The Power of Knowledge: MAA's Melike Altınışık on Risk, Self-Realization, and Collaboration
Portrait of Melike by NAARO.
By Julia Gamolina
Melike Altınışık is an award-winning architect and designer dedicated to developing innovative projects towards urbanism, architecture, and design. She leads her international architecture practice Melike Altınışık Architects (MAA) with offices based in Istanbul, Turkey and in Seoul, South Korea.
She has been listed in RIBA’s book ‘100 Women: Architects in Practice’ (2024). Her work includes CTBUH 2022 “Best Tall Non-Building” winning futuristic 369m supertall the Istanbul TV-Radio Tower and the world's first pioneering Seoul Robot and AI Museum.
JG: Tell me about your foundational years — where did you grow up and what did you like to do as a kid?
MA: I was born into a vibrant and colorful family in Turkey. As a child, I loved solving puzzles, and this has shaped my problem-solving approach today, where I move from parts to the whole. Growing up on the Altınışık Farm until I was twelve years old also gave me a deep connection with nature. However, some of my most interesting memories about architecture are tied to a magical twelve-room mansion where my grandparents lives. This mansion, built in the 1880s and passed down to the Altınışık family in the 1920s, became a place of wonder for me. This unique upbringing, combining city life with farm life, has influenced my architectural practice, which I now describe as creating a reality that touches people by blending nature and technology.
My grandmother was my first guide in life. She was a world traveler in the 1980s, and I loved listening to her stories. My father also greatly influenced me. He was a structural engineer, but he also had a deep love for science and art. His passion for art allowed me to experiment with various materials from a young age. Instead of making snowmen, we made snowlions, and this creativity helped me always push ideas further. Helping my father with his art projects, like recreating a fresco scene from the Pergamon Altar using aerated concrete or carving an abstract dolphin from a huge tree stump taught me the value of hands-on learning and the master-apprentice relationship.
Camlıca Tower. Photography by NAARO.
Camlıca Tower, Interior Lobby. Photography by NAARO.
How did you choose where you studied architecture?
I have decided to study architecture in Istanbul Technical University where the department is located in a historical building named ‘Taşkışla’. In 1999, when I walked through the historic doors of the Taşkışla building, the invaluable professors and many individuals I encountered in its quiet corridors, central courtyard, and studios significantly contributed to my architectural journey.
In 2003, After accomplishing my bachelor studies with high honours at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), my adventure took me from Istanbul to London. I had the opportunity to pursue my master’s degree at the Architectural Association's Design Research Laboratory (AA DRL) in a historic Victorian-era building located in Bedford Square, in the heart of London. Passing through the door that opened to London, I learned that nothing is impossible; it just may take some time to happen. By working hard, persevering through falls, and most importantly, continuing with patience and hope, dreams can be realized.
The minds that these institutions connect you with can open entirely new and important adventures in your life. In the narrow corridors and tiny rooms of AA, I met many architects who I had only known through books and research during my undergraduate studies at ITU. Through presentations and jury participations at AA, I had the chance to meet these architects in person. I discovered that those individuals, who often seemed so out of reach, were accessible and very much like us.
Tell me about your firm — why you started, how it has evolved over the years. What are you focused on these days?
In 2012, after spending eight years in London, I found myself at a critical juncture regarding my future. I could either continue my path at Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), working on unique and pioneering projects at one of the leading firms, or take a significant risk and return to Istanbul to start my own venture from scratch. I chose the challenging path. After graduation from the AA and seven years of international professional experience at ZHA I decided to take the risk and change my world.
In 2013, I returned to Istanbul and decided to leverage all my accumulated knowledge and experience under the umbrella of Melike Altınışık Architects. Today, MAA has grown into an international architectural practice with offices in Istanbul, Turkey, and Seoul, South Korea. MAA's professional portfolio includes futuristic and technologically advanced innovative projects like the Istanbul TV-Radio Tower, a 369-meter-tall structure awarded CTBUH’s “Best Tall Non-Building 2022”, and the Seoul Robot and AI Museum (RAIM), the world's first pioneering museum dedicated to robotics and artificial intelligence.
The year 2024 will be one where MAA reaps the rewards of our hard work over the past five years. Three of our long-anticipated projects will be inaugurated soon. In our plans for the next coming years, we aim to extend MAA’s presence and office locations beyond Istanbul and Seoul by establishing offices in London and Los Angeles,USA.
