The Change of Traditional Texture: Ayvalık Houses

Abstract

Traditional buildings are important structures that carry the culture, tradition, and lifestyle of the society to the future. Currently, many historical buildings are either destroyed or unusable due to unconscious use. Ayvalık, district of Balıkesir city, is one of the regions that transfer the 19^th century social life today through its traditional structures. Ayvalık is a district that has been shaped by various ethnic structures throughout history and has residences that derive its natural features from this diversity. The original texture of the town and the traces of different ethnic origins constitute the character of the traditional structures in the region. Important factors that lead to the destruction of these traditional houses are restoration works which are done without abiding on the original texture of the house, the unconscious use and high property exchange rates. In this direction, it is aimed to examine the traditional Ayvalık house’s traditional texture and spatial features from past to present. Within the scope of the study, the relevant literature was researched, and 20 traditional buildings in Ayvalık were examined by on-site observations and interviews. 5 of these structures were documented with photographs, building information was collected, the plans of the houses were drawn, and spatial analyzes were made. Therefore, the change and current situation of the traditional Ayvalık house in the context of its spatial features from past to the present have been examined. As a result, it was determined that the Ayvalık house began to lose its traditional texture and spatial characteristics.