carrière

at the end of 1960s my family moved from turkey to frankfurt am main, germany. there i was born 1972, raised, went to school and got 'abitur' - my degree to access university. the decision to later study at the 'technische universitaet darmstadt' (tud) was based on its excellent reputation within germany, resulting from its good balance of urban design, strong conceptual building design, structural engineering and a highly technological architecture with a major focus on sustainability. here i received my master degrees in architecture and structural engineering.

during my studies i worked with 'hentrich petschnigg & partner architekten' who are specialized in office buildings and skyscrapers. there i was a team member of the construction site supervision for the 'commerz bank network building' in frankfurt am main. working with 'meixner schlueter wendt architekten' on extraordinary projects, being exhibited at the venice biennale like 'cafe lilu', a floating building made of steel, or a modern church extension, demanded a different way of thinking with unconventional detail design solutions. this collaboration had a major impact on my working and personal skills. it started during my studies and continued after i founded my office called: pad - patat architecture + design.

in the first few years pad was occasinally subcontracted by bigger offices such as 'albert speer & partner' to support their supervision, analysis and management of competitions, such as e.g. the 'messehalle 11' and 'eingang west', extensions of the frankfurt fair, germany. the 'abaci' flagship store in frankfurt am main is a good example of my own work showing highly individual detailed design solutions, combining aesthetics with functionality in a sustainable philosophy which was why it got published in international magazines like 'the wallpaper'.

collaborating with 'zaha hadid architects' from 2006 until 2011 was another important step into a highly specialized design environment. it was often necessary to create individual and customized architectural ideas by researching and developing new materials and products. the task to balance a futuristic, fluent and organic design with functional, rational and sustainable aspects was a highly demanding work experience. zaha hadid's iconic design visions often required to think beyond the known and achieve unique solutions.

my fascination for istanbul, a timeless melting pot of history, modernism and religions, with a mix of european and asian culture while geographically dividing and connecting the two continents made me locate my office in this diverse environment of turkey's booming economical capital. speaking fluently german, english, french and turkish, while beeing registered in each of these countries' architectural chambers, opens possibilities to build not only architectural projects but also bridges between cultures and languages.