Not every material that looks good in a catalogue performs the same under the Aegean sun and in sea air. The first thing thirty years of building has taught us: choosing materials is a matter of climate as much as taste.
Stone: the memory of the region
Stone is this coast's mother tongue. Laid correctly it lasts a century; laid badly it sheds its joints within five years. As at SM Göcek House, traditional stonework can meet contemporary detailing; the critical part is getting the insulation and ventilation layers behind the stone right.
Concrete: honest, but unforgiving
Exposed concrete is one of the most loved surfaces of recent years; we build with it gladly, as at Taşkesik House. But exposed concrete allows no plaster coat to hide a mistake. Formwork, pouring sequence and curing must be done right in one pass. And in an earthquake zone, reinforcement detailing comes before aesthetics, always.
Timber: it asks for care, and repays it
Timber is the material of warmth, but the Aegean sun is its greatest enemy. On a south-facing facade unprotected by deep eaves, timber tires within two years. With the right species, proper treatment and a maintenance plan, it serves for decades even in this climate.
The common denominator: detail
What decides the life of all three materials is not the material itself but the junctions between them. Leading water away from the building, expansion joints between unlike materials, the insulation layers no one ever sees... Good detailing is invisible; bad detailing shows itself within a few winters.
Choose a material not from the catalogue, but from what it will look like in ten years.
In our building-products store we offer climate-appropriate solutions from brands like VitrA, Artema, Jotun and Hüppe, together with our field experience. If you want a companion for your material decisions, get in touch.