KAAT Architecture + Urbanism

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KAAT is an Istanbul- and Barcelona-based architecture and urban design practice founded in 2015 by Sacit Arda Karaatlı and Lebriz Atan Karaatlı. The studio is competition-driven and experimental in method, treating each project as a chance to test how built form can emerge from — rather than sit upon — its site. Landscape, topography, and natural systems are handled not as backdrop but as primary structural material: in KAAT's work, nature and architecture are designed as a single, inseparable whole.

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Operating across Turkey and the international market, with a particular focus on cultural, public, and large-scale projects, KAAT works on architecture, urban design, interior design, material research, augmented reality, and installations. The practice maintains studios in Istanbul (Moda, Kadıköy) and Barcelona (Sant Martí).

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Recognition

KAAT's work has been recognized by international and Turkish juries:

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Europe 40under40® (2021–2022) — Winner, Lebriz Atan Karaatlı. Awarded by The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies.

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Claude Parent Prize (2024) — Finalist (selected as one of 9 finalists from 139 entries across 39 countries). Awarded by Claude Parent Archives and the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Montpellier.

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Arkitera Young Architect Award — Winner (with Bilgin Architects), Lebriz Atan Karaatlı and Sacit Arda Karaatlı. Awarded by Arkitera Architecture Centre.

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Tamayouz "Rising Star Women in Architecture and Construction" — Lebriz Atan Karaatlı. Awarded by the Tamayouz Excellence Award.

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Bakırköy Cumhuriyet Square Urban Design Competition (Bakırköy Cumhuriyet Meydanı Kentsel Tasarım Yarışması) — 1st Prize (equivalent, national competition).

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İztuzu Sea Turtle Care Station (İztuzu Kumsalı Deniz Kaplumbağaları Bakım İstasyonu Yarışması) — 1st Prize (national competition).

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Erenköy Hospital for Psychiatric Diseases Competition (Erenköy Ruh ve Sinir Hastalıkları Hastanesi Mimari Proje Yarışması) — 1st Prize (national competition).

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Selected built and ongoing work

KAAT's portfolio spans completed buildings and projects currently in construction or detailed design:

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Mecidiyeköy Art & İstanbul Bookstore — completed and in use, Istanbul.

Vatan Pavilion — completed and in use.

Gavuzoğlu Elderly Rehabilitation Center — under construction.

Jeddah High-Rise Tower — in detailed design toward construction, Saudi Arabia.

Yalova Farmhouse — in detailed design toward construction.

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In brief

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KAAT Architecture + Urbanism is a competition-driven, experimental architecture and urban design studio based in Istanbul and Barcelona, founded in 2015 by Sacit Arda Karaatlı and Lebriz Atan Karaatlı. Known for an approach in which landscape and natural systems are treated as inseparable from built form, the practice has been a Europe 40under40 winner, a Claude Parent Prize finalist, and an Arkitera Young Architect Award winner, with built work in Istanbul and projects across Turkey and the Gulf region.