01Culture and Public
Architecture office – Istanbul, Ankara
Threshold: where inside meets outside
Since 2003 we have been designing housing, cultural buildings, public buildings and urban spaces. We start every project with the same question: how does this building shape the threshold between people and their surroundings?
Projects
Buildings rooted in place
02Culture and Public
Seramik Müzesi, Kütahya
03Culture and Public
Sahil Kültür Merkezi, Samsun
04Housing
Stone Courtyard Housing, Mardin
05Culture and Public
Ortaokul Kampüsü, Gaziantep
06Housing
Kıyı Evi, Urla
07Housing
Sedir Sokak Konutları, Kadıköy
08Housing
Çayyolu Vadi Evleri, Ankara
The office
Less, well and in place
Eşik Mimarlık was founded in 2003 by Lale Orhun and Cenk Sönmez. Our designs rest on the climate, materials and memory of place; they avoid showiness and build simple, durable buildings. Public buildings and housing are at the center of the office's work.
- 01Design responsive to local materials and climate
- 0214 first prizes from competitions
- 03BIM coordination and design supervision on site
- Year founded
- 2003
- Completed buildings
- 118
- Awards and mentions
- 36
- Team members
- 41
Award-winning buildings
The office's 36 awards and mentions range from cultural buildings to housing, urban space to restoration. In the last five years we won three national and two international awards.
All awardsAwards
The office's national and international awards, mentions and competition first prizes since 2003.
| Award | Year | Scope | Rank | Awarding body | Project | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Architecture Award – Cultural Buildings | 2025 | National | Award | National Architecture Awards | City Library, Eskişehir | View |
| Mediterranean Architecture Awards – Grand Prize | 2025 | International | First prize | Mediterranean Architecture Awards | Seramik Müzesi, Kütahya | View |
| Urban Space Awards – Mention | 2025 | International | Mention | Urban Space Awards | İstasyon Meydanı, Konya | View |
| National Architecture Awards – Mention | 2024 | National | Mention | National Architecture Awards | Liman Çarşısı, İzmir | View |
| Sustainable Building Awards – Award | 2024 | National | Award | Sustainable Building Awards | Yayla Oteli, Uludağ | View |
| National Building Awards – First Prize (Housing) | 2023 | National | First prize | National Building Awards | Stone Courtyard Housing, Mardin | View |
Services
Design across every scale
- 01 Architectural Design Concept, preliminary and construction design and permit processes for housing, public, cultural and commercial…
- 02 Urban Design and Planning Participatory design and master plans for squares, waterfronts and regeneration areas.
- 03 Interior Architecture and Furniture Interiors for housing, offices, libraries and hotels; custom-designed furniture and fittings.
- 04 Restoration and Adaptive Reuse Restoration, strengthening and conversion to new uses of listed and industrial heritage buildings.
- 05 Architectural Competitions and Feasibility Participation in architectural competitions, preparation of competition briefs and investment feasibility studies.
Approach
How we think about a building
- 01
Reading the place
Every project starts with an analysis of the site's climate, topography and memory.
- 02
Honesty of materials
Stone, timber, brick and concrete: materials show and age as they are.
- 03
Low-carbon building
Local materials and passive design strategies were used in 70% of projects.
- 04
Public value
We ask what a building gives to the street, the city and the neighbor.
From our clients
In the words of those who use our buildings
01 / 04
Publications
Magazine features, books, exhibitions, papers and interviews.
A Reading Garden: Eskişehir City Library
Mekân Magazine – cover story, 2025
- Year
- 2025
- Type
- Magazine
- Publication / institution
- Mekân Magazine – cover story
Eşik: 20 Years, 100 Buildings
Çizgi Publishing – office monograph, 2023
- Year
- 2023
- Type
- Book
- Publication / institution
- Çizgi Publishing – office monograph
The Rediscovery of Local Stone
Kent ve Yapı Magazine, 2023
- Year
- 2023
- Type
- Magazine
- Publication / institution
- Kent ve Yapı Magazine
Thresholds of the City
National Architecture Exhibition, Istanbul, 2024
- Year
- 2024
- Type
- Exhibition
- Publication / institution
- National Architecture Exhibition, Istanbul
Low-Carbon Public Buildings
Sustainable Building Symposium, 2024
- Year
- 2024
- Type
- Paper / Conference
- Publication / institution
- Sustainable Building Symposium
Interview with Lale Orhun: Slowness in Architecture
Çizgi Magazine, 2024
- Year
- 2024
- Type
- Interview
- Publication / institution
- Çizgi Magazine
Kiln, Dome, City: The Ceramics Museum
Mekân Magazine, 2022
- Year
- 2022
- Type
- Magazine
- Publication / institution
- Mekân Magazine
Shade in Public Space
Urban Design Congress, 2022
- Year
- 2022
- Type
- Paper / Conference
- Publication / institution
- Urban Design Congress
Media
In the press and in the studio
Eskişehir City Library: the story of a reading garden
From the 2019 competition to the 2023 opening: the design and construction process of a library made of nine small reading houses.
Read MoreCeramics Museum wins the grand prize at the Mediterranean Architecture Awards
The Kütahya Ceramics Museum won the grand prize in a field of 212 projects from 14 countries.
Read MoreContemporary housing in local stone: notes from Mardin
What we learned at Stone Courtyard Housing: stone craftsmanship, courtyard layout and passive cooling in temperatures above 40 degrees.
Read MoreTeam
The people around the table
Thinking about a project?
Tell us about your plot, budget and expectations; the first meeting is on us.
Get in touch