Kocaeli Tavşancıl konut mimarisi bağlamında Rıfat Efendi evi koruma projesi
Conservation project of Rıfat Efendi house in the context of traditional Kocaeli Tavsancıl residential architecture
Yazar: SENA SOLAKOĞLU
Danışman: PROF. DR. DENİZ MAZLUM
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü / Mimarlık Ana Bilim Dalı / Restorasyon Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2022
Konu: Mimarlık = Architecture
Dizin: Kocaeli = Kocaeli ; Konut mimarisi = Housing architecture ; Koruma = Conservation ; Restitüsyon = Restitution ; Restorasyon = Restoration

Özet:
Tez çalışması kapsamında Kocaeli ili, Dilovası ilçesi, Tavşancıl Mahallesi, Zambak Sokağı, 558 ada 61 no.'lu parselde yer alan Rıfat Efendi Evi konu alınmıştır. Tezin ana konusunu oluşturan bu yapı için koruma önerisi getirilirken nasıl bir bağlam içinde yer aldığının anlaşılabilmesi için geleneksel doku ve Tavşancıl konutları da sistematik olarak incelenmiştir.
Geleneksel Tavşancıl dokusu içinde Rıfat Efendi Evi'nin durumu, yapının mevcut durumuyla belgelenmesi, yapım teknikleri, malzeme özellikleri ve bozulmaların belirlenmesi, tarihsel süreçte yapının geçirdiği değişikliklerin saptanması, özgün halinin tespiti, yapının yeniden işlevlendirilmesi ve korunması için gereken müdahalelerin belirlenmesi çalışmanın temel hedeflerini oluşturmaktadır.
Bu doğrultuda hazırlanan tez yedi bölümden oluşmaktadır. Tezin ilk bölümünde çalışmanın amacı, kapsamı ve kullanılan yöntemler açıklanmıştır. İkinci bölümünde tezin ana konusunu oluşturan Rıfat Efendi Evi'nin içinde bulunduğu Tavşancıl köyü, coğrafi özellikleri ve tarihsel gelişimi ile tanıtılmıştır. Üçüncü bölümde Tavşancıl köyü geleneksel dokusu üst ölçekten başlanarak incelenmiş, Tavşancıl evlerinin mekansal ve cephe özellikleri, yapım teknikleri ve malzeme kullanımı ile ilgili detaylı bir sınıflandırılma yapılmıştır. Aynı bölümün devamında tarihsel çevredeki değişimler, doku ve yapı bazında ele alınmıştır. Çalışmanın dördüncü bölümünde Rıfat Efendi Evi'nin Tavşancıl içindeki konumu, yapının tarihçesi ve günümüzdeki durumu anlatılmış, genel bir tanım yapıldıktan sonra plan ve cephe özellikleri, yapım tekniği ve malzeme kullanımı ile yapıdaki bozulmalar ayrıntılı bir şekilde işlenmiştir. Yapının tarihçesi araştırılırken yapım yılına somut bir veri sağlayabilecek kaynaklar, resmî belgeler ve fotoğraflar araştırılmış; fakat herhangi bir yazılı veya sözlü veriye ulaşılamamıştır. Bu durumda yapım yılını tespit etmek amacıyla yapının özgün bezeme programından yararlanılmıştır. Bu bilgiler ışığında yapım yılının 19. yy.'ın son çeyreğinde olduğu tahmin edilmektedir. Aynı bölüm içinde sistematik araştırmalar sonucu elde edilen bilgiler ile yapının yapım yılı ve yapıda ayırt edilen dönemler tespit edilmiştir. Restitüsyon sürecinin ele alındığı beşinci bölümde yapıdaki restitüsyon sorunları, restitüsyon kararlarına ışık tutan kaynaklar ve bu bilgiler ışığında getirilen resititüsyon önerisi anlatılmıştır. Altıncı bölümde restorasyon önerisi oluşturulmuştur. Yapının korunması için gereken yapısal müdahaleler ve bunlar için yapılması önerilen gerekli ek analiz çalışmaları ve deneylerden bahsedilmiştir. Yeniden işlevlendirme önerileri kapsamında yapının özgün işlevinde kullanılması, kamulaştırma sonucunda valilik, kaymakamlık, resmi kurum vb. için misafirhane olarak kullanılması veya yapının kendi dönemini yansıtan mobilyalar ile bir etnografya müzesi haline getirilmesi üzerine tartışılmış; her üç durum içinde yapının korunması için oluşabilecek olumsuz faktörler üzerine durulmuştur. Bunlar neticesinde yapının özgün durumunda korunabilmesi açısından en uygun tercihin bir müze olarak işlevlendirilmesi olmuştur. Bu işlevini desteklemek amacıyla Gebze'den başlayarak İzmit'e uzanan güzergâh üzerinde aynı döneme ait benzer yapılardan bir rota önerilmiştir. Yedinci ve son bölüm ise tez çalışması sonucunda yapı bazında oluşturulan koruma önerisini, aynı çevredeki benzer yapılar için izlenebilecek koruma stratejisi önerisini ve bu süreçte karşılaşılan tecrübelerin değerlendirilmesini içermektedir.
