Application
Admission is open to all bachelor’s degree holders, aiming academic or professional career and interested in furthering their education through a program of individual study in architecture and urban design.
Required application materials are:
1- Statement of Interest (A personal statement explaining goals and objectives for the program,description of the intended field of study, research or design project based on Istanbul and its relation with the main theme of the studio)
2- Current resume (CV) and creative portfolio
3- English Language Proficiency Test Result
Participants will be able to join the program without paying any contribution fee.
Given the individualized nature of the Academy’s program, there are a limited number of spots available each semester, so we suggest early applications. Interested participants are encouraged to contact the Academy’s director to express their intent to apply.
The language of the program is Turkish and English. Seminars, conferences and events are mostly held in Turkish. The applicants are expected to have sufficient knowledge in English to be able to read, discuss, research and present their studies. All applicants whose native language is not Turkish or English must submit YDS (min 65), TOEFL IBT (min 70) or IELTS (min 6.0) score for admissions.
2025 / Spring Semester
Interview Date: 8 March, 2025
Program Start Date: 10 March, 2025
Program End Date: 29 June, 2025
AURA Istanbul 2025 Spring Semester Certificate Program will start on 10 March and will continue for 16 weeks.
During the Semester, seminars, conferences and events will be held in person at the AURA Istanbul’s center in Beşiktaş, Istanbul. Participants are expected to adapt to the dynamic structure of the events within the program and participate in the program fulltime on weekdays and Saturdays.
The core of the Academy’s program is the Research-Based Design Studio. The instructors of the studio will be Deniz Aslan and Elif Çelik. The projects will be formed around the theme of “Heterotopia: A Tale of the City”. Applicants are expected to detail their research-based design project proposal and its relationship with the studio theme in their letter of intent.
Participants will be able to join the program without paying any contribution fee.
Detailed information about the program can be found on the Program, Program Modules and Design Studio pages.
In line with the requests from our candidates, we are extending the application deadline by one week.
Application Deadline: 2 March 2025,(23.59 GMT+3).
RESEARCH-BASED DESIGN STUDIO
“Heterotopıa: A Tale of the Cıty”
Heterotopic spaces accumulate unexpected subcultural energies through different social codes and patterns, creating new spatial states. Here, it is possible to speak of a reshaped, amorphous formation. This state pertains to the new experiential opportunities individuals acquire. Heterotopic formations also encompass successive critical narratives.
This study period will be driven by the motivation to analyze, narrate, generate new meanings, and map the transformative potential of the “Other” through the lens of Istanbul. In particular, by placing nature and organicity at the center of the analysis, we aim to explore the new awareness that emerges from rewinding anthropocentrism.
Our expectation is to construct a hypertext formed by all these narratives through disciplines such as sociology, architectural urbanism, landscape architecture, art, cinema, and ecology.
STUDIO INSTRUCTORS
Deniz Aslan
Deniz Aslan graduated from Istanbul Technical University’s Faculty of Architecture in 1986. He completed his master’s degree in Landscape Planning at Yildiz Technical University in 1989 and earned his PhD in Architectural Design from ITU in 2000.
Between 1989 and 2017, he served as a faculty member in the Department of Architecture at ITU’s Faculty of Architecture. In 2018, he was awarded the title of Associate Professor.
From 2000 to 2007, he played a key role in establishing and developing the Landscape Architecture Department at ITU’s Faculty of Architecture. During these years, he conducted research and published works on “Contemporary Landscape Architecture Education” and participated as a speaker in numerous conferences.
Deniz Aslan has received various awards in competitions and has contributed to national and international publications, projects, exhibitions, workshops, and jury panels.
As a founding partner of DS Architecture, he continues his professional career through both theoretical and practical work at the intersection of architecture and landscape architecture.
Elif Çelik
She graduated from Istanbul Technical University’s Faculty of Architecture in 2001 and completed her master’s degree in Architectural Design at the same university in 2004.
Between 2001 and 2003, she participated in urban revitalization projects in Mardin and Adıyaman alongside Atilla Yücel and Pelin Derviş.
In 2008, she received training on green building certification systems and wrote a master’s thesis on the subject.
In 2010, she worked at Albert Abut Architects in Japan.
From 2003 to 2017, she worked as a project coordinator at DS Architecture, focusing on projects at the intersection of urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture. During this period, she participated in numerous competitions and workshops.
Since 2018, she has continued her work under the umbrella of “Landworks – Landscape and Urban Design,” in collaboration with Zeynep Hagur.
ALUMNI PROJECTS
