GAD

We are proud to announce that GAD’s “Divan Kuruçeşme” project has been awarded the Silver Winner title at the 2026 London Design Awards in the category of Architectural Design – Renovation.

Located on the Bosphorus waterfront in Istanbul, Divan Kuruçeşme stands as a sensitive transformation project that preserves historical traces while redefining contemporary hospitality and public experience through architecture.

We sincerely thank the London Design Awards jury and everyone who contributed to this project.

Behind the glass.

On May 7, Gokhan Avcioglu joined the final review jury for the Spring 2026 studio led by Şulan Kolatan, assisted by Jamie Latimer, at Pratt Institute School of Architecture.

The final jury brought together an international group of architects, educators, and researchers including Tom Verebes, Mariel Collard, Hina Jamelle, Amir Ashtiani, Kerim Eken, Alper Derinboğaz, Ferda Kolatan, and William J. Mac Donald.

Focusing on the adaptive reuse of Istanbul’s historic Haydarpaşa Train Station, the studio explored the relationship between memory, infrastructure, archaeology, urban transformation, and contemporary cultural production. The studio also addressed concepts such as adaptive reuse, spolia, and layered urban memory through Istanbul’s Byzantine and Ottoman heritage. During the review, students presented projects developed through their research and site investigations conducted throughout the semester and during their Istanbul field trip.

The studio approached Haydarpaşa not only as an architectural landmark, but also as a multilayered urban condition shaped by collective memory, migration narratives, ecological systems, and ongoing discussions surrounding public access and future urban use.

Bringing together academia and professional practice, the final reviews created a platform for extensive discussions on adaptive reuse, urban resilience, and the evolving role of architecture within historic cities.

EXPLODED HOUSE
SKETCH by GA

Gokhan Avcıoglu joined students on April 17 at Istanbul Kültür University upon the university’s invitation, engaging in a conversation on color with Dr. Sevinç Ormancı. Following the talk, in his lecture he explored how the use of color and materials shapes the identity of architectural design, emphasizing the role of context in defining the character of space, and shared his 40 years of experience through his book Less or More.

Gokhan Avcıoglu, İstanbul Kültür Üniversitesi’nin daveti üzerine 17 Nisan’da öğrencilerle bir araya gelerek Dr. Sevinç Ormancı ile renk üzerine bir söyleşi gerçekleştirdi. Söyleşinin ardından yaptığı sunumda, mimaride renk ve malzeme kullanımının tasarımın kimliğini nasıl şekillendirdiğini ele alırken, bağlamın mekânın karakterini belirlemedeki rolünü vurguladı ve Less or More kitabı üzerinden 40 yıllık deneyimini öğrencilerle paylaştı.

Gokhan Avcıoglu ve Konuralp Şenol 4 Nisan’da Kocaeli Üniversitesi Metax Mimarlık Öğrenci Kulübü tarafından düzenlenen ArchiTalks etkinliğinde öğrencilerle bir araya geldi. “Less or more” yaklaşımı ve mimari felsefe üzerine ilham verici bir sohbetin yanı sıra, farklı ölçeklerdeki projeler üzerinden tasarım süreçlerine dair değerli paylaşımlar yapıldı.

Gokhan Avcıoglu and Konuralp Şenol met with students on April 4th at the ArchiTalks event organized by the Kocaeli University Metax Architecture Student Club. In addition to an inspiring conversation on the “Less or more” approach and architectural philosophy, valuable insights into design processes were shared through projects of various scales.