In brief
- 78 projects were submitted to the competition, and after preliminary review, 76 projects were evaluated by the jury.
- The jury, chaired by Prof. Dr. Zeynep Ş. Enlil, conducted its evaluation between 8-12 July 2026.
- The teams of Zeynep Altınbaşlı, M. Batu Kepekçioğlu and Sacit Arda Karaatlı were deemed worthy of equal prizes.
- All award-winning and participating projects are planned to be exhibited at a colloquium in Bodrum on 1 August 2026.
The "Bodrum Değirmenburnu Historic Windmills and Immediate Surroundings Idea Project Competition," organized in cooperation with Bodrum Municipality and the Bodrum Branch of the Chamber of Architects, has concluded. A total of 78 projects were submitted to the competition, and following preliminary review, 76 projects were accepted for jury evaluation. The jury, chaired by Prof. Dr. Zeynep Ş. Enlil, decided to award 3 equal prizes, 5 equal honorable mentions and 2 purchase awards as a result of its evaluation conducted between 8-12 July 2026.
How the competition worked
The jury consisted of Architect Evren Başbuğ, Prof. Dr. Deniz Dokgöz, Ahmet İğdirligil, Hüseyin Sinan Omacan, Aslı Özbay and Münire Sağat. The aim of the competition was to generate ideas that would carry the historical, natural and cultural values of the historic windmills and their immediate surroundings at Değirmenburnu — one of the landmarks of the Bodrum Peninsula — into the future.
Award-winning projects
The equal prizes were awarded to project number 16, prepared by Zeynep Altınbaşlı and her team; project number 40, by M. Batu Kepekçioğlu and his team; and project number 63, by Sacit Arda Karaatlı and his team. The teams of Mehmet Erdönmez, Emre Özcan, Sevgi Türkkan Sroka, Fuat Arabacı and Burak Pelenk received equal honorable mentions, while the teams of Gencay Çubuk and Hüseyin Öztürk were deemed worthy of purchase awards.
The equal prize-winning project, prepared by Zeynep Altınbaşlı and Tuna Han Koç under Rasa Stüdyo, approaches Değirmenburnu not merely as an area containing eight windmills, but as part of a broader cultural landscape stretching from Bodrum Castle to the coastline. The Cultural Landscape Route proposed in the project unites the traces of historic city walls, panoramic viewpoints and the windmills within a single walking network. A different conservation approach was adopted for each windmill; the stone walls are reinforced while preserving their original character, supported where necessary with recyclable wooden structures. In the project's proposed Değirmenburnu Ecological Monitoring and Reception Platform, wood is used as the main load-bearing system, while local natural stone and compacted earth establish material continuity with the landscape.
What it means for architecture and interior architecture practice
The competition forms a current reference point for architecture and landscape offices working within historic fabric, particularly in terms of conservation, restoration and public space design. Approaches such as rendering a multi-layered space legible with minimal intervention, passive climate control and the use of local materials can serve as examples for architects and interior architects working on similar conservation area projects. The "demountable, repairable and reinterpretable in the future" intervention principle described in the equal prize-winning project's own report offers an approach that teams working in cultural heritage sites can reference when justifying their design decisions.
Next steps
The participating projects and award-winning works are planned to be shared with the public as part of a colloquium to be held in Bodrum on 1 August 2026. Bodrum Municipality and the Bodrum Branch of the Chamber of Architects thanked all participating teams and congratulated the award-winning teams.
Sources
3 sourcesSource texts are not republished; short quotes are marked, everything else is our own summary and commentary.
The Değirmenburnu competition is one of the examples showing that the number of idea competitions held at the scale of coastal and historic fabric in Turkey is increasing. The fact that 78 applications were gathered indicates that the subject is an attractive field for both large offices and young teams. For architecture and interior architecture offices, such competitions are a way not only to diversify their portfolios but also to follow current jury tendencies in the field of conservation.
On the other hand, how the results are shared with the public matters: detailed presentation of the projects at events such as colloquiums allows other offices in the sector to see how similar conservation problems can be approached. Regularly following such archived competition documents is a valuable resource for architecture offices in Turkey, both in terms of competition strategy and technical detail.
Frequently asked questions
Who organized the Bodrum Değirmenburnu Competition?
The competition was organized in cooperation with Bodrum Municipality and the Bodrum Branch of the Chamber of Architects.
How many projects won awards in the competition?
The competition awarded 3 equal prizes, 5 equal honorable mentions and 2 purchase awards; a total of 78 projects were submitted and 76 were evaluated by the jury.
When will the award-winning projects be exhibited?
The participating and award-winning projects are planned to be shared with the public as part of a colloquium to be held in Bodrum on 1 August 2026.
