14 Sıdıka Çetin, ayse betul Gokarslan open house international Vol.39 no.1, march 2014. Sustainable architecture in rural Yayla Settlements. 1. introduct ion Since the publication of the brundtland report (WceD 1987), sustainable settlements that are able to meet the needs and expectations of the people, and that take into account also the needs and expectations of future generations, have become increasingly significant around the world. accordingly, studies of regional design applications that counteract the effects of climate, or designs that make use of sustainable energy resources have accelerated. Sustainability, which is a much broad- er concept than ecological design, pays heed to both the physical and local social environment, and calls for designs that consider the various dimen- sions of both factors (Oktay 1999; 2001). although the discourse is relatively new, the concept of “sustainable architecture” has become valued within the local architecture discipline of every soci- ety in different parts of the world. local settlements follow a sustainable path in their utilization of local resources; and local architectural features develop based on the practical needs of local communities and on local topographical and climatic condi- tions. the systems that have developed carry fea- tures that may be learned from in the design of new environments in the region, and are thus worthy of investigation (Oktay and Pontikis 2008). in parallel to this, in recent years there has been a gradual increase in the importance of researches into the conservation of local values vis- à-vis climate change, ecological degradation, and the diminishing and vanishing natural resources around the world. Vernacular housing has much to offer modern architecture, in the sense that rich solutions have been developed that demand maxi- mum compliance and flexibility between the users and the physical environment, and thus constitutes a good example of sustainability. Vernacular archi- tecture that aims to meet local needs through the use of existing local resources and appropriate con- struction methods has an environmental, cultural and historical context, and reflects an evolution through time (helena 1998), being passed on through tradition and a broad accumulation of knowledge gained through trial and error (Sayigh and marafia 1998). in summary, the solutions offered by vernacular architecture should not be underestimated in the modern day. the traditional houses found in the rural areas of the mediterranean region are a typical example of how design and construction become Sıdıka Çetin, Ayse Betul Gokarslan Abstract Traditional architectural forms and structures develop under the influence of such physical and non-physical determi- nants as climate, topography structure, socio-cultural values, economy and technology, and are based on centuries of accumulated knowledge. This study is an analysis of the rural Yayla settlements of four towns in the province of Antalya, located on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. The southern inclines of the Taurus Mountain range facing the Mediterranean, are host to number of rural settlements at different altitudes that bear some region-specific architec- tural features. This study aims to understand settlement pattern and house design features that have developed under the specific climate, socio-cultural and socio-economic conditions of the traditional households in rural yaylas in the different bio- climatic zones of the region. The study has revealed that designs have developed over time to result in spaces that are comfortable and climate sensitive, and which attribute importance to the local resources, econ- omy and culture; and that the housing designs have developed offer natural means of heat control and ventilation. The new understanding offered in this paper may contribute to the conservation of the local cultural features of the area, allowing their sustainable perpetuation into the future and serving as examples of good design practise for future settlements Keywords: South-Eastern Mediterranean Region; Sustainable Architecture; Yayla Settlements; Traditional House. SuStainable architecture in rural YaYla SettlementS