GAD loses legendary architect and mentor Alpaslan Ataman

Long time member of the GAD Foundation was authority on modern and Ottoman architecture.

Leading voice of the GAD Foundation, noted architect and architectural historian Alpaslan Ataman passed away in March 2020 in Istanbul at the age of 76. Ataman had worked with the GAD Foundation as an architect and mentor to young and senior architects alike on many design and research projects. His expertise in Ottoman architecture, Istanbul urbanism and many other topics in the history of architecture made him a unique voice for the continuation of traditions in contemporary architecture. His master work, From Single Cell to Kulliye, The Urban Logic of Ottoman Public Complexes, showed how the architecture of Ottoman Kulliye was developed from cells in linear and multiplicative arrangements to create classical Ottoman architecture.  Gokhan Avcioglu said of his long time mentor and friend, “The loss of Alpaslan for me is profound as we had worked over the years to develop connections between the past and the present in GAD’s architectural projects. We will miss his unique contribution to our office and architecture culture in Istanbul and globally.”