Get in touch with us at info@atelierbirches.com
Through collaborative efforts, multidisciplinary insights, and nature-focused approaches;
Birches designs environments that are inclusive, thoughtful, and regenerative.
Atelier Birches is an Istanbul-based architecture and research studio founded by İsmail Kocataş in 2022. The practice is grounded in the intersection of design, theory, and urban studies, focusing on architecture's spatial, social, and temporal dimensions. Since its founding, Birches has won multiple awards in national(Turkey) and international architectural competitions, recognized for its context-sensitive and nature-driven approach. The studio works with a compact core team supported by a wider network of collaborators from various disciplines. This flexible structure enables tailored strategies for each project and fosters a collaborative, research-oriented working environment. Birches’ founder İsmail Kocataş is an architect and researcher working on spatial practice, critical theory, and urban history. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Liverpool, focusing on the political and cultural dimensions of urban infrastructure. His approach combines design and research, positioning architecture as a tool for conceptual inquiry and social transformation.
AWARDS
Honorable Mention - International Competition for Podgorica Trade Fair and Congress Center · 2025
1st Prize - Urban Design Ideas Competition for the City Center of Hopa · 2025
Honorable Mention - International Competition for Forest Park Lješkopoljska Gorica, Podgorica · 2024
2nd Honorable Mention - Unalan Culture and Art Hub Competition · 2023
1st Prize - Küçükçekmece Lagoon Basin Urban Design Competition · 2022
1st Prize - Kayseri Talas Urban Park and Cultural Center Urban Design Competition · 2021
Honorable Mention - Gaziantep 100th Anniversary Monument and Landscape Design Competition · 2021
1st Prize - Kayseri Melikgazi Urban Meeting Point Ideas Competition · 2020
1st Prize - Kayseri Talas Mevlana Neighborhood Square Ideas Competition · 2020
4th Honorable Mention - Bursa Çekirge Square Urban Design Competition · 2017
1st Prize - Çuhadaroğlu "Observation Tower" Student Design Competition · 2016
1st Prize - Rönesans Holding "Design for a Sustainable Future" Student Competition · 2015
Honorable Mention - Chevalier Restaurant International Student Competition · 2015
Honorable Mention - Kayseri Melikgazi Market Area Urban Design Competition · 2014
1st Prize - Ytong "Cultural Continuity" Design Competition · 2014
1st Prize - "Meteoric Void" Eskişehir Stadium and Surroundings Ideas Competition · 2014
Our Collabrations
Bilge Akbulut · Yakup Akdağ · Aysu Ataş · Buse Ayaz · Burak Bozkurt Ateş · Elif Beyza Birer · Mehmet Bulut · Beyza Daş · Sevban Dağlıoğlu · Mehmet Erdönmez · Eylül Güngör · Hüsniddin Hakimov · Emre Hüsrev · Gülşah Güneş · Göksel Kısbet · Eren Kırıştıoğlu · Nurseli Karatepe · Özlem Kevseroğlu · Kübra Küçük · Hüsna Nur Pehlivan · Hamza Orak · Nur Sapmaz · Nisa Nur Sevinç · Rana Buse Tavşan · Akif Emre Tavlaşoğlu · Evrim Tombul · Ezgi Yaman · Rümeysa Yapar · Ege Rafet Yahşi · Selen Özgür