice analysis
In order to realize permaculture design, you must first take the Permaculture Design Certificate Course . In this course, the design road map is explained in detail and trainees are divided into groups and work on a project to gain practice; On the last day of the course, they present the permaculture design project they worked on. However, taking this course does not mean that you will make a successful design. It is necessary to gain knowledge, experience and skills. It is necessary to question what kind of projects the designer has undertaken before and his successes. An inexperienced person who calls himself a permaculture designer can do very wrong things.
It will be very beneficial for everyone who designs living spaces for people to know permaculture design because it is possible to create much more beneficial projects at similar or lower costs.
The permaculture design report includes all the designer's preliminary research, field data and permaculture design maps and visuals:

Locations on the land where buildings can be placed, places around the buildings, access roads, water retention types, ponds, gardens, shelters for animals, places to be forested or pastured, etc. are drawn on the plan.


At this point the land owner will realize the current potential and possibilities of the land. If you want to continue the design, the next step is the Preliminary Project work.
The permaculture design of the land forms a very solid foundation for the next step, the Preliminary Project work.
6 . Step: Preliminary Project Design
After completing the permaculture design, the design is taken one step further with Avan Project and more detailed information is prepared for the customer:
Exact locations, floor areas, spatial concept designs/volumes of the structures to be placed on the land,
Access within the land, roads, parking, paths
Earthworks:
Soil excavations/fillings before laying the building foundations
Excavations for masonry, retaining walls
Where/how to utilize the top living soil from excavation?
Water retention, Rain/Storm water management
Water tanks, water retention terraces/ditches, ponds, channels, pipes
landscape works
Where and what kind of landscaping work will be done,
For example, how many and what types of trees will be planted and at what spacing/frequency?
These works are carried out jointly by architects, civil engineers and landscape architects. For the preliminary project design, each of them transfers their own data into the design. As a result, valuable data/information is displayed both digitally and on printed sheets in order to continue detailed design.
It is also possible to obtain the costs of the first works as a result of the preliminary project study.
One of the biggest mistakes, especially one that occurs frequently in our country, is financial miscalculation. Getting work done in rural areas is more difficult and costly. Distances are longer, logistics/transportation costs may increase; Masters/workers may ask for more daily wages. If the work to be done at the beginning is not designed and calculated correctly, the costs may snowball in a short time. The major work that will initially increase costs is earthworks. Construction machinery is rented for earthworks, and over 1000 TL can be paid per day. It is important to know in advance how much earthworks will be involved and how much they will cost. Sometimes, unforeseen amounts of money may be spent just because of earthworks, and therefore the budget may be exhausted and the project may even be left unfinished.
It is possible to calculate the initial budget together with the Preliminary Project with new advanced technological solutions.
Once the topographic map is ready, preliminary project work can begin. For example, building foundation areas can be placed, roads, parking lots, etc. can be added. Each job done on the preliminary project has unit values, and these values can be edited in the defaults library. For example, we will have earthworks for the foundation of a building. It will be necessary to take soil from one place and fill another place. SiteOPS makes optimizations to achieve the least earthwork. If you have entered the transportation cost of unit m3 soil into the database, it will also calculate and report the total cost corresponding to that soil work.
What will be delivered to the customer as a result of the Preliminary Project Design:
Topographic, digital maps and 3D digital models of the land
Can be delivered in different formats for use in other software
Concept drawings of structures (views, volumetric design)
Things to do in landscaping
Budget for first jobs
At this point, the business owner has sufficient detailed information about whether to continue or not. If it is to be continued, the next step is to prepare detailed projects for implementation.
Step 7: Detail and Application Project Calculations and Designs
After the preliminary project design is completed, detailed and application projects calculations, analysis, design and drawings are made.
Architectural design
Spatial, volumetric architectural design of buildings
Preparation of architectural 2D drawings, 3D visuals and animations
Civil engineering calculations, analysis, designs
Modeling the load-bearing systems of buildings, performing static/dynamic analyzes under earthquake/wind/snow etc. loads,
Verification of structural system elements according to local design codes, selection of elements with appropriate strength
Reporting analysis results
Preparation of detailed drawings for application
Detailing of campus energy systems
Electrical installation designs and drawings
Heating/cooling systems designs and drawings
Ventilation system designs and drawings
Campus wastewater and clean water distribution/collection systems design, application drawings
Landscape detail designs and drawings
Pond, water tanks design
In-field paths and roads design
Terrace, moat designs
Plant, garden designs
food forest designs
Building Design
In the design of sustainable living spaces, the structures on the land are designed to be functional as a whole, compatible with the local climate and geography, and using local and natural materials as much as possible (which can also reduce costs).
The majority of our country's building stock is reinforced concrete structures. Entire cities are concrete jungles. There are also some steel structures, especially industrial structures. The majority of architects and engineers are only knowledgeable in the design of such structures. However, the structures of sustainable living spaces are different. Natural and local building materials are preferred. Building types and designs that are compatible with local conditions are selected.
Advantages:
Lower costs
Healthy interiors
Natural and pleasant appearance
Compatible with the nature of the local
non-waste producing
Natural Building Materials:
Adobe: Ata's knowledge and skill. Adobe can be produced from soil containing more than 30% clay.
Straw: It is mixed with clay soil to obtain adobe. It is used as natural insulation in natural structures.
Stone: If it is available on the land, it can be used in the load-bearing systems and walls of buildings.
Wood: If there is a local wood resource, it can be used in creating the load-bearing systems of natural structures, facade cladding, terrace and pergola applications.
Sand: can be used in adobe, khorasan mortar and natural plaster mixtures.
Lime: It can be used in Khorasan mortar, which is a natural cement, and in natural plaster and paint production.
Khorasan Mortar: It is ancestral knowledge, it is natural cement.
Tadelakt: Ancestor knowledge from Morocco. It is a topcoat sealing plaster and paint that can also be used on wet surfaces.
Passive Solar Design
Volumes that store sunlight are created within the building constructed using correct spatial layout and good insulation. In winter, sunlight coming from the horizontal is taken into the building and the heat masses are heated; At night, this heat mass slows down the decrease in indoor temperature. In this way, heating costs in winter can be reduced by up to 40%. In summer, intense vertical sunlight is prevented from entering the building. Thus, indoor spaces can remain cool during extreme summer heat.
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Underground Structures
When correct and good waterproofing is done, keeping some of the buildings underground provides important benefits:
Savings on heating/cooling - underground summers are much cooler than outdoors; Winters are also warmer.
Low construction cost,
Harmonious with nature, hidden within nature when necessary,
Shorter construction time
Protected against abnormal disasters (especially against the effects of climate change that will increase over time)
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Geodesic Domes
It is a load-bearing structure system that covers the largest areas and volumes at the lowest cost and in the most robust way. When correct calculation and design is made, it will not be damaged even in the largest earthquakes. Interior spaces can be created by covering them in different ways, or they can be left open to create organic structures where plants are intertwined.
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Wood Frame Buildings
These are buildings whose load-bearing system is made of wooden planks and adobe is used as intermediate filling insulation. Such structures can be built quickly and are low cost. They can be the carrier system of passive solar structures. Natural finishing plasters are used on the outside to provide water and heat insulation, so they can have good insulation.
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Stone/Earth Wall Buildings
These are buildings whose load-bearing systems are stone or earth walls. Earth-walled structures are the ancestral structures of Anatolia, but they are not very resistant to earthquakes. Obtained with a mixture of Plaster + Lime + Soil and produced by I.T.U. The walls made with the mixture discovered by Ruhi Kafesçioğlu, one of the Professors of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, and named 'alker', are 3 times stronger than the classical Anatolian earthen walls. Alker walls can also be used in natural structures.
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A special and advanced design technical infrastructure is required to design structures using different and natural building materials other than concrete and steel.
For example, a wooden beam on which a roof or a floor will be placed must be sized correctly. In addition to the various loads on it, earthquake loads should also be taken into account and the most appropriate section that can carry the loads should be selected according to the strength properties of that wood type. Without doing any calculations, you can also choose a section much thicker than necessary in the opinion of a master, but you will pay more for the wood. Or worse, a small section that will remain standing under normal conditions may be selected without making any calculations, and in a disaster or earthquake, loss of life and property may occur. A civil engineer who knows what he is doing must model these structures under computers, analyze them under various loads and determine the most accurate sections.