A path through the past, a lake in its midst, a wall to guard it all.

Ruins possess a kind of tragic beauty. They reveal the immutable end of all human life and aspiration, and yet also the strength and dignity of all that which still remains. There’s a silent pride in all degraded and yet still standing structures, a harsh and unyielding will to remain, to exist – matched only by the ever indifferent force of nature itself. This sombre and noble feeling is exactly what we wanted to explore and highlight with our proposal.

The idea came about rather quickly, greatly due to it’s clarity and simplicity: using the existing main path and closing its circuit by connecting both ends. In this way a ring is created, which encloses and protects the village, while simultaneously outlining the visiting experience in a broad gesture.
The main focus, in terms of design, was the path itself and everything it touches. Like a dark winding river, the main path courses through the houses, sculpted by them into a stream of expressive geometry. An extension of this path was required in order to connect its loose ends, thereby closing the circuit. This was achieved with the Visitor Center.
No more than an continuation of the path itself, this building adopts a similar geometry, nestling itself against the borders of the plot, and effectively functioning as a separating wall between Kayaköy and the rest of Fethiye. In our opinion, this separation is fundamental, because it blocks out the view of the immediate modern surroundings, and in doing so preserves the essence of the ruined village.
This essence, however, was greatly amplified by the introduction of a vast shallow lake, occupying the majority of the area allotted to the Visitor Center. This feature came about as a simple yet powerful landscaping solution for this lower area, which is presently occupied by a handful of modern houses and commercial spaces. A set of eight new mixed-use buildings lining the northern road is proposed in order to accommodate these displaced residents and businesses. In the center, only the sky remains, serenely reflected in a wide bowl of water, punctured by a tall black tower that harbors in its summit a novel view of the village.

Black concrete and black stone were the materials chosen for the entirety of this project. Like spreading shadows, these dark paths and structures embed themselves in the existing ruins, presenting not so much as new constructions, but rather as outlines of what once was. The rugged black surfaces emerging throughout the landscape point to an absence, to a loss – and yet, they are paradoxically brimming with life. Be it gardens or ponds, cultural spaces or restaurants, shelters or spaces of contemplation: the ruins are open to life and activity, bright and ever-changing, while still paying due homage to the past.

Despite its ruin and abandonment, perhaps even because of it, the village lives on.
This is not a burial, it’s a resurrection.

The ring serves as a powerful manifesto for the living ruins, with its route thoughtfully curated to embrace a series of compelling moments. Sensitive additions and carefully designed interventions breathe new life into the site, revitalizing the ruins and transforming them into a vibrant space of renewed activity and meaning.

The open-air museum tells the story of Yanis, a Greek Orthodox boy, and Omar, a Turkish Muslim boy, whose fictional friendship represents the harmony once shared by the Greek and Turkish communities of Levissi. This emotional narrative unfolds through three key interventions: Flashbacks, Textures, and Echoes.

Flashbacks uses light installations and visual displays to illustrate the boys’ shared experiences in Levissi, creating an immersive narrative of unity and coexistence. The intervention serves as both a storytelling medium and a viewpoint, allowing visitors to connect emotionally with the boys’ memories while also offering a panoramic view of Kayaköy, emphasizing the bond between past and present.

Textures transforms two selected ruins into exhibition spaces. These ruins represent the homes of Yanis and Omar, allowing visitors to explore their symbolic and material remains. The intervention highlights the tactile quality of the stone, inviting visitors to touch and feel the textures of the ruins, emphasizing the physical traces left behind by time. It enables a deeper understanding of the personal histories tied to the village and the lives lived within it.

Echoes features the voices of Yanis and Omar, now elderly, as they reflect on their childhood experiences in Kayaköy. Recounting their peaceful coexistence and the loss caused by the population exchange, they share their memories of the vibrant community they once knew. Their stories offer visitors an emotional connection to the past, drawing attention to the long-lasting impacts of division and displacement.

The museum’s history is presented through informational panels along a path that serves as a chronological timeline of Kayaköy’s past. The panels follow four distinct phases: the peaceful coexistence of the Greek and Turkish communities, the rising tensions between Greece and Turkey, the population exchange, and the subsequent abandonment and decay of the village. The visitor center, which serves as both the starting and ending point, provides an introduction to the history of Kayaköy and a space for reflection at the conclusion of the journey.

The site is designed to immerse visitors in the story of Kayaköy, with selected ruins partially reconstructed using greened metal grids, symbolizing the village’s former vibrancy. As visitors walk through the different sections, the vegetation surrounding the ruins decreases, mirroring the loss and decay that marked the passage of time.

The visitor center, accessible from the northern parking area, serves as a welcoming space to begin the journey and includes facilities such as a reception area, restaurant, and educational spaces. Upon returning, visitors can explore the archive and participate in workshops that deepen their understanding of the history and significance of Kayaköy.

The project offers an emotional and immersive museum experience, telling the story of two boys’ friendship to explore Kayaköy’s history of coexistence and loss. Light installations, tactile exhibits, and voice recordings connect visitors to the past. The design integrates reconstructed ruins and a thoughtful visitor centre, enhancing both storytelling and accessibility. Its graphic execution and innovative approach to heritage preservation make it a standout project.

With its accompanying destruction, each conflict leaves traces onto the lands we inhabit and the endings caused by these hardships become gateways to new beginnings in the cycle of life. Unfortunately, world history is marked with such examples and Kayaköy is a example of the results of such events.

The displacement of Kayakoy’s inhabitants caused by the 1923 Turkish-Greek Population Exchange not only altered the physical structure of the village but also disrupted its cultural fabric. This historical event is the cornerstone of Kayaköy’s essence, and the design aims to preserve and shine light onto the traumas experienced during this period.
The main goal of the project is to design an open-air museum that accurately conveys Kayaköy’s historical and cultural heritage to visitors, while existing in harmony with the village’s essence.

The design for the project site was shaped carefully to reflect Kayaköy’s historical and natural fabric. The open-air museum is divided into two main routes: the historical route and the exploratory route. The historical route allows visitors to delve into the village’s historical context, featuring significant sites like the church, boys’ school, and St. Umba Square. This route offers visitors a journey through time, bringing the past into the present. The exploratory route, emphasizes the natural potential of Kayaköy, offering an experience with the region’s flora and landscape.

In reference to Kayaköy’s traditional village layout, the Visitor Centre is designed with a central courtyard that is surrounded by small-scale functional spaces. This central courtyard symbolizes Kayaköy’s social and historical heritage. The visitor center consists of small-scale structures, each carrying its own significance, thereby working in harmony with Kayaköy’s cultural texture. Squares and complementary open spaces linked to these squares are designed to enrich social and cultural interaction in the area.

Additionally, the walls in the project area play a crucial role in influencing design decisions. These walls serve different purposes: sometimes as directional elements and sometimes as integral parts of the design that define the space. Similarly, trees and gardens have been incorporated into the design in a way that respects the nature of the village. Notably, the visitor center’s design avoids touching the trees, and the fig orchards in the area have been utilised in their current form.

The existing potentials of the project area has been evaluated, and a design language that applies minimum intervenion and respects Kayaköy’s cultural and architectural heritage has been adopted. For material selection, local stones and corten steel, which reinforces the historical context, were used to ensure harmony with the surroundings and maintain a connection with the past. Corten steel, which oxidizes over time, alludes to the continuation of time.

The concept of rebirth has also been symbolically reinforced in the design. Modest chimneys placed in the area symbolically represent the resilience of Kayaköy. Three focal areas in the design symbolize three significant phases in Kayaköy’s history: life, displacement, and rebirth. These focal points aim to offer visitors a physical and emotional experience, allowing them to reflect on the phases Kayaköy endured.

The “RUINS AS TRACES” project offers a thoughtful and respectful approach to reimagining Kayaköy as an open-air museum. By emphasizing the site’s historical significance and natural beauty, the design creates a powerful and immersive experience for visitors. The careful integration of the visitor center enhances the site’s accessibility and educational value without compromising its authenticity. The proposal offers a wide range of design devices for different moments along the route.

This long-term strategy for Kayakoy brings new life into the centre of the abandoned town, connecting the historic core with the plain below while conserving the settlement as a museum. What makes the site fragile makes it special: a place of peace after the disruption brought to both Greek and Turkish communities in 1922 and an extraordinary, layered topography of perforated walls never imagined by the people who built the town two hundred years ago, probably after moving from the coast to the south. Complete restoration risks losing this cultural and architectural power of the site. Instead of trying to re-occupy the houses which were twice abandoned, this proposal focuses on conserving the existing fragments, leaving the houses as clearings and inhabiting the spaces in between.

Phase 1 concentrates on the centre where the most complete remaining buildings – schools and churches – are found. The perimeter of the site is discreetly secured. A new step-free route from the plain to the upper church square passes through the proposed visitor centre, which includes an archaeological conservation facility, where local craftspeople could meet experts and students from further afield, with accommodation provided in the neighbouring hotel building. The new route of stone ramps winds through currently unexplored areas in the valley behind the small hill of the former boys’ school, meeting the main existing street at the square, bringing people of different ages and walking abilities together for performances, events and exhibitions. Houses off the existing street become gardens, the fragments braced by flat stone arches and beams.

The inhabitable areas grow from the routes through the site. An area below the upper square is proposed as a place for gathering and sorting existing stones which are currently piled along the streets. A future garden could be made in what begins as a shaded building site, where techniques learned in the new conservation centre can be put into practice by volunteers to help maintain the archaeological site. Located between the new and existing routes, this activity would become part of the museum experience.

New stone piers and walls support timber beams for awnings or climbing plants, fed with water from a new large cistern in the existing hollow below the church square. All the new fragments are intended to be made with the locally available stone using modules small enough to transport to the site with traditional lime mortar, so that the new work is clearly different from the existing but of the same family. The construction site and the conservation centre share an architecture of walls and beams, a network of shaded routes through the town centre. The moments where the new work joins existing corners make visible the gaps and relationships between buildings which were carefully considered by the people of the town when they laid out their homes. The new work becomes part of a topographic design apparently made without architects: an evolving lattice of walls and beams, an open work.

The design is deeply rooted in Kayakoy’s unique historical, cultural and environmental context. This approach aims to combine respect for ancient traditions with the spirit of immersive experience in contemporary tourism. We try to create a symbiotic relationship between the past and the modern, between the static and the transient, between the local and the global.

The intervention on the site aims to restore the outline of the original ruins structure while having minimal impact on its remains. With the path at its core, connecting important tourist attractions, the lightweight structural design is reflected in every aspect of the path and building conservation, bringing new materials and experiences to the open-air museum.

The scheme emphasizes the use of local handicraft materials, especially the fabric of textile products, the whole fabric is the best choice to contrast the stone, brick site, while beautifully complementing its dynamic nature, the lightweight fabric is a flexible material, simple structure, can be adapted to different functions and multiple uses. The fabric undulates and flows along the path over the masts above the road, and at the scenic spot, the fabric turns to attach to the building stone walls to provide privacy.

From a distance, folds adorn the ancient walls of the small town of Kayakoy. Across the roof and around the orchard, the light-colored volume shimmers gently in the sunlight, subtly revealing its contents. Viewed from the interior, the light-permeable skin contrasts with the remaining stone walls, which control light in the space and maintain the scale of the original structure.

It respects the historical context of the site and provides a canvas for artists to express their creativity, establishing a natural field of labor and commercial activity for the increasing number of residents who join the village. With the arrival of tourists, exhibitions, performances, onlookers, parties… people may recall the lively village life here.

Couples descend the stairs to participate in passionate ceremonies, neighbors walk across paths to friends’ homes, and once upon a time, the close ties between residents created this thriving community. We have a fabric that stretches forward above the road, and in some buildings the fabric is attached to the top to cover the room. Such a typical standard structure continues to copy, linking the whole community together, it once again recreates the scene of life in the history of the town, opening a new chapter in the history of Kayakoy.

Restoring and showcasing the ruins in an open-air museum
This project proposes an innovative and respectful rehabilitation of the historic ruins, transforming the site into an open-air museum. It combines heritage preservation, contemporary design and landscape integration, offering visitors an immersive and educational experience.

An integrated, multifunctional reception building
Situated on a strategic location, the reception building hides in the landscape while still being visible from the main road. By integrating the ruins into its layout, the reception offers an immersive transition between past and present. Built using vernacular materials the space showcases traditional craftsmanship and respect for the landscape. The vernacular anchors the site’s identity, contributing to its distinction from the surrounding globalised architecture. The reception building plays a central social role as a place of learning and exchange, welcoming visitors and residents alike, allowing for a lively dialogue between historical eras.

Preserving without altering: appropriate restoration
Preserving the ruins is a priority. The interventions are adapted to the existing structure, respecting its authenticity and displaying the historical traces. The itinerary, designed to be fun and intuitive, guides visitors through a progressing narrative exploration of the site. Through the spaces and the scenography, the narrative approach reveals the history of the site. It encourages visitors to daydream and to discover the mournful memories of destruction.

Three approaches to inhabiting the ruins
Three complementary interventions are proposed to reinterpret and inhabit the ruins. They are located in places that are representative of the village – shops, houses, stables, schools, religious sites, and so on. As they wander through the architecture, visitors discover the history of the site through themes.
Exploring the ruins vertically: A network of footbridges and staircases allows visitors to explore the ruins from above, offering new perspectives on the structures and their surroundings. Made from lightweight, reversible materials, these walkways respect the integrity of the ruins while offering a visual and sensory immersive experience.
Understanding the ruin through its floor: When the walls are too fragile, the floor is reconstructed or suggested using contemporary materials. This approach restores the original layout of the buildings, allowing visitors to perceive the organisation of the site while moving around freely.
Partial restoration: Some ruins can be partially restored. This creates a harmonious dialogue between old and new, providing functional spaces while respecting the heritage identity.

A rhythmic, open route
The route is structured through a succession of spaces of contemplation, interaction and staged environments. Strategic vantage points provide visual porosity, which connects the ruins to the surrounding landscape. This fluidity invites visitors to explore the site from different angles, reinforcing the link between architecture, nature and history.

Conclusion
This open-air museum reconciles conservation and modernity. Through thoughtful architecture, intelligent use of materials and sensitive interventions, the interventions make the village lively while honouring its authenticity. This project is an invitation to explore, share and reflect, creating a space where the past meets the present in a living, collective harmony.

The project aims at enhancing the archaeological site of Kayaköy, preserving its historical and landscape value through a responsible design. By integrating new functions, it maintains the site’s identity and fosters a meaningful connection between visitors and the ruins. In a context threatened by urban speculation, the design emphasizes the authentic character of the village, transforming the ruins into central elements of the narrative.

In order to encourage spontaneous exploration, a main pathway intersects the key points of interest without imposing a rigid route. Therefore, the new museum is not focused on a single point, but distributed within the site, to interact directly with the ruins. The aim is to avoid a strictly guided experience, while promoting a personal discovery of the site.

Four intervention areas were identified, each with distinct historical and architectural significance. Each intervention highlights the site’s unique features, creating a continuum between past and present. The design involves rebuilding the outlines of the collapsed buildings using contemporary materials, that create a sharp chromatic and material contrast with the ruins. A physical detachment from the existing structures is also maintained, symbolically separating the past from the present through a precise architectural cut.

The first intervention focuses on the former girls’ school at the base of the site, near one of its main entrances. This building, due to its strategic location and architectural value, was chosen as the visitor centre – new entry and welcome point. A large roof encloses the structure while walkways weave through the ruins; on top of it, large skylights allow natural light to come in, casting dynamic shadows and defining the exhibition spaces. Reusing this existing building preserves the site’s identity while enhancing its accessibility and functionality.

The second intervention centres on the former boys’ school, located on a slight hill with a breathtaking panoramic view of Kayaköy. This project shapes two small pavilions for exhibitions and a panoramic tower. The tower serves as an ideal observation point, blending into the landscape and offering visitors a complete visual experience.

The third intervention caters to hikers, introducing small shelters for a more intimate and immersive experience of the site. These discreet structures allow the ruins to dominate the landscape while offering spaces to rest along the trail.

Finally, the highest intervention focuses on the ruins of an ancient watchtower on top of the hill. A minimal design restores the tower’s original function as a point of landscape contemplation, providing panoramic views extending to the sea.

The design strategies go beyond mere preservation, aiming to restore and enhance the heritage. Each intervention integrates the ruins into a continuous dialogue between past and present without diminishing their intrinsic value. The coherent architectural language, choice of materials, and recurring design elements represent a paradigm that might be used for other areas of the site in the future. Thus, Kayaköy becomes not only a place of memory but also a living, accessible resource through responsible and respectful land use.

Concept
This project reimagines Kayaköy’s ruins as a dialogue between space and time, where architecture becomes a vessel for storytelling. It embraces subtraction as a design tool, selectively removing elements to uncover layers of history and reveal the beauty of absence. By highlighting the impact of time, the project transforms the ruins into meaningful spaces that invite reflection and embody resilience.

Site and History
Kayaköy, located in southwestern Turkey, is a ghost village steeped in history. Once a thriving multicultural community of Greek Orthodox Christians and Muslims, it flourished in the 19th century, blending Greek-Ottoman architectural traditions. The turbulence of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) and the 1923 population exchange left the village abandoned, and a devastating earthquake in 1957 further reduced it to ruins. Today, as a protected cultural heritage site, Kayaköy stands as a poignant reminder of resilience and the passage of time.

Journey as a Key Element
The design centers on a journey that connects visitors to the layered history of Kayaköy. Flowing pathways traverse the ruins, creating experiential landscapes that blur the boundaries between inside and outside. These paths intersect at cultural and architectural nodes, such as an open-air theater near the church, a watchtower on the hill, and thematic pavilions like the Water Pavilion, Peace Pavilion, Time Pavilion, and Emotional Pavilion. Together, these features guide visitors through narratives of time, culture, and emotion.

Reviving Ruins through Art and Experience
The intervention contrasts the orthogonal solidity of the ruins with lightweight materials such as wood, frosted glass, metal, and fabric. These elements penetrate the stone structures, creating a harmonious juxtaposition of fragility and permanence. Surrounding landscapes are fluid and organic, inviting visitors to explore pathways that flow through and around the ruins, merging the natural and built environments.

Key programmatic elements, such as a festive market, an art gallery, and curated landscapes, provide platforms for artistic expression and cultural exchange. The open-air museum fosters collaboration between local communities and global artists, reinvigorating the site with creativity and life.

By weaving history, art, and architecture into an immersive journey, the Open-Air Museum in Kayaköy transforms its ruins into spaces of reflection, discovery, and shared experience, honoring the past while looking toward the future.

The project begins with the idea of creating a series of architectural and artistic interventions designed to reveal and enrich the site’s history. These interventions, far from being static, are conceived as evolving, capable of transforming over time to adapt to new perspectives or interpretations. Kayaköy becomes not only a place of memory but also a true creative hub, attracting both history enthusiasts drawn to the ruins and art lovers.
As a witness to historical conflict, the ruins of Kayaköy emerge as a field of chaotic forces. Although chaos is often seen as a destructive or unintelligible phenomenon, it has the potential to become a powerful force for revelation and transformation. The idea of materializing the invisible is rooted in the hidden history of the site, drawn from the collective memory of its inhabitants and the conflicts between communities. By bringing these invisible elements to light, architecture becomes a medium for rediscovering lost narratives, educating, and sensitizing visitors to a buried history and its impact on the present.

The core idea behind this process is to create a journey where the site’s apparent chaos – its ruins, vestiges, and silences – becomes a means of connecting the past with the present.The project seeks to highlight forgotten elements, subtle traces of history and conflict that, though invisible or ignored, are omnipresent. Through architecture, tangible form is given to what was previously only perceptible in fragments. Each intervention serves as a narrative support, echoing what has been lost. By reintroducing these invisible elements into architectural space, visitors can perceive them not as inert relics but as vibrant witnesses to a tumultuous past. This process transforms chaos into a narrative tool, guiding visitors through an immersive and evolving experience.

At first, visitors are thrust into the unknown, driven by a mix of curiosity and confusion. The site appears disordered, almost incomprehensible. Yet, as they delve deeper, they begin to perceive the invisible layers of the place. By employing mise en abyme, the architecture does not aim to impose order or immediate meaning. Instead, it invites a confrontation with chaos and uncertainty which already exists. The visitor begins to understand the connections between these fragments, between past events and their consequences on the present. It is not merely about displaying a series of disparate elements but allowing visitors to undergo a process of reconciliation between different temporal and emotional layers. This sensory and architectural journey becomes a lesson about collective memory, identity, and belonging.

Ultimately, the architectural project goes beyond narrating the story of Kayaköy; it provides a space for emotional resonance where the chaos of the past can be tamed and integrated. Visitors, faced with uncertainty and confusion, are invited to actively participate in constructing a new understanding of history. Through this approach, architecture transforms the invisible into a tangible material, capable of guiding, educating, and reshaping perceptions of the site and its people while fostering reflection on the relationship with time, space, and collective heritage.

Stillness after historical turmoil
Kayaköy was once a thriving Greek Orthodox community, where residents mainly engaged in agriculture and lived in harmony. However, the population exchange between Greece and Turkey stipulated in the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 led to the forced relocation of thousands of Greek residents and the abandonment of the village. This was a period of great historical upheaval, with the village’s sudden decline from its former prosperity, filled with people’s departure and abandonment. With the departure of its residents, Kayaköy’s fate was sealed and the village became a silent ruin.

Memories in silence
In this village, abandoned houses, churches and streets stand quietly, as if waiting for time to cover them. The once active life has now become silent, the dust has settled, and the hustle and bustle of the past has become a memory. The architectural remains of Kayaköy have witnessed every moment of the village’s history, but they have also silently accepted the passage of time and become witnesses of the past. This sense of “dust settling” is not only manifested visually, but also on an emotional and memory level: although the story of the village has ended, the remains are combined with the earth, precipitating a permanent tranquility.

Architecture design
The overall control is to disappear. The combination of landscape architecture and flying corridors.The flying corridor symbolizes the flying of dust – the Greeks left Kayaköy. The landscape symbolizes the settling of dust – the Turks, who are calm in Kayaköy. The dust symbolizes every tiny individual, who can only follow the trend in the context of great history and still settle in the dust after experiencing all the noisy stories. The flying corridor and the earth are separated and combined, just like the collision of two civilizations. Visitors can experience the development of two civilizations and two nations and the stories on this land through different paths.

The design of the four nodes combines the important spaces and buildings in the ruins, and enriches and changes people’s visiting experience through a lot of landscape techniques, so that they can have a deeper understanding of the story of the whole village.

All That’s Left is the Walls
In the melancholically beautiful village of Kayaköy, the walls stand as final witnesses to a life once thriving. They are fragments of memory, holding the weight of a forgotten past yet craving for revival. This project gathers what remains – the weathered stones, empty thresholds, Echoes of the past held in the walls – and transforms them into a living narrative. Through a gentle intervention, these walls become storytellers, framing pathways that invite visitors to walk through time and invites visitors to witness the dialogue between the village’s past and present.
The journey begins and ends at the Visitor Center, where guests enter a courtyard framed by the historic Turabi Fountain and the Girls’ School. Passing through this space, a space with multifunctional rooms for meetings on one side and a museum reception, bookstore, and souvenir shop leading to the gardens with a restaurant, reflecting Kayaköy’s communal spirit.

From here, visitors enter a long ceremonial path – a pathway of farewell, a symbolic path honoring those who once had to leave Kayaköy. Two monumental walls frame views of the village, gradually revealing glimpses of its storied past. As visitors proceed, these walls merge into the ground, creating a sense of ascension.
Along the way, visitors encounter stairs, historical echoes of past gatherings, celebrations, and watch points, now reimagined as contemplative spaces to pause and take in different views of Kayaköy, offering spaces for reflection.
The path continues to the “Frames of Kayaköy,” viewing points that capture landmarks like the Lower Church, Upper Church, and Boys’ School, Visitor Center allowing visitors to feel as if looking out from a Kayaköy home.
Between these interventions are “stations” – ruins equipped with water cisterns, shaded areas, and photovoltaic elements, providing sustainable rest stops for visitors.
The path winds through Kayaköy’s ruins on the parasite path, offering perspectives and connecting visitors to the village’s history from new elevations previously inaccessible.

At the trail’s end, visitors encounter memory pedestals inspired by Kayaköy’s traditional uniform design, where local artifacts and art are displayed, encouraging connection with both history and contemporary culture.The route then reaches the Church Square, complemented with art pockets where surrounding ruins are repurposed as exhibition spaces, celebrating local artistry and community.
At the Boys’ School, inspired by the echoes of Kayaköy’s bells, host an interactive bell installation that brings life to the silent ruins. This gentle chime reminds visitors of the lives once lived here, offering a melody from the past as they continue their journey.

The path concludes with a descent through Kayaköy’s narrow streets, bringing visitors back to the heritage gardens. The gardens supply produce for the restaurant, honoring the village’s self-sustaining past. The walls throughout the site are crafted from local soil rich rammed earth, a natural, sustainable material that blends into Kayaköy’s landscape. By beginning and ending at the same point, the path offers a reflective cycle, inviting visitors to experience the history and resilience of Kayaköy and leave with a sense of connection to this remarkable place.

Kayaköy, quietly leaning against the slopes of Fethiye, stands as a fossilized sorrow and a story resisting the passage of time. The traces of life hidden for years echo through abandoned stone walls, inviting us to rediscover its tale.

This project envisions Kayaköy not just as a village of the past but as a “layer of time” within collective memory. It aims to create a direct connection with the past, turning a physical visit into an experiential process. This connection unfolds in four stages: remembering, interpreting, accepting, and reliving—a meaningful cycle for transmitting the past into the future.

The Visitor Center, integrated into the landscape, harmonizes with Kayaköy’s natural scenery. Buried under the weight of history, it invites visitors to begin with Self-Remembrance, the first stop in the time-layered experience. Here, visitors encounter the story, establish visual connections with the village, and comprehend the pathways of the open-air museum.

From this starting point, visitors ascend a ramp, beginning their journey to observe, understand, and internalize the past. This process connects significant areas of the village and progresses through four stages. After remembering, visitors enter the Interpretation Phase. Interactive exhibits within significant spaces such as chapels and churches provide visual and textual insights, allowing visitors to question and reflect on the past.

Stoumpos Square, central to Kayaköy’s history, is emphasized as a multifunctional gathering point. It serves as a space for local exhibits, festivals, and events, creating a bridge between past and present.

In the phase of Acceptance, visitors confront the emotions tied to the population exchange. A memorial site in Alama Square features reflective rods surrounded by ruins. These installations evoke deep emotional engagement, enabling visitors to empathize with the past. Continuing along the upper route, visitors explore tranquil gardens and retreat spaces, fostering a mental dialogue with the village’s former inhabitants.

These dialogue spaces are connected both physically and conceptually by reflective traces—extensions of the symbolic installation element. They mark the route and evoke what once was and what could not be.These reflective rods, varying in length and height, serve not only as markers defining the route but as transparent “fractures of time” that symbolize what once was and what could not be. As visitors approach the Panoramic Chapel, reflections and the wind’s hum through the rods bring the past to life. The journey culminates with a panoramic view of Kayaköy, bringing visitors back into the present.

The final stage emphasizes transmitting the past to future generations. At the Lower Church, visitors can participate in workshops preserving traditional crafts like pottery and weaving. The marketplace allows visitors to take a piece of Kayaköy with them while supporting sustainable local development. This cycle of memory ensures the past lives on through meaningful experiences and shared history.

In the heart of Kayaköy stands The Quake Museum, a unique open-air museum that brings history to life through emotional experience.

We are honored to participate in this competition and contribute to such an inspiring initiative. Our design process began with a thorough study of historical materials and first-hand accounts from the descendants of Kayaköy residents. These sources offered a comprehensive understanding of the events and upheavals that shaped the town’s past. Some of these stories deeply moved us, fostering a profound emotional connection to the lives of those who experienced these moments.

However, after visiting Kayaköy, we were disappointed to find that the emotional impact we expected was missing, despite the site’s historical significance. We noticed that the ruins were integrated into the surrounding urban landscape, serving as little more than an interesting backdrop for a casual stroll for most tourists. Only a select few — history enthusiasts or descendants of those who once lived there — seemed to experience the deeper meaning and significance of this place. This realization led us to reevaluate our approach.

We realized that simply preserving the ruins and enhancing the appearance of the abandoned town would not be enough to draw attention to this place. Kayaköy requires a more meaningful approach — one that enables visitors to feel its history and form an emotional connection. We believe that in order to fully appreciate such place, emotional preparation is essential.

This is how the concept for The Quake Museum Complex was born — a space designed to showcase the shocks and upheavals that have shaped the area, from cultural clashes to devastating earthquakes. However, The Quake experience goes beyond the story of Kayaköy. It serves as a metaphor for upheaval in all its forms, reflecting a universal truth: destruction and renewal are inseparable parts of the cycle of life.

The main focus of the museum is the town itself. However, to provide a complete experience and ensure maximum visitor engagement, the journey begins at the Communion Pavilion. This pavilion serves as both a gateway to understanding the area’s history and the starting point for all routes. Here, as in the entire museum, impressions affect visitors on several levels: tactile, auditory, visual, vestibular and emotional. The pavilion is located on five underground levels, each immersing visitors further into the history of Kayaköy. The climax occurs on the lowest level, where a dynamic platform simulates an earthquake in semi-darkness. Accompanied by sounds such as war noises, a woman’s scream, a child’s cry and dramatic lighting, this experience symbolizes the moments that shook the town to its core, preparing visitors for a deeper connection with the site. Then visitors take an elevator to an open platform overlooking the abandoned town, where they experience a sense of abandonment and sadness, as well as hope and relief from the experience.

After leaving the pavilion, emotionally prepared visitors can choose one of the themed routes, which design principles we described in detail in our project.

A tribute to life’s eternal cycle.

The fig tree, a symbol of birth, growth, and renewal, inspires FIGUS VITAE, a visitor center that honors the layered history of Kayaköy. Nestled along Türkiye’s southern coast, this “ghost town” tells a poignant story of lives once lived and connections lost.

Our design draws from the fig tree’s metaphorical life cycle: the roots anchor visitors in the town’s rich past through storytelling spaces; the trunk forms the vibrant present, offering areas for gathering and reflection; and the branches reach toward the future, creating spaces for dialogue and renewal. Completing this cycle, the seeds focus on regeneration. Using the site’s existing fields, this extension embraces agricultural activities and workshops, connecting visitors to the land while promoting slow tourism.

The architectural massing and urban connection of FIGUS VITAE emerges from a deep connection with Kayaköy’s historical landmarks: the Upper Church (Taksiyarhis), the Lower Church (Panaghia Pirgiotissa), and the school building, each significant to the town’s cultural fabric. To connect these landmarks, the visitor center is oriented along an east-west axis, with its form articulated to create a courtyard-like multifunctional open area. This courtyard serves as a gathering space for various activities, fostering interaction and connection amidst the site’s historic surroundings.
A key feature of the design is its façade, which incorporates a “skin” of fluted stone covering. The texture of the façade recalls the trunk of a tree, with subtle “wrinkles” running across its surface, evoking both the natural and timeless essence of Kayaköy while seamlessly integrating the building into its environment.

An alternative path integrates the landmarks into the visitor experience, crafted from corten, a material chosen for its weathered texture that symbolizes modernity and contrasts with the original stone and soil of the ruins. This path weaves through the site, creating moments of engagement and reflection, while anchoring to the original stones of the ruins through rubber joints to minimize the impact. Along this path, we introduce purposeful points:
Recreation Point: Urban furniture rises organically from the ground, seamlessly blending form and function to provide seating or transition into stairs.
Fig Picking Point: Visitors take steps—designed as part of the furniture itself—to interact with the fig trees, echoing the tactile history of the town.
Observation Point: A place to pause and connect with the landscape and ruins.
Installation Point: Spaces for curated displays or artistic interventions that bring new narratives to Kayaköy.

Our mission was to craft a path among the ruins that respects their legacy while infusing the site with a modern vitality. The path is as flexible as it is symbolic—becoming a road, a seat, or a step as the moment demands, creating a dynamic visitor experience.

FIGUS VITAE bridges history and the present, transforming Kayaköy into a living narrative that celebrates resilience, unity, and the enduring cycle of life.

An Open-Air Museum in the Ghost Village of Kayaköy

Abandoned yet brimming with history, Kayaköy—once a vibrant Greek town and now known as the ‘Ghost Village’, telling its poignant past through its timeless streets, evocative ruins, and preserved architecture. Rather than confining Kayaköy to an indoor exhibition, this project reimagines the village itself as the museum. Standing proudly on its original land, with the sky as its vaulted ceiling, the site becomes a living testament to history and culture.

This project draws inspiration from traditional museum functions—service, display, and administration—to transform Kayaköy into an engaging experience. At the heart of this transformation lies the visitor center, which integrates office and essential service functions. Its undulating roof, covered with schist to blend naturally into the terrain, connects seamlessly to the mountainside. Visitors begin their journey here, accessing the roof via an escalator, which leads to a circular exhibition path. Along this loop, visitors encounter five key landmarks: the square, observation deck, exhibition pavilion, observation tower, and open-air theater, culminating back at the visitor center to complete an immersive and cohesive tour.

The visitor center features an undulating roof that harmonizes with the mountain terrain, covered in schist to blend naturally with the surroundings. This roof seamlessly connects to the mountainside and serves as the starting point for the tour. Visitors access the roof via an escalator that passes through it, leading them to a circular path that guides them through five key landmarks: the square, observation deck, exhibition pavilion, observation tower, and open-air theater. The tour culminates back at the visitor center, forming a clear and engaging loop.

The ruins along the circular path serve as the primary displays. Enclosed within lightweight metal frames, these ancient structures maintain their architectural integrity while offering visitors the experience of walking through museum-like exhibition booths. This design allows the ruins to narrate the story of Kayaköy, weaving a rich and enriching journey through the ghost town. Other untouched ruins are preserved as open spaces, inviting exploration while respecting their historical significance.

The project adopts a strategy of separating old and new to honor the site’s heritage. Lightweight metal frames, used alongside the ruins, are also employed to construct new structures that accommodate modern tourist needs without overshadowing the historical context. At night, thoughtfully placed lighting transforms the ruins, highlighting their beauty and offering a fresh perspective.

By the end of the journey, visitors transcend the role of mere spectators, becoming storytellers themselves. They piece together the lives of Kayaköy’s former residents, uncovering endings the original inhabitants could never have foreseen. Through this living museum, Kayaköy’s silent stories are brought back to life, allowing its cultural legacy to resonate anew.

Thread Softly

“Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”
William Butler Yeats

The village was shaped by natural elements—topography, sun, wind—and the quiet, inexorable forces of time—the history and habits of its community engraved in stone. Once a place for a lively community, but now of absence, with its inhabitants long gone, left without purpose, is in a slow process of decay.

The houses, as they are no longer shelters, become softer in form; their boundaries blur, and their interiors exposed, serving as a testament to time and memory rather than function. The passing of time and the change it brings are visible in every crack, every stone, in the hidden gardens behind stone curtains and in the play of light and shadow.

We dream the entire site as a museum, with the abandoned houses acting as rooms in this open-air gallery. The “exhibit” is not one of objects, but of time itself—showing how the landscape, architecture and interior merging into each other.

Our intention is not to preserve the existing ruins, not to restore or repurpose them, but to allow them to decay. Our intervention is minimal: it focuses solely on the ground, introducing floor treatments, pavements, forming new connections and enabling new experiences.

Through these treatments, we introduce new nodes within the existing network of pathways— that allow visitors to pause and engage with the site in subtle ways—whether for quiet reflection, intimate gatherings, or vibrant communal events.

There is no additional walls or enclosures, only a set of simple pavements, carefully framing ruins, enhancing their presence without overpowering them. The pavements are made from leftover stone locally sourced from Aegean quarries — marble, travertine, limestone, slate and cobblestone— put back together in the site. Due to non-standard shapes, their construction cannot be pre-determined.

We imagine the pavements being built onsite through a collective effort, much like the original construction of Kayaköy, where the community worked together using local materials. This process honors the spirit of collaboration, creating a living connection to the past. Each stone placed by hand becoming a lasting mark of shared history and collective memory.

A project like this is much more than ‘bricks and mortar’ – it is about preserving memories for the future and bringing a new future to Kayaköy.
Kayaköy is an important heritage site for Turkey sharing tangible evidence from the 1924 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. The key asset at Kayaköy are the ruins themselves and the powerful hidden stories they hold. The strength of the place is to maintain the sense of presence and maintain the powerful experience exploring the ruins.
Our proposal aims to reveal the stories about and with the people of Kayaköy’s past and present though a series of landscape interventions. These interventions are carefully placed throughout the historic streets to enhance wayfinding while preserving the fragile ruins. These interventions are immersive experiences in sounds, light, texture, or color specific to their location and curated around everyday life and significant events.

The Path
The main journey starts and ends within the new ‘Peace Garden’ formed on the valley floor. This is envisioned as a production garden run by locals and becomes a place to arrive, wander and gather sharing food and seeding ideas together. The Garden is framed by the new visitor center embedded within the landscape.
The streets that have defined the site for generations are restored and lead visitors through themed interpretive walks. The looping path becomes the central axis to the open-air museum unfolding stories under the themes; ‘Civic life’, ‘Everyday life’ and ‘Displacement’.
The journey loops through the two schools and the upper church, up to the lookout chapel and ending at the lower church. The previous civic and Orthodox buildings are delicately re-provisioned to a condition that preserves a century of decay while also celebrating their craftsmanship and architectural style. These spaces are to be used for reflection and gathering.
The gardens populated by plant-life celebrating the regional and multi-cultural history of Kayaköy. Fig trees, vines and other fauna will be enhanced, preserved, and cared for to become a new focal point for biodiversity representing prolonged peace through nature.

Cultural Heritage
The interventions along the path are envisioned as full size ‘casts’ of the actual ruins themselves. The giant cast trace the stories of previous inhabitation. Features of the ruins such as fireplaces, chimneys, hayats, doorways are exaggerated volumetrically.
These subtle interventions are proposed with contrasting materials to the ruins and strategically placed to support fragile structures. The larger interventions provide shading areas and become places for events, exhibitions, or shelter along the path.

The Visitor Centre
The visitor centre is a giant shading structure making use of the topography allowing visitors access to the roof and provide shelter below. The large replica interpretation pieces punctures through the roof providing connections and dramatic daylight. The building holds typical welcoming facilities and gathering spaces as well as makerspaces for new and existing local entrepreneurs. An oral archive will be proposed to collect memories from past residents of Levissi with an aim to prolong them into the present and future.

As Louis Kahn said: « In every thing that nature makes, nature records how it was made. In the rock is a record of how the rock was made. In man is the record of how man was made.» Çerçeveli, Turkish for ‘frame’, ‘framed’, takes shape in the abandoned ruins of Kayaköy, Fethiye. It explores the right harmonic relationship between the site, the ruin and the architecture. Designed as a vector for the open-air museum, the museum’s architecture is intended to be a space for observing the ruin. Here, the work of art is the architecture of the past, the ruin, and the museum carefully wraps itself around the hills to offer an original visit to the site, and to provide an overall, didactic view, allowing contemplation and learning about these structures. If the ruin becomes an inseparable element of the site, then it becomes deeply rooted in its soil, its earth. Our idea, based on the fusion of the built volume with the topography of the site, makes the latter continue and interrupt itself freely with the elements in which it comes into contact, the ruins and the mountain.

