Located in Giresun’s historic Zeytinlik district, this project reinterprets a long-established educational landscape shaped by the city’s layered cultural and architectural history. While preserving the heritage value and core functions of Mehmet Akif Ersoy Middle School, it challenges conventional classroom-based learning by expanding education into the surrounding environment. Drawing on the principles of ‘’see, do, think, and argue’’, the proposal creates interconnected recreational, philosophical, and craft-oriented spaces that encourage experiential, reflective, and collaborative learning. Rather than treating architecture as a container for education, the project positions the built environment itself as an active medium through which knowledge is continuously encountered and constructed.
Author: Zeynep Yaren Usta
Studio: ARCH 402 Spring 2026
Instructor(s): Melis Sözen, Yiğit Acar
