We are an Istanbul-based architecture, interior architecture and design research practice.
Our work brings together architecture, interior architecture and design research across different scales and contexts, with a particular focus on the relationship between place, people and the city. We work across disciplines and with different areas of expertise, allowing each project to form its own network of knowledge, collaboration and exchange. In this way, our practice grows organically, shaped by the specific questions, contexts and possibilities of each work.
We believe architecture is a lasting part of the places and lives it becomes part of.
Aware of the permanence and responsibility of what we build, we place the surrounding environment and its users at the centre of our design approach. We respect the layers of the past and seek to address contemporary challenges through a dialogue between
past, present and future.
We aim to create comfortable, engaging and enduring environments that are rooted in their natural and cultural contexts. Rather than following a fixed design language, we see each project as an opportunity to develop a thoughtful response to its place,
its people and its time.
Serkan Ateş
Co-Founder & Architect
He graduated from Istanbul Technical University Architecture Department (2018) with the Best Graduation Project of the Year Award. He has experience in different architectural and social projects in Istanbul, Costa Rica, and Los Angeles.
He has participated in workshops with famous Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and other organizations like the Turkish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, MEDS Belgium, IFAC Amsterdam, and Istanbul Design Biennale. He has received over 10 architectural awards internationally and nationally. He has his master's degree from the Architectural Design program at Istanbul Technical University in 2023.
He continues his architecture work and research at AADR.
Melike Ekin Saraçgil Ateş
Co-Founder & Architect
She graduated from the Yıldız Technical University Architectural Department in 2018. She was been Research Architect at AURA İstanbul in the same year.
After graduation, she participated in many architectural competitions and received national awards. She received her master's degree in Architectural Design at
İstanbul Technical University in 2021.
She continues his architecture work and research at AADR.