Koza House

Koza House is designed as a three-story residence on a 450 m² sloping site in Zekeriyaköy, Istanbul, Türkiye. The primary challenge for the design team was to understand the site’s qualities, surrounding views, and the house’s relationship with its neighboring context. The need to establish privacy while maintaining a controlled connection with nature and the landscape led to a redefinition of the relationship between interior and exterior. Rather than being merely a collection of functional spaces, the house was conceived as a gradual experience of dwelling, where each space offers a distinct quality of connection with light, views, and its surroundings. This exploration led to the concept of the “cocoon,” an analogy for the butterfly’s transformation, in which life develops within a protective layer before gradually opening toward connection and freedom. The project is organized across three levels. Spaces related to water and nature occupy the lowest level, public areas are placed in the middle, and private spaces are located above, creating a layered experience of dwelling. The spatial organization separates public and private functions along a circulation path. Curved geometries appear in elements like the dining area, terraces, and staircase. This geometry became the gene of the project and extends into other elements, including handles, interior components, and landscape features, creating a unified language throughout the house. The same logic continues through the building facade; from transparent openings at the lowest level to layered stone surfaces and varying transparency across the middle levels, and finally a continuous roof that forms the final and most protective layer. Koza House tells the story of a home that embraces diverse ways of dwelling; a house that opens toward nature, establishes a measured relationship with its surroundings, and transforms into a place of solitude and retreat.