Bilkent University Student Residences, Sited along a gentle slope, this co-educational residence provides much-needed student housing for Bilkent University’s main campus in western Ankara. The constricted project site, adjacent to another, older student residence building, led the design team to distribute the program in an L-shaped configuration to create a courtyard between the two structures. The longer of the new building’s two wings is adjacent to, and as far as possible from, the existing dormitory, allowing ample sunlight to reach the courtyard.
© Thomas Mayer
The building is deeply inspired by the Passive House Standard, utilizing ample insulation, thermal bridge mitigation, enhanced airtightness measures, triple glazing, and energy recovery ventilation. Each façade is designed to optimize its specific solar orientation. A nearly one meter depth on the east- and west-facing façades provides interior shading, and external shading devices protect a south-facing curtain wall. All spaces rely on natural ventilation and passive cooling.
© Thomas Mayer
A syncopated façade pattern avoids creating the typical gridded institutionalized aesthetic, and accommodates room modules that are slightly wider than that which is typical for student housing. Tuned to the local climate and clad in Turkish travertine and basalt stone, the student residence is in harmony with its environment—both physically and aesthetically.
Project Info
Architects: FXCollaborative
Country: Türkiye, Ankara
Area: 247000 ft²
Year: 2019
Photographs: Thomas Mayer
Manufacturers AutoDesk, Basalt Stone Panels, McNeel, Schüco, Travertine Stone Panels, Zinc Roofing / Standing Seam: AutoDesk
Design Team: Nicholas Garrison, Mark Nusbaum, Juan De Marco, Cristina Rodríguez-Vázquez, Daniel Piselli, Toby Snyder, Frank Lindemann, Tongchol Son, Reed Langhofer, Lennox Brown, Nicholas Coffee
Clients: Bilkent University
Sophie Tremblay is a Montreal-based architectural editor and designer with a focus on sustainable urban development. A McGill University architecture graduate, she began her career in adaptive reuse, blending modern design with historical structures. As a Project Editor at Arch2O, she curates stories that connect traditional practice with forward-thinking design. Her writing highlights architecture's role in community engagement and social impact. Sophie has contributed to Canadian Architect and continues to collaborate with local studios on community-driven projects throughout Quebec, maintaining a hands-on approach that informs both her design sensibility and editorial perspective.