Press Release
Terra Urla Hotel Garden Landscape by Harun Kırlıoglu - Ahan Architecture Is Granted the Bronze A' Design Award in Landscape Planning and Garden Design
Harun Kırlıoglu - Ahan Architecture of AHAN Architecture acknowledged for landscape planning and garden design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Terra Urla Hotel Garden Landscape by Harun Kırlıoglu - Ahan Architecture of AHAN Architecture has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Landscape Planning and Garden Design category. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
More About Terra Urla Hotel Garden Landscape
Terra Urla is a hotel garden landscape located in Urla, Izmir. The design blends ancient local building traditions with contemporary sustainability. Site-sourced stones are assembled with dry-stack methods to form breathable surfaces that support biodiversity. Planting is based on endemic flora, including Olea europaea, Pistacia lentiscus and Laurus nobilis, with drought-tolerant aromatic species in lower layers. Smart irrigation and xeriscaping target water savings of fifty percent. A restaurant, a spa, sensory gardens, walking paths and a vineyard observation deck form the visitor route.
About Harun Kırlıoglu - Ahan Architecture
Founded by Harun Kirlioglu, A-HAN Architecture is an Izmir/Turkey-based practice specializing in landscape architecture and project management. The firm’s core philosophy is rooted in a unique approach that embodies the balance between nature and humanity within its "hybrid" team structure. Viewing architecture not just as form but as a living and breathing organism, the office operates by dissolving interdisciplinary boundaries. Through this methodology, every project is conceived with a living being's ability to adapt to its environment.
About AHAN Architecture
A-HAN Architecture is a firm specializing in landscape design, architectural projects, and 3D visualization. It provides innovative and functional solutions by blending aesthetics with technique.
Award Record
Harun Kırlıoglu - Ahan Architecture of AHAN Architecture is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Landscape Planning and Garden Design Award
The A' Landscape Design Award is an international landscape design competition recognizing good landscape designs by leading architects and designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to landscape designers, urban planners, garden designers and municipalities from all countries. Entries typically include landscape designs, public parks, residential gardens, urban plazas, campus designs and green roofs. Awarded landscape designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/landscape-design
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/181854
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/181854
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!181854
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/380491
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.keyurla.com/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Terra Urla Hotel Garden Landscape
- Function
- Hotel Garden Landscape
- Category
- Landscape Planning and Garden Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Sustainability
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Black, Dark Olive Green, Gray and Cornflower Blue
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Harun Kırlıoglu - Ahan Architecture
- Country
- Turkiye
- Brand
- AHAN Architecture
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #181854
Credits
- Team
- Han Tümertekin, Emre Unlü and Harun Kırlıoğlu
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Designed by Ahan, The Key Urla Hotel landscape is a self sustaining ecosystem blending ancient essence with sustainability. Its uniqueness lies in the integration of traditional dry-stack techniques with leed standards. utilizing indigenous flora and smart irrigation, it maximizes water efficiency. The design’s strength is its ecological integrity; by using local materials, it creates a refined environment that preserves heritage for future generations.
- Inspiration
- Ahan Architecture draws inspiration from the dialogue between Urla’s history and ecological resilience. The goal was to move from decorative landscaping toward a functional ecosystem. By bridging traditional dry-stack techniques with modern standards, the firm focuses on "genius loci". Utilizing xeriscaping and endemic flora ensures minimal water consumption. Through strategic water management, the practice translates the region's ancient legacy into a sustainable, contemporary sanctuary.
- Research
- Ahan architecture conducted qualitative research on local textures and leed v4.1 water efficiency & sustainable sites criteria. The objective was to merge ancient techniques with integrated design parameters. Using site analysis methodology, flora and edaphic data were collected. Experiments on endemic plants proved that dry-stack techniques increased biodiversity by 30% and reduced potable water demand by over 50%. These insights offer regenerative models for the industry and design field.
- Challenge
- For Ahan architecture, the primary challenge was technically reconciling ancient construction techniques with modern leed sustainability criteria. Internal factors involved establishing an aesthetic language that met social expectations while preserving urla’s historical fabric. External factors included navigating rigid local regulations and limited access to specialized artisanal knowledge. These hurdles were overcome by hybridizing technology with local craftsmanship, ensuring design authenticity was preserved within the constraints of production possibilities.
- Realization and Technology
- In this project by Ahan architecture, construction is based on the principle of "locality." By processing site-sourced stones with traditional dry-stack methods, the firm designed breathable surfaces that support biodiversity. Industrial materials were limited by opting for regional natural stones and micro-aggregate finishes. This methodology ensures that the project exhibits not only aesthetic appeal but also a structural integrity strictly compliant with leed criteria.
- Operation and Interaction
- The experience flow by Ahan architecture transforms the guest into an active part of the site. One starts at the restaurant, blending with the landscape via local flavors, then moves to the spa for the serenity of water and stone. Positioned as the heart of the experience, sensory gardens offer direct contact with flora to calm the mind, while walking paths turn footsteps into discovery. Yoga and picnic areas provide spiritual balance, and the journey culminates at the vineyard observation deck with a view of Urla heritage.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in Urla/ızmir in March 2022 and was completed in October 2025.
- Specifications
- The planting strategy by Ahan architecture presents an ecosystem based on urlas flora. Technically, the project centers ancient species such as Olea europaea, Pistacia lentiscus, and Laurus nobilis. By using drought-tolerant aromatics in lower layers, it targets 50% water savings via smart irrigation. ın metric-ıso standards, full compliance with leed criteria is achieved through local material use and habitat restoration, technically optimizing the ecological cycle.
- Keywords
- Sustainability, Ancient Techniques, Endemic Flora, Leed Certification, Water Conservation, Dry-Stack Stonework, Regenerative Design
