The Farm 38° 30°

The Farm 38° 30°, an iconic boutique dairy factory, derives its name from the coordinates of the site it is located in, the “38° 30° Valley of Art” in the village of Afyon Tazlar, in the province of Afyonkarahisar in Central Turkey. Located at the entrance of the valley, this dairy factory offers degustation for visitors, all the while exhibiting the production process of the dairy products of the farm.

  While ensuring maximum efficiency for the production line as in a “classical” cheese factory building, the boutique factory adopts a more contemporary attitude via its monumental form. The building wraps around an inner green courtyard and opens itself to the exterior via its large welcoming canopy. The building typology is upgraded from the status of a simple production space to that of a cheese showroom–museum. The building wraps the linear production process and spaces in an ellipse enclosing an inner courtyard. From this courtyard within, all sequences of the production can be observed in 360° degree by the visitors. The transparency of the facade lets us peek into the production spaces while the staff animates the whole.

The materiality of the façade reflects the degree of privacy and interest of the various spaces. The entrance is fully open, followed by the sales office and the production spaces of the factory, both very transparent. Moving on to more private spaces, the composition of the materials on the façade gradually offers less transparency. Corten steel sun blinds render the last spaces, used by staff, semi-transparent. The external facade of the building is enriched by vertical slices opening to the surrounding countryside vista, all the while allowing controlled natural light according to each specific room’s requirements.

The Farm 38° 30°, Afyon Tazlar, Turkey
Program: factory
Architects: Slash Architects, Arkizon
Area: 800 sqm
Completion: 2016