iki design group was established in 1995 by Murat Kader and Sema Eser Ozsaruhan as an architecture and design platform, and since then it has been contributing to modern architecture. No matter scale and scope, whether urban or rural, the solutions are conceived to be functional, inspiring and “timeless”. iki design group addresses a holistic design understanding and forges a multidisciplinary working environment where individual capacities complement and energize each other. Owing to a systematic approach it is aimed that powerful and creative spatial articulations would be compatible with context and function, well detailed, cost efficient and eco-friendly. Going beyond just delivering information and document for the building process, iki design group holds the enthusiasm to develop new interpretations to the interrelations in between future, nature, human, environment and urban. iki design group holds the belief that delivering better buildings and spaces to society has a direct influence on the happiness of people. Architecture is an integral part of everyday life as it constantly seeks new ways and solutions to bring quality to the physical environment. As pursuit of happiness and maintaining a wishful life from future are the essences of a pleased society.Architecture directly serves this by means of appropriate, affordable and sufficient spaces where life is experienced and lived. iki design group is driven with a simple understanding that combined knowledge enriches architectural design. Not just because of increasing difficulties and complexity of contemporary architectural challenges, but as radically changed social system requires architecture to collaborate more with specialized professions. To put forward a new interpretation to the interrelationship between human, nature and cities within highly dynamic, mobilized and urbanized society, architecture in a position to reach and to embrace diverse capacities. iki design group incorporates different teams and develops skills to deepen its resources in order to deliver a comprehensive service to meet the aspirations of the clients. A number of strategic group chaired by the partners reviews the project, sets design targets and determines the overall methods to be followed. Research and development plays a crucial role to remain up-to-date and develops new capacities to resolve the complexity of assignments. As architecture gets more involved in urban aspects, due to the large scales and complex scopes of contemporary commissions, planning and design abilities needs to interact and interplay. Urban design is becoming indispensable to organize and regulate the design development process. Rather than single buildings enclosing to its surrounding and do not have communication with the urban context, space making and rendering the built environment integral part of social and cultural life are the main objectives of today’s architectural practice. iki design group believes that combining creativity and realism makes sure to capture all values of the project itself and accelerates to reach an consensus with the singular identity of each commission.
iki design group is committed to develop dynamic and interactive space arrangements that are sensitive to culture and climate. The practice is driven with a particular attention to address a holistic approach in which from master planning to product design are assumed to be the integral part of the service. Devoting attention to promote the values of “inspiring” and “connecting” results in innovative structural designs and enhanced public realm that are both responsive to the context and function along with client’s aspirations. iki design group especially focuses on energy-efficient design engagements and concerns to respond the ecological challenges with the most respect. While powerful and inspirational solutions constitute the general practice, each commission aims to deliver environmentally viable, economically feasible and socially vibrant physical settings. Over the last 20 years iki design group based on an idea that sharing idea, knowledge and imagination are the pillars of architectural practice and enriching the social life is the ultimate purpose. Architecture is facing a significant transformation. Scales are getting large, scopes are becoming complex. To meet the challenges of contemporary architecture which are sustainable development, global warming as wells as vulnerability to the disasters, design process needs to be performed within a more interdisciplinary working environment. To face boldly the challenges of increasingly urbanized and inextricably interlinked yet mobilized society, architecture is supposed to perform with planning and engineering experts along with project management and contractual management specialists. This leads a new working environment where necessary supports regarding the particularity of each commission have to be provided in-houses disciplines. Such an expanding working atmosphere in architecture is getting crucial to be able to face the increasing rigidity of the challenges ahead of architecture. That is why it is not surprizing that architectural offices are constantly evolving and getting institutionalized where a multidisciplinary working environment are being fostered. iki design group employs an holistic approach, not only bringing together architectural and planning capacities, but also supports them with engineering competence. Backward and forward integration during the design process along with continuity among the scales are achieved by a master plan which introduces general objectives of the project. Today, master plan is becoming a complementary strategic device overseeing not only the physical and design aspects, but it also sets overall managerial and administrative concerns by which all parties and stakeholder could follow. Master plan is increasingly getting essential to succeed a better architecture with which society could benefit more from design. As a result, a quality can be ensured by an integrated planning and design process that individuals and communities could lead a better life and a better future. iki design group architectural philosophy is firmly grounded in environmental sustainability and cost-effective energy use.
Murat Kader graduated from Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Architecture in 1991 and received his master degree from University of Pennsylvania in 1994. Before establishing his own practice iki design group with Sema Eser Ozsaruhan, Murat Kader worked with Behruz Çinici in Turkey, Marshalek & Laughclater Architecture in Vienna-Austria and Stanford Wilk Architecture in Boston-USA. Since 1995 he leads iki design group with Sema Eser Ozsaruhan and has played a pivotal role in most iki design group projects. Kader’s interest lies in building technologies and design management. His practice is based on constant exploration on dynamic and revolutionary settings by which architecture could vigorously interact with interrelated fields- engineering, urbanism and design.