Kerem Yazgan
Biography
ABOUT
Kerem Yazgan obtained his B. Arch degree from the Middle East Technical University Department of Architecture in 1993. He worked in a diversity of architectural offices and participated in various architectural design competitions until 1996. He opened his first architectural office in 1996 after being awarded the first prize in a national architectural design competition. He received his M. Arch degree from the METU Department of Architecture in 1997. He received awards in various architectural design competitions.
Kerem Yazgan opened his second architectural office with his wife Begüm Yazgan, PhD. Architect in 2003, the same year he received his PhD from METU Department of Architecture. His doctoral dissertation, “Designography in Architecture” is about his research on the ‘systems and acts’ in architectural design. His design approach is based on the direct association of theory and practice and the systematization of the design process.
AWARDS
• 2020: OIZ Office- Architizer A+ Awards 2020 – ‘Unbuilt Commercial’ Category – Winner
• 2019: Middle East Technical University Co-working & Cafeteria – The Plan Award 2019 – ‘Education/ Future’- Winner
• 2018: YDA Center – The Plan Award 2018- ‘Office & Business’ – Winner
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE OFFICE
Founded in 2003 by Kerem Yazgan and Begüm Yazgan, both PhD. Architects, Yazgan Design Architecture Inc. is an architectural, interior, landscape and graphic design firm based in Ankara, Turkey. With an experienced staff of architects, landscape designers, technical draftsmen, graphic designers and IT experts, the company has signed on to many architectural, interior design and landscape projects. In the past 22 years, Yazgan Design Architecture has been published in 19 countries and has been awarded with 154 national and international design awards. With over 9.000.000 square meters in total projects which was constructed located in both Turkey and a number of other countries, the portfolio of Yazgan Design Architecture continues to grow and diversify. The company has the capacity to create projects of different programs and scales that cover conceptual, design development and construction phases. Mixed-use buildings, retail, hotel, residential, office, educational buildings, hospitals, cultural centers, airports, and sport complexes are some of the building typologies that comprise the company portfolio. Yazgan Design Architecture also achieves interior and landscape design construction works alongside its project repertoire.
AWARDS OF THE OFFICE
• 2020: OIZ Office- Architizer A+ Awards 2020 – ‘Unbuilt Commercial’ Category – Winner
• 2019: Middle East Technical University Co-working & Cafeteria – The Plan Award 2019 – ‘Education/ Future’- Winner
• 2018: YDA Center – The Plan Award 2018- ‘Office & Business’ – Winner
• 2017: Hamamyolu Urban Deck – LEAF Awards 2017 – ‘Urban Design Project of the Year’ Award
• 2015: ONS Incek Showroom & Sales Office – World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2015 – Innovative Use of Color Award
PROJECTS TO BE PRESENTED DURING THE EVENT
Project #1: Ayvalik Stone House
Project #1 Category: Sigle House (individual use)
Start year: 2024
End year: Ongoing
Ayvalık Stone Houses is a vacation residence situated in an olive garden on one of Ayvalık’s highest points, designed as a retreat for the Fırtına family and a community space. The project offers workshops in olive oil production, nature trekking, and arts and crafts, connecting visitors to the local culture and landscape. The design integrates nature and the surrounding city views, with spaces organized into clusters following the site’s topography, preserving olive trees in their original locations. The material palette, centered on Sarımsak Stone, reflects the region’s historical and cultural heritage. This stone, used for both facades and interiors, enhances thermal efficiency and reduces energy consumption. A key design consideration is the preservation of olive trees, crucial to the region’s economy and culture. The project aims to create a harmonious coexistence with nature, ensuring that the space remains dynamic, reflecting both seasonal and timeless changes.
Project #2: Palas Campus
Project #2 Category: Office. Mixed-Use
Start year: 2019
End year: 2023
Palas Campus is an office building located on the Sf Andrei Street in Iasi, Romania, having 86.755 sqm construction area. The main idea behind the design of the project is to break the dominant impact of its volume. Therefore, the building is fragmented as base and different blocks on top. The building is composed of 5 blocks which are placed on a 4-storey base. These blocks are designed in different heights in accordance with the city silhouette. The building facade consists of three main layers. At the bottom, the ground floor, on which transparency is emphasized without claddings; above transparent layer there is three-storey base level designed in different-sized grids cladded with light travertine. At the top, no coating is used to make the building more transparent but bronze aluminum caps are used to give the building a vertical effect. These caps will be illuminated outside working hours and verticality of the facade will be emphasized.
Project #3: The Grid Glamping
Project #3 Category: Hotel. Leisure
Start year: 2023
End year: 2026
The Grid is a glamping project which is a currently wide spreading type of nature-based tourism, where the visitors would have the direct contact with nature without giving up certain comforts of modern life. The design is based on a flexible, modular and sustainable system.