Bu tez çalışması ile yapıldığı dönem itibariyle kırsalda çokça karşılaşılmayan detaylı bir bezeme programına sahip atipik bir yapı örneği oluşturan Rıfat Efendi Evi gibi yapıların korunma projeleri hazırlanması sırasında izlenebilecek yollar irdelenmiştir. Bunun yanı sıra kent ve kırsal arasında bir geçiş noktası olma özelliği barındıran Tavşancıl gibi alanlardaki geleneksel mimari mirasın yaşatılması için geliştirilebilecek stratejiler ele alınmıştır. Bu kapsamda tezde ICOMOS'un Ahşap Mimari Mirasın Korunması için İlkeler, Ahşap Tarihi Yapıların Korunması için İlkeler, Geleneksel Mimari Miras Tüzüğü ve Duvar Resimlerinin Korunması-Restorasyonu için belirlediği İlkeler esas alınmıştır. Ülkemiz özelinde ise KUDEB'in ahşap yapıları koruma metodolojisi üzerine yapmış olduğu uygulamalar incelenmiştir.

Abstract:
Within the scope of this thesis, the wooden Rifat Efendi House, located in Dilovası District in Kocaeli, Tavşancıl Neighbourhood, Zambak Street, block number 558, parcel 61, Dilovası District of Kocaeli has been studied. The traditional fabric and Tavşancıl houses were also systematically examined in order to understand what kind of context they are in while bringing a conservation proposal for this building. 
The main goals of this study are to determine the situation of the Rıfat Efendi House in the traditional Tavşancıl fabric, to document the building with its current condition, to determine the construction techniques, material properties and deteriorations, to resolve the changes that the building has undergone in the historical process, to determine its original state, to reuse the building and to determine the necessary interventions for its preservation.
The thesis, prepared to accomplish these goals, consists of seven chapters. In the first chapter of the thesis, the aim and scope of the study and the methods used are explained. The village of Tavşancıl, whose traditional fabric started to deteriorate with the effect of rapid industrialization starting from the 1970s, is an interesting area that has preserved this fabric to a large extent. The aim of the study is to record the architectural features of the Tavşancıl houses, which bear the traces of the traditional lifestyle with their spatial setup in their location, to document the Rıfat Efendi House, and to prepare a conservation proposal. For this purpose, the first of the methods followed was literature research. The place of the village in the historical process, production activities, property distribution, transportation, traditional lifestyles and many other data were obtained as a result of literature research. The literature research was followed by the first fieldwork to update the cadastral map and systematically document traditional houses. As a result of the first field study, it was proposed to expand the existing urban preservation site in order to preserve the integrity of the traditional fabric. The second field study included the documentation of the Rıfat Efendi House, with traditional methods and advanced methods such as laser scanning. 
Tavşancıl village, where Rıfat Efendi House is located, is introduced with its geographical features and historical development in the second chapter. Although the village was at the forefront with its rural features in the historical process, today it can be considered as a transition area between the city and the countryside due to its location on the Kocaeli Peninsula.