The fusion of architecture, ruins and nature gives rise to sensational, unimagined spaces, offering an architectural stroll that is sensitive to materiality, light and views. Our project is based on notions of the definite and the indefinite, on the way in which we undertake a visit built around the discovery of the ruin, which on the one hand consists of a very categorical space, that of the rectangle, which delimits the ruin by enveloping it and offers an organized, controlled visit and learning experience, with the object at its center. On the other hand, there is a space for wandering around, for visiting the rest of the site freely, conducive to a meditative stroll, lost between the ruins, deeper down. Nature is the foundation of the ruin, it contains it, in a way they are one. When the volume merges with the mountain, the mountain becomes a visitor space in itself. Our idea of the visitor center is not a program through which we have to pass to enter the site, but a multitude of complementary spaces that punctuate the visit and create dialogue with it.

These spaces, dedicated to crafts, artistic education and visitor catering, retain the same parameters as the museum itself, offering uninterrupted views of the ruins, a dialogue of light through shafts from the ruins above, with the aim of creating a relationship with the heart of the mountain.

The project highlights the complexity and contradiction in which Kayaköy, the old village of Livissi, has been transformed through contemporary times. A certain element, that of the Trauma, has been acknowledged as the crucial existential factor of its identity nowadays. The trigger point of its “destruction” and the reason, today, we focus on this village as a point of interest. A double, or multiple Trauma, as a result of the compulsory population exchange after the Lausanne Treaty 1923. This Trauma sequence, the geopolitical, the humanitarian and the spatial that followed, provides Kayaköy with its pending identity requesting protection and a new vision. Finally the Trauma is regarded both as a mechanism or element of separation and correlation, for both communities on each side of the Mediterranean sea. In this context the project develops an holistic approach towards Kayaköy’s reuse and protection, in the frame of hope, resilience, friendship among the neighborhood nations and a vision for a sustainable future in the Mediterranean.

Healing the Trauma Open-Air Museum and Research Center
The proposed intervention establishes new compatible uses for the space of Kayaköy as an Open-air museum and a Research center. The museum will exhibit the Livissi-Kayaköy history, palimpsest and realism. As an open-air experiential, educational, research and enjoyment space, the village is transformed with targeted compatible architecture interventions, renovated pathways and accesses, spotted rehabilitations of a small number of remaining houses and a new Visitors center. The focus of all architectural gestures is on the experience of the visitor, either the tourist of the area who wants to enjoy this special space as part of their holidays, or the targeted guest who wants to have a more detailed view to this living trace of contemporary history. The Research center, hosted in a network of reused existing houses, will be a new organization that will focus on the phenomenon of the Trauma within a multidisciplinary approach. Researchers, scholars, academics, stakeholders, politicians, NGOs, artists will gather to debate, exhibit and work on the different aspects of the Trauma in our contemporary world. An annual summer event, the “Healing Trauma Festival”, will act as a unique interdisciplinary platform of scientific, artistic, political debate on the theme, and a wonderful opportunity for a visit by the numbers of tourists around the area of Muğla Province.

Main design gestures that shape the open-air museum are: i) restored and extended pathways, new accesses and designed public spaces, ii) the new Visitor center, a subterranean building that blends into the landscape combined with a new “Remembrance Park”, iii) the reuse of “Taxiarchis” church as a multi use forum space, iv) architecture installations in the two old schools establishing viewing platforms, v) rehabilitation of a small number of existing houses to host the Research center facilities in old “Stubu” square, vi) small scale interventions in the ruins of existing houses to provide relaxing spots, supportive functions and open-air stages for events.

Kayaköy is a place where history and nature coexist in quiet harmony. Its abandoned village ruins, nestled within a stunning natural landscape, tell a story of resilience and transformation. This project takes inspiration from the dialogue between the past and present, introducing timber structures that integrate seamlessly into the environment. The choice of timber reflects a deep respect for the site’s heritage and its natural setting, creating a connection between visitors, the land, and the cultural history of Kayaköy.

The design invites exploration, reflection, and interaction, offering visitors a thoughtful journey through the landscape. Wooden structures are carefully positioned to enhance the natural beauty of the site without overpowering it. They frame views of the valley and provide quiet, shaded spaces for rest and contemplation. This approach ensures that the architecture becomes part of the landscape, enriching the experience while preserving Kayaköy’s unique character.

At the heart of the project is the visitor center, designed to educate and inspire. Upon entering, visitors encounter a large model of Kayaköy that provides a comprehensive overview of the village’s original structure and layout. The first level focuses on the daily life and culture of the Greek Levissi community, offering insights into their traditions through artifacts and personal stories. The second level shifts to the 1923 population exchange, illustrating the political, social, and emotional impact of this historic event through interactive displays. The final level highlights Kayaköy’s archaeological heritage and introduces sustainable methods for preserving the site, balancing tourism with conservation. Central to the visitor center is a circular atrium, featuring a tranquil garden of unearthed relics, offering visitors a space for reflection and connection to the past.

The site’s historic pathways are restored with great care, ensuring their original character is preserved while enhancing accessibility and safety. To complement the existing routes, an elevated pathway system is introduced, allowing visitors to explore more of the site with minimal environmental impact. Shaded rest areas are thoughtfully integrated, providing moments of relief and appreciation for the surrounding scenery.

Minimalist wooden pavilions serve as gathering spaces for cultural events, meetings, and shelter, carefully designed to respect the archaeological integrity of the site. These pavilions, along with other design elements like the tribune-like structure on the church square and a circular bench beneath a pine tree, create opportunities for interaction and reflection.

This project reimagines Kayaköy as a place where history and nature remain in balance. Through sustainable, reversible architecture, it honors the village’s legacy while shaping a vision for the future—one that inspires connection, respect, and preservation.

Kayaköy, its unique identity is showcased by integrating layers of history, culture, and traditions with nature. The proposed project aims to explore and interpret the historical traces of the multi-layered Kayaköy, bringing the essence of the place to light. The project seeks to enhance the visibility of elements that form spatial memory, such as ruins, chimney imagery, garden walls, stone paths, sections of houses, and cisterns. The goal is to recall, commemorate, and preserve Kayaköy through these traces. Kayaköy is compared to a palimpsest because each new layer adds to the historical memory without erasing the previous one. This characteristic is believed to carry the traces of the past while also providing a foundation for the future. By evaluating Kayaköy as an open-air museum, the project aims to create a space where the past, present, and future coexist. The open-air museum allows for the addition of new experiences while preserving the old traces within the multi-layered structure. The project considers streets, abandoned buildings, gaps surrounded by fig trees, and the experiences etched into the topography as guides for its design. A holistic preservation approach has been applied across the entire area.

