October 17, 2026 | CITY GUIDE | BODRUM
BARBAROS RESERVE
words Alp Tekin
photos Mehmet Mutaf, Kadir Aşnaz, Orhun Ülgen
Set beside Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay in Yalıçiftlik, Barbaros Reserve occupies one of the few remaining sites in the area where development is still permitted under current planning regulations. The project was conceived with minimal intervention to the existing topography, allowing the buildings to settle naturally into the landscape without disturbing the character of the site.
Designed as 16 separate three-storey residential blocks, the buildings are positioned so that views and natural airflow remain unobstructed. Each block has a footprint of 400 square metres, while the number of residences and internal layouts vary from one to another. The architecture, by Arif Suyabatmaz and Hakan Demirel of 19:4 Architects, is based on a composition of interlocking volumes conceived as parts of a larger whole. The aim is to give each residence equal access to sunlight, views and natural ventilation.
A semi-transparent timber shell wraps each of the 16 blocks. Its degree of transparency changes according to the function of the space, offering privacy while filtering the light into softer shadows inside. At the same time, the timber screens help the buildings recede into the topography and surrounding habitat, reducing their visual presence within the landscape.
LANDSCAPE BY FERNANDO CARUNCHO
The landscape design bears the signature of Fernando Caruncho. Specially cultivated four-armed olive trees, Mediterranean cypresses and wisteria — one of the landscape architect’s recurring elements — define the planting scheme.
The paths and stairways are equally considered. Their warm-toned concrete is coloured with iron oxide, a technique commonly used in Spain and Italy, allowing the circulation routes to sit more naturally within the Mediterranean landscape.
