Young architect couple opens their own studio in Trabzon
Mert Kağan Yılmaz and Ezgi Girgin Yılmaz opened their own office in Trabzon Yomra after completing their architecture education. In the interview, they discuss the challenges of starting a young studio in the region and the origins of their "rational foundations, aesthetic volumes" approach.
In an interview Yomra Sonhaber conducted at our studio, we talked about the process of opening our own office in Trabzon after finishing our architecture education.
Why Trabzon, why your own office?
Working at a firm in a big city is the safe path for a young architect. But you only touch one stage of the project — either you draw, or you're on site. We believe design weakens when it's cut off from the construction site. Trabzon is a place at the right scale to hold both sides under one roof.
What does "rational foundations, aesthetic volumes" mean?
A building's form becomes lasting when it doesn't conflict with the constraints of its site. Slope, orientation, zoning rights, relationships with neighboring plots — these aren't obstacles, they're inputs to the design. We see aesthetics not as a shell applied on top of these inputs afterward, but as the result of resolving them correctly.
Working together
Reading the same project through two different perspectives lets decisions mature earlier. Mert focuses on massing and site coordination, Ezgi on interior layout and material decisions — but no decision is made alone.
The full interview was originally published in Yomra Sonhaber.