“Achieving self-realization is not about being male or female, one or zero, right or wrong. It is about being a resilient, dynamic, and balanced person and architect, existing in the shades of all grey between black and white.”
Looking back at it all, what have been the biggest challenges? How did you both manage through perceived disappointments or setbacks?
When I moved to London in 2004, the world was different from the one we live in today. However, regardless of geography, language, religion, or race, "architecture and women" remains an important global issue. During my time in London, I learned that in the field of architecture, and when discussing women in architecture, we should focus on life beyond gender. The environment in London provided me with the opportunity to work globally, teaching me to pursue equality without compromising my beliefs.
With your vision, you can first influence those in your immediate surroundings, then a broader audience, and eventually change the vision of millions and the world. The key to this is believing in the power of "knowledge," which transcends gender. If you follow the power of knowledge, continuously develop your expertise, and share information, you will become innovative and overcome challenges. Gender becomes invisible, and the power of knowledge takes precedence.
Seoul Sejong Performing Arts Center, courtesy of MAA.
TPAO Headquarters, courtesy of MAA.
What have you also learned in the last six months?
Today, if RIBA still feels the need to contribute to increasing women's visibility and voice through initiatives like the "100 Women: Architects in Practice" book, which examines the contributions of 100 women architects globally, it means the struggle continues.
In the future we create, we don't need heroes with logos, capes, masks, or extraordinary powers, nor do we need to be princesses waiting to be saved in fairy tales with happy endings. Achieving self-realization is not about being male or female, one or zero, right or wrong. It is about being a resilient, dynamic, and balanced person and architect, existing in the shades of all grey between black and white.
What are you most excited about right now?
In 2024, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) announced an international competition for the Sejong Performing Arts Center project, located in Yeouido Park in front of the Seoul Finance Center, perpendicular to the Han River. We decided to participate in this project with our MAA Seoul office. We formed a powerful alliance with BAUM Architects, known for their significant works in South Korea, and Aliveus Landscape, with MAA as the lead design office. Our project was selected among the top five teams in the first stage, competing with prestigious firms such as Heerim Architects, Durig AG, DMP Architects, and Zaha Hadid Architects.
We were invited by the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) to present our proposal for the first stage of the competition. The SMG officials, along with the public, requested open project presentations. Through this approach, the SMG opened the doors to a collaborative and participatory process. Throughout the rest of 2024, feedback from SMG officials, various civil initiatives, the public, and the jury will be gathered. In parallel, detailed funding studies will be conducted, and the main project budget report will be shared with the competitors by the end of 2024. The five teams will go through an intensive period of work and competition. We are greatly honoured to be competing in the same competition as ZHA, a firm that played a significant role at the beginning of my architectural career. We eagerly await the results with excitement. The winning project will be announced in the first quarter of 2025.
“Be curious, for curiosity seeks knowledge, and the power of knowledge is above all else; we must never forget this truth.”
What is the impact you’d like to have on the world? What is your core mission? And, what does success in that look like to you?
In recent years, the various devastating natural disasters, and pandemics we've experienced in this region have instilled in us a significant awareness. We are rapidly moving toward the future, but within this pace, we need a deliberate slowness. In this context, we must develop new awareness about the density of our cities, living spaces, and the kind of future that awaits us. We need to design and produce materials that might not currently be used in architecture but can help us use natural resources more efficiently and intelligently. I believe we should design the lifestyles of the future and then develop the necessary projects in the built environment.
On one hand, we are designing smart cities, smart architectures, smart products, and smart materials that aim to heal the wounds we have inflicted on nature and humanity. On the other hand, projects like the Seoul Robot and AI Museum demonstrate how we are also transforming smart technological tools into important actors that design and produce with us in the process. This approach sets sail on a journey to expand the contextual thinking boundaries of architecture.
Seoul Robot AI Museum. Courtesy of MAA.
COA Hills, courtesy of MAA.
Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career? Would your advice be any different for women?
Be curious, for curiosity seeks knowledge, and the power of knowledge is above all else; we must never forget this truth. In life and in the professional field, you can overcome challenges calmly and virtuously by harnessing the power of knowledge where gender becomes invisible.
Secondly, an architect who is research-oriented, never forgets the importance of collaboration, and always seeks opportunities to work interactively with different disciplines can realize their potential more quickly. Believe in collaborations and mentorship and always remember there are doors that you don’t know yet they are open.