The design of the visitor center is influenced by the surrounding garden wall traces and the positioning of fig and fruit trees in the landscape. The visitor center is planned using local materials, human-scale design, and a cohesive architectural style, in harmony with Kayaköy’s spatial identity.

One of the focal points of the project is the revitalization of the Upper Church and the church square surrounded by Stumbo. The Stumbo area is designed as a memory pit, a space for events. The Upper Church has been refunctionalized as a memory museum, displaying traces and documents of past experiences. The goal is to revive the historical use of the churchyard as a gathering space in Greek culture. To achieve this, a structure designed as a roof and viewing terrace has been planned, turning the churchyard into a venue for various activities.

The Turabi Fountain, located on Kayaköy’s main street and which had lost its visibility, has been reestablished as an entrance point. Public buildings in Kayaköy have been reactivated with social and cultural functions. The Girls’ School is transformed into a city library, the Boys’ School into educational workshops, the Upper Church into a memory museum, and the Lower Church into a social event space.

The Kayaköy project also proposes a route that connects to the Lycian Way. Various paths have been suggested for culture, fig trees, trekking, gastronomy, and both short and long walking routes. The potential of abandoned buildings (palimpsest areas) along these routes has been revealed, offering users different experiences in these spaces.

In summary, the project examines the historical and spatial traces of Kayaköy, using parameters such as geography, topography, architectural spaces, and landscape, in order to uncover the area’s potential.

The ReRoot Kayaköy reimagines Kayakoy as an interactive, open-air museum, blending cultural heritage with modern storytelling and ecological stewardship. Rooted in ecotourism principles, the project integrates pathways, activity pods, and exploratory experiences to create a dynamic environment where history and sustainability intersect.

Conceptual Framework: Memory and Shifts
This initiative addresses cultural shifts by connecting the memory of Kayakoy with its modern reinterpretation. The proposal introduces new pathways and lightweight, programmed pods that activate the site while preserving its authenticity. These elements guide visitors through both physical and emotional journeys, fostering exploration and learning.

Strategies:
Introduce adventurous pathways that weave through the historic site, complementing the Lycian Trail.
Activate the museum with pods programmed for cultural, ecological, and educational activities.
Highlight the site’s layered history while framing opportunities for modern engagement.

Values and Outputs:
Promote memory-building and ecological awareness.
Enhance visitor interaction through storytelling and participatory design.
Combine tangible outputs (infrastructure and programs) with intangible ones (emotional resonance and knowledge).

Navigation Experience: Play and Learn
The interactive game transforms visitors into “time travelers,” who discover the site’s past and present through exploratory missions. After getting acquainted with the navigation process in the main hub, visitors are encouraged to associate themselves with a curated route and loosely plan their journey. By utilizing a mobile app, visitors’ GPS tracks are recorded for easier navigation during their time and a memorable artifact is given for the visitors. Various gifts are awarded to those who complete certain routes, discover QR codes spread across the pods and ruins such as gift cards in the gift shop. Each pathway and visit to the site thus becomes a replayable stage for unique experiences that intertwine personal and cultural narratives, reinforcing the ecological and historical identity of the village.

Proposed Pathways and Pods
To support the vision, the project features an interconnected system of pathways and pods that align with site-specific narratives:

Tales Path: Focused on cultural heritage, connecting key historic landmarks with immersive storytelling stations.

Celebration Path: Dedicated to ecological and recreational themes, providing spaces for reflection, education, and community events.

Fig and Vineyard Path: Tied to the local economy, emphasizing agricultural production, tasting experiences, and connections to the land.

Pods, constructed with lightweight, sustainable materials, are positioned along these paths, offering activities like workshops, storytelling, and sensory engagements. Together, these elements create a network that ties history, ecology, and modern innovation into one cohesive experience.

Ecotourism Integration
Ecotourism serves as the backbone of the project, enhancing sustainability through environmental education, local economic support, and cultural exchange. Visitors are encouraged to engage with the land and its resources—vineyards, fig trees, and heritage—while respecting biodiversity and local practices.

This framework, with its integrated pathways, pods, and interactive game, redefines Kayakoy as a site of memory, discovery, and innovation, offering a model for sustainable cultural tourism.

Chronotopos, derived from the Greek words for “time” and “place,” refers to the interconnectedness of time and space. In the context of the Levissi, it symbolizes the intersection of history, memory, and built environment.​

History
The ruins of Kayaköy, historically known as Levissi, stands as a reminder of the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. This mandatory migration forced locals left their ancestral lands, causing cultural disorientation and collective trauma. Proposal builds on this narrative. Building a bridge to the past and a sense of belonging for all visitors, regardless of their origin.

Concept
The project adopts a philosophy of humility, where the design takes a secondary, supportive role, to enhance the authenticity of the site without overshadowing. Acting as a “silent bridge,” the project invites visitors to connect with Levissi’s layered narratives of time, place, and memory.

Design
Visitor Center:
The experience begins with the original site entrance, maintaining historical continuity. The center comprises three structures built with local materials, reflecting vernacular space-making, information center providing site management and orientation, an exhibition hall narrating history from ancient Lycia to the population exchange, a community space venue for workshops, performances, and events. Events and uses will be decided by a community council akin to Levissi’s elderly council. Adjacent is a “bostan” (communal garden) celebrates traditional farming practices with grapes, figs, and olives, further anchoring visitors in the site’s vernacular heritage.

Journey in the Site:
Visitors are free to wander through the site on a semi-curated route. Paths are interconnected, creating a flexible route that allows to exit and reenter at various points. Allowing to walk directly through the ruins, navigating the natural terrain with its topography. They can explore house ruins and feel the site’s raw essence. Historic roads are enhanced with interventions to ensure accessibility while preserving their original character. Another addition is the pronomade, walkways aim to provide a contrasting perspective, enabling visitors to see the village as external observers. This detachment fosters reflective understanding of the site and history.

Visitors can participate in an immersive experience (Find The House!), where they search for a house of a past resident while learning about their lives. This interactive activity fosters empathy and a deeper connection to Levissi’s people.

Revitalized Spaces:
Historical landmarks serve as nodes for visitors to rest, learn, and interact. Taxiarchis Church is repurposed as a communal space with open-air exhibitions. The boys’ and girls’ schools and chapel function as cultural and educational hubs, housing displays & activities that reinterpret their historical roles. The village square and its surrounding formerly shops are revitalized for contemporary communal uses. Small amphitheaters are integrated into some ruins for performances and discussions, allowing visitors to experience the site as both a preserved artifact and a living space.

The project proposes a sensitive design to revitalize Levissi, transforming the “ghost village” into a space for learning, reflection, and shared humanity. Immersive experiences, revitalized communal spaces, and respectful interventions aim to maintain Levissi as a site of living history.