In the third chapter, the traditional texture of Tavşancıl village was examined starting from the upper scale, and a detailed classification was made regarding the spatial and façade features, construction techniques and material usage in houses. With this classification, it was concluded that although different filling materials such as adobe, stone, branch mesh and brick were used in the houses, the wooden carcass is a common system in the construction technique. Wattle-and-daub filling is a local construction technique used in Tavşancıl and its surrounding rural settlements. Changes in the historical environment are discussed in the context of the fabric and structure of Tavşancıl, in the continuation of the same chapter. In order to determine the changes in the traditional fabric, the comparison of the aerial photographs of 1955 and 2021 obtained from the General Directorate of Maps, and the personal family archive photographs obtained from the page established by the villagers on social media were used. The research revealed that the general layout of the village remained unchanged until the industrialization activities that accelerated in Kocaeli and its surroundings in the 1980s. From these years to the present, the changing livelihoods, lifestyle and social texture have brought changes on the basis of structure in houses. WC and bathroom additions, which sometimes may be considered as period additions, are seen in some of the buildings, whereas in some of them, such additions are of poor quality, spoiling the originality of the structures. 
In the fourth chapter of the study, the location of the Rıfat Efendi House in Tavşancıl, the history of the building and its current situation are explained, and after a general definition is made, the plan and facade features, the construction technique and the use of materials and the deterioration in the structure are handled in detail. During the interviews with the residents of Tavşancıl village, it is learned that the first owner of the building was a draper named Rıfat Efendi. After the death of Rıfat Efendi and his wife in the 1970s, the building was leased to different users. The building has not been used for about 50 years. The fact that the building remained unoccupied for such a long period of time also constitutes an important factor in the deterioration of the structure. As a result of documenting the building with traditional and advanced methods, plan, section and facade survey drawings were made. The building consists of a basement, which is intended to be used as a warehouse, and a rectangular ground floor. The ground floor contains six spaces dispersed from the T-shaped inner sofa. Unlike the Tavşancıl houses, traditional plan elements such as gusülhane, traditional closet, and seki are not seen in Rıfat Efendi House. The building was planned according to the furniture of the Westernization period, as can be seen from the wooden moldings. In addition, there is a detailed decoration program and wall paintings, which are rarely seen in a rural settlement like Tavşancıl, in the sofa and the two rooms facing southeast. With these features, the building differs from other traditional houses in the village. There are serious structural deteriorations on the northeast and northwest façades, which are exposed to the north winds that are effective in the village, and accordingly, inappropriate interventions, closing the original openings, are observed. The southeast and southwest facades have largely preserved their originality, except for plaster losses. The building has a wooden frame construction technique on a masonry stone wall. Its outer walls and inner partition walls are made of wooden carcass and mud plastered bagdadi lath. The deterioration in the structure is the result of internal and external causes. Structural damages due to internal causes are caused by sizing errors in the structural design of the building. Long-term natural factors such as humidity and rain water have led to the deterioration of wood, which is used both as load bearing and building elements. In the fourth part of the thesis, with the information obtained as a result of systematic research, the construction year and the discernable periods in the building were determined. Since there is no written and visual document about the building, the method of period analysis was applied over the style of the decoration programs to determine the year of construction. Thus, it was concluded that the building was built in the last quarter of the 19th century. Four different periods were determined in the building. These are the building in its original state, the period that developed with the addition of stained glass windows in the 1930s, the period when the water infrastructure came to the village in the 1950s resulting with the inclusion of wet spaces in the building, and the period when repairs of poor quality were made when it was used by different users in the 1970s. 
