What Yalın Mimarlık does

Yalın Mimarlık is a private architecture and urban design office founded in 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey by architect Ömer Selçuk Baz and city planner Okan Bal. The firm operates as a single integrated practice offering architectural design services across museums, mosques, civic and cultural buildings, residential and social housing, healthcare facilities, and master planning. Its core technology is human-led, site-specific design craft rather than any software platform; there are no proprietary algorithms, APIs, or technology products referenced in the source material.

Revenue is generated through fee-based architectural design contracts acquired primarily via open architectural competitions organized by Turkish government agencies and municipalities, supplemented by invited commissions from public and private clients. Pricing is project-by-project negotiation, not publicly disclosed, and revenue is non-recurring per project. The customer base is heavily skewed toward the public sector — including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, multiple governorates and metropolitan municipalities (Zonguldak, Çanakkale, Manisa, Konya, İzmir), the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, and Boğaziçi University — with private residential and boutique commissions as a secondary segment. Distribution is enterprise field sales through competition entries and invited tenders; the firm has no self-service, product, or SaaS motion.

The practice employs approximately 9–13 core staff, supported by a broader collaboration network of ~185 specialists across ~70 projects lifetime. Marketing is earned-media-led via Dezeen, ArchDaily, Divisare, TIME, Turkish design press, and participation in exhibitions including the Venice Architecture Biennale (2025) and ADