Cliff
A steep rocky slope descending sharply toward the sea or a valley. Building on a cliff site means engaging the view directly while respecting the terrain's slope and ground stability. In MEEZ Mimarlık's Falez Villa, the building reaches out from the site on a cantilever rather than simply sitting on it.
Read definitionBrutalism
An architectural movement that leaves a building's structural material, usually raw concrete, exposed rather than clad, offering an honest material language stripped of ornament. In the Kaya Zen Hotel, brutalist concrete surfaces are balanced with warm timber tones.
Read definitionMass Optimization
The process of positioning a building's volumes for the most efficient response to inputs like sun exposure, view, privacy and site slope. The goal is for form to emerge from these inputs rather than an arbitrary aesthetic choice. The asymmetric façade of Niva Twin Villa is a direct result of this process.
Read definitionRational Plan
A plan scheme built on an analytical synthesis of user needs, structural reality and environmental factors, stripped of unnecessary complexity. It sits at the core of MEEZ Mimarlık's working philosophy: a dysfunctional aesthetic can't last.
Read definitionAsymmetric Façade
A façade composition where the two sides are not mirror images of each other, arising from the differing placement of masses. It's usually the outcome of concrete inputs (a sun angle, a privacy requirement) rather than a stylistic choice.
Read definitionSite Plan
A top-down layout drawing showing a building's relationship to plot boundaries, neighboring structures, roads, gardens and landscaping. It's one of the core documents required for a building permit application.
Read definitionSchematic Design
The early design stage that establishes massing, plan layout and overall architectural identity before detailed construction documentation begins. Once approved by the client, it's developed into the construction design.
Read definitionZoning Status
The official municipal document defining a plot's building rights. How many floors, how much footprint, what use is permitted. It's the first input that must be analyzed before any design work begins.
Read definitionBuilding Permit
The official authorization required from the relevant municipality before construction can start. It's issued once the architectural, structural and MEP (mechanical/electrical/plumbing) designs have been coordinated and submitted together.
Read definitionCantilever
A structural element that projects into open space with no support beneath it. Structurally demanding, but a powerful design tool for giving a space a striking sense of lightness and connection to the view.
Read definitionLandscape Design
The design of a building's exterior spaces (planting, hardscape and courtyard layout) as an integral part of the project. Good landscape design ties a building to its site rather than isolating it.
Read definitionLand Parcel
A legally defined unit of land registered in the title deed, on which construction can independently take place. A parcel's zoning status directly determines what can be built on it.
Read definitionFloor Area Ratio
The ratio of total buildable floor area to plot area. For example, a floor area ratio of 1.00 on a 500 m² plot allows 500 m² of total construction area. It's one of the most fundamental zoning parameters determining a plot's building rights.
Read definitionSoil Survey
A geotechnical report establishing a plot's soil-bearing characteristics (load capacity, borehole depth, soil class) that the structural design is built on. Under Turkey's Planned Areas Zoning Regulation, Article 57, the structural project must be prepared in line with this report; without it there is no structural project, and without a structural project no building permit.
Read definitionRetaining Wall
A structural element that holds back a soil-level difference too steep to be safely left at its natural slope angle. Its sizing is determined by a structural calculation based on the soil survey; the drainage system is as critical to its long-term integrity as the structure itself.
Read definitionCoastal Edge Line
The natural landward boundary of the beach/rocky zone shaped by water movement, as defined by Turkey's Coastal Law. Distinct from the coastline itself (the sea's current contact point with the land). A plot's distance from this line directly determines what can be built on it; on narrow/high coasts (like a cliff) the top edge of the slope is used as the reference.
Read definitionConstruction Supervision (Yapı Denetim)
A legally mandatory third-party inspection service that verifies a construction project is being built according to its design and regulations through site visits. The fee is paid by the building owner but deposited into an official escrow account rather than directly to the inspection firm. A mechanism designed to preserve the inspection's independence.
Read definitionUrban Transformation (Kentsel Dönüşüm)
The legal framework covering the demolition and rebuilding, to current earthquake code, of buildings designated as "risky structures." Risky-structure assessments can only be performed by ministry-licensed organizations, and the designation is recorded as an annotation on the title deed.
Read definitionSite Coverage Ratio (TAKS)
A coefficient limiting how much of a plot's ground floor can be built on, relative to the total plot area. For example, a TAKS of 0.30 on a 500 m² plot allows a maximum ground-floor footprint of 150 m². While the floor area ratio (Emsal) caps total construction area, TAKS caps only the ground-level footprint; together they determine a building's massing and how many floors it can rise.
Read definitionTitle Deed (Tapu)
In Turkey, the land registry record showing who owns a property and which rights exist on it; in everyday use the document of that record (the title deed) is also called tapu. Under the Turkish Civil Code, Article 997, the land registry consists of the title register, the condominium register and supporting documents. Under the Zoning Law, Article 22, it is one of the documents attached to a building permit application.
Read definitionIndependent Unit (Bağımsız Bölüm)
In Turkey, a part of a building that can be used separately and on its own and can be owned independently, such as a flat, shop or office (Condominium Law, Article 2). Many regulatory thresholds depend on the number of independent units: for example, a building with more than 20 residential units above the ground floor must have at least two elevators (Planned Areas Zoning Regulation, Article 34/4).
Read definitionCondominium Ownership (Kat Mülkiyeti)
In Turkey, the ownership right established over the independent units of a building (Condominium Law, Article 2). Before the building is completed, the right established on the plot to become condominium ownership later is called kat irtifakı (construction servitude). Each unit is assigned a share of the plot, the land share (arsa payı).
Read definitionOccupancy Permit (İskân)
In Turkey, the permit issued by the municipality or governorship once a building is complete, after confirming that it was built in line with its permit and annexes and that it is technically safe to use; commonly called iskân (Zoning Law, Article 30). By law, the authority must conclude the owner's application within thirty days at the latest.
Read definitionAlteration Permit (Tadilat Ruhsatı)
In Turkey, the new permit required to alter a building that already has a permit; under the Zoning Law, Article 21, any change to a permitted building requires a new permit. If the gross area of the units does not increase and their use does not change, this permit is exempt from taxes and fees. Pointing, plaster, paint, joinery, floor and ceiling finishes, electrical and plumbing repairs, roof repairs and alterations that do not affect load-bearing elements do not require a permit.
Read definitionBuilding Class (Yapı Sınıfı)
In Turkey, the class a building is placed in, by type and quality, in the approximate unit cost communiqué that the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change publishes in the Official Gazette every year (for example 3-A, 4-B). The communiqué gives an approximate cost per m² for each class; this is not a market price but a baseline used in official calculations.
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