In the fifth chapter, which deals with the restitution process, the restitution problems in the building, the sources that shed light on the restitution decisions and the restitution proposal brought in the light of this information are explained. While preparing the restitution proposal, the related problems were first determined. These problems are; the building elements of which traces can be read on the building but which have not survived are considered as the additions that can be accepted as period annexes and as structural elements that have been changed as a result of inappropriate repairs. Remains of the original garden wall, concrete terrazzo flooring steps and remnants of the landing are examples of the problems that can be read through the building on the site plan scale. The location of the latrine, of which traces can not be seen in the building and the location could not be determined due to the lack of visual documentation, is among the main problems in the site plan scale. Another restitution issue is the determination of the location and shape of the chimney and the roofing material that has not survived. In order to solve the problems listed data have been used; written and visual documents were searched by scanning various archives, the data obtained from the building were examined in detail, these data were analyzed by examining similar period structures in Tavşancıl and its surroundings and solutions were reached by analogy. In line with all these data, the restitution proposal prepared for the building was based on the first period of the building. Due to the fact that it preserved its originality until the 1980s, the 1971 aerial photograph was taken as a reference in the proposals for the site plan, and in line with the data read from the building and obtained from the analogy, solutions for the garden wall, which support the garden-structure relationship, were introduced. As a result of the literature research and interviews with the village residents, the toilet was proposed inside the garden walls and outside the building, as in other traditional Turkish houses in the region. This situation affected the space organization on the ground floor of the building and made it appropriate to treat the toilet and wet areas, which are used as separate volumes today, as a single space by removing the dividing wall. The solution for the entrance stairs is based on the survey data. It is read through the traces that a different window type was used in the first period of the building. Suggestion for this is provided by analogy data. Another suggestion based on estimation due to the lack of documentation in the restitution proposal was the type of roofing material. Since no roof tile covering material was found on the roof in the images obtained as a result of the drone shots, the idea that the roof covering could be wooden was emphasized and a proposal was made in this direction. The fact that this usage is not widespread in the region is another factor that supports the atypicality of the Rıfat Efendi House. 
A restoration proposal was given in the sixth chapter. The restoration proposal created within the scope of the thesis has been prepared in the light of the texts titled ICOMOS Principles for the Conservation of Wooden Built Heritage, ICOMOS Principles for the Protection-Restoration of Wall Paintings, and ICOMOS Turkey Architectural Heritage Conservation Charter. The restoration proposal brought for the Rıfat Efendi House has been handled as a guide for this and similar structures. In this direction, it is aimed to preserve the originality of this wooden structure, which is a part of the wooden cultural heritage, at the highest level. For this reason, it is necessary to respect the original structural system and building details, to intervene only where necessary, to act with the awareness that the original wall painting program is a part of the cultural diversity of the region, and to make this heritage known by the society. In the restoration proposal section, firstly, the restoration interventions required for the building, and then the re-use proposals are emphasized. The prepared restoration proposal was developed based on observation only at visible points. For this reason, it is recommended to perform material and deterioration analyses to get more information about the structure. It is recommended to bring necessary revisions to the restoration proposal after the deterioration in the structure is determined accurately after the erection of a scaffolding and scraping and dismantling during the restoration implementation. The additions brought to the structure are divided into good and bad in line with the period analysis. Additions of quality were evaluated as period additions and it was decided to preserve them in order to reflect different periods in the structure. Inappropriate additions will be removed without damaging the structure. Within the framework of the adopted principles, reintegration by using the original wood type or reproduction in the original detail is suggested for the structural elements that have deteriorated. In order to preserve the unique wall painting program of the building, excessive interventions should be avoided and an interdisciplinary project should be carried out with expert art historians and conservators. Within the scope of re-functioning proposals, the use of the building in its original function as a family residence was not deemed appropriate due to property problems and high costs for the implementation of the restoration project.  It has been discussed whether to use the building as an institutional guest house or to turn the building into a museum that exhibits itself with furniture reflecting its own period. The idea for re-use as a guest house was not proposed as the need for a separated WC and bathroom for each room would damage the uniquely decorated surfaces of the building. As a result, the expropriation of the building by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and its conversion into a museum that reflects its period.was found appropriate. 
The seventh and last chapter examines the evaluation of the methods used during the thesis work and the adequacy of the archives and resources for the village and the building. The situations encountered in the study process are discussed and the observations are emphasized. 
Within this thesis, the ways that can be followed during the preparation of the conservation projects of buildings such as the Rıfat Efendi House, which is a rare example of a rural house  with a rich decoration program, were examined. In addition, strategies that can be developed to keep the traditional architectural heritage alive in areas such as Tavşancıl, which is a transition point between the city and the countryside, are discussed. In this context, many national and international texts, principles and studies and also the applications of KUDEB on the conservation methodology of wooden structures were examined.