Burak’s experience ranges through a full spectrum of commercial office, retail, healthcare, hospitality and residential sectors, and he has worked in and directed teams on various leading mixed use and high-profile projects throughout Turkey and Europe.

 

He was born in 1979 in Istanbul. After graduating from Kabataş Boys High School, he graduated from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Faculty of Architecture. He started his career at Has Architects, one of Turkey's largest and well-established architectural companies. Between 2000 and 2007, he worked as a project architect, project director and studio director in the company, respectively. He has been involved in and led a variety of large-scale projects from concept to execution. During his tenure, he had the chance to work in collaboration with well known international companies such as Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, NBBJ, Llevelyn Davies Yeang and REES Associates, at various stages of the project cycle.

 

He joined Avci Architects in 2007 with his interest in sustainability and energy efficient design. Between 2007 and 2014, he realized many national and international projects as the partner and director of Avcı Architects Istanbul Office, which he took part in the establishment. In this process, Burak had the opportunity to transfer his international experiences to his projects in Turkey by collaborating with world-renowned companies such as Gensler, FCB Studios and Atelier 10. In this period, among the works they carried out by adopting sustainability as a basic principle there are Turkish Contractors Association Headquarters, which received the Best International Project award in the UK Building Awards in 2014, and TOKİ Kayabaşı Master Plan and Residences, which received the first prize in the national architectural project competition in 2009.

 

Burak Ünder is currently practicing at Under Architects, the company he founded in 2014. Under Architects is a versatile design studio that focuses on sustainable workplace designs along with development projects in varies areas such as residential, hospitality, industrial and educational fields. He continues to work on research projects and attends competitions as well. He has won various awards in invited and national competitions he participated in, including “Samsun 19 May Urban Design Competition” and “Gallipoli Historical Area, New Martyrdom Designs Idea Project”. His research project on ‘Modular Prefabricated Units for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’ was selected as finalist in National Architecture Awards in 2022.

 

Besides his professional work, he is a member of the executive board of Istanbul SMD (Istanbul Association of Architects in Private Practice) since 2021. He is also lecturing and attending as guest jury member in several universities in Turkey.

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Education:

2005 Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi
1997  Kabataş Erkek Lisesi

 

Selected Competitions / Awards:

2018, 2. Place / Gelibolu Tarihi Alanı, Yeni Şehitlik Tasarımları Fikir Projesi Yarışması (Ulusal Yarışma) / ÇİNİCİ + PEYZAJ TASARIM ile birlikte
2017, 2. Place / Samsun 19 Mayıs İzleği ve Çevresi Kentsel Tasarım Yarışması (Ulusal Yarışma)
2016, 1. Place / Bayer Genel Merkezi, Davetli Yarışma
2015, 1. Place / Turkcell İzmir Genel Merkezi, Davetli Yarışma
2011, 1. Place / Türkiye Müteahhitler Birliği Genel Merkez Binası, Davetli Yarışma (Avcı Architects)
2009, 1. Place / TOKİ Kayabaşı Konut Tasarımı Ulusal Mimari Yarışması (Avcı Architects)
2007, Finalist / Zorlu Center Davetli Proje Yarışması (Has Mimarlık + LlewelynDavies&Yeang)
2004, Finalist / Oyak Renault Yeni Sosyal ve İdari Binası Davetli Proje Yarışması (Has Architects)

 

Memberships:

İstanbul Serbest Mimarlar Derneği - Board Member - 2021-2023
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü
Kabataş Erkek Lisesi Mezunlar Derneği
Mimarlar Odası