A Passively Climatized Building, 2500 m Above Sea Level

Abstract

After many years of research, Bakirlitepe-Saklikent near Antalya was selected as the site for Nationl Observatory of Turkey. Bakirlitepe, which can be classified within the best locations whole over the world for observation purposes has an altitude of 2547 m. Close to the observatory buildings a main building for the observers to rest and sleep during daytime had to be designed and constructed. There were many environmental and functional restrictions for the design. The clear sky, which increases the opportunity for observation and results in high solar radiation values, reminded the designers of the potential of solar utilization. The restrictions that shaped the building, the passively climatized architectural features and the thermal analysis are described in the paper.