Located on Iztuzu Beach in Southern Turkey, the Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Center for Sea Turtles will raise awareness for the wildlife that calls the unique ecosystem home. In true environmentally conscious architectural form, the design was inspired by the natural curves and traces of the beach tides and the surrounding native pine trees and reeds, all of which help to form the ecosystem.

KÂAT Architects won the honor of designing the wildlife center in a national competition organized by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation of Turkey. According to KÂAT, the center will “ensure the cyclic continuity of the natural and cultural resources of Iztuzu Beach and its ecosystem, which is considered to be one of the rarest natural ecosystems of the world.”

The architects also took inspiration from the “crown shyness” in the area, the natural phenomenon where certain species of trees do not touch each other in an effort to allow the others to live and grow on their own without intrusion or obstruction. Intended to create an organically influenced structure that can exist peacefully with the rest of the environment, the Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Center for Sea Turtles will certainly add to the already-beautiful landscape.

The center will house multiple canopy structures, shaped to mimic the encircling trees while reflecting the slope of the topography. The structures will be elevated off the ground, allowing the natural life, soil and terrain to remain as undisturbed as possible. Each canopy conforms to its neighbor with closed, semi-open and open spaces constructed among narrow columns that mimic the nearby tree trucks.

The Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Center for Sea Turtles, nicknamed DEKAMER Station, will go even further by producing a negative carbon footprint. The design team hopes that the environmentally sensitive facility will motivate and encourage researchers, volunteers and visitors to do their part in protecting the diverse wildlife found where Anatolia meets the Mediterranean Sea in Southern Turkey.

Source: INHABITAT