Category
inspiring ideas
inspiring ideas
- When was Erginoğlu&Çalışlar Architecture founded? Can you briefly tell us about your founding story and today's Erginoğlu&Çalışlar Architecture?
"We founded Erginoğlu & Çalışlar exactly 25 years ago as newly graduated architects. After graduating from Mimar Sinan University Faculty of Architecture, we worked for a short time in important architectural offices of those years. With the courage of youth, we decided to start our own company. We both come from similar backgrounds and cultures. First we became two friends who got along well, then two partners who complemented each other. Our approach to every job with the same care, our architectural understanding that reflects the cultures of the institutions in every detail and the "firsts" we have realized have made us grow slowly and surely."
-On what scale and what kind of projects are you doing now?
"When we first established the office, we were doing much smaller scale work, naturally. Thanks to the successful projects we have realized one after another, the high level of employer satisfaction and the international awards we have received, the scale of our business has also changed. We are currently carrying out various projects ranging from offices of Türkiye's major corporate companies to master plans, from school and campus projects to shopping centers. Apart from Türkiye, we have realized projects in the UK, Azerbaijan, Qatar, the U.S.A., Kenya, and Germany. We continue to actively pursue projects abroad."
-Can you tell us a little bit about your architectural approach?
"Our design philosophy can be defined as pragmatic and aesthetic. This approach can be traced in all our projects. Another thing we believe is that we should have a moral responsibility towards buildings. In this regard, we are trying to raise awareness among our teammates we work with. In fact, we express this not only in our office, but also in the schools we teach at or in the interviews we attend. We believe that all this played a very important role in the success of the project."
-What are the concepts you pay the most attention to and never compromise on when designing interiors? Economy, health, aesthetics, functionality, ergonomics, ecology, trust...
"We believe it is necessary to consider design as a whole. We have to think about many parameters when determining the concept during the design phase. Architecture requires creativity, but it is not like painting a picture on a blank canvas. There are many variables such as the conditions of the space, regulations, materials, etc. and these undoubtedly influence your design decision.
All of these concepts are extremely important for us. We take all these into account in our designs. We have gained a lot of experience, especially in the efficiency of workspaces. In the office projects we have designed, we have realized the most admired projects of recent years with our creative solutions and our approach that emphasizes the corporate identity of the employer."
-Do you often use forest products in your projects? In which areas do you use it more?
"Since we prefer to use natural products in our projects, we also use forest products. In the office and residential projects we realize, forest products are among the materials we frequently use because we need the positive effect of wood on the atmosphere of the space. We also like to create different textures and layers by combining wood with materials such as glass, steel, and concrete, adding aesthetic depth to the space."
-What do you pay attention to when choosing forest products?
"The quality of the products is the most important criterion for us. Being flexible and innovative in developing different products suitable for the project is another important point for us. We also make sure that the companies that produce a material offered by nature, such as forest products, are brands that are responsible for this and can develop sustainable models."
-Have you heard of Yıldız Entegre and its products before our meeting?
"Sure. Yıldız Entegre is a company we work with in many of our projects."
-How would you evaluate the meeting we had?
"It was a very successful presentation. We gained very important information about the products as a whole team."
If Nature Were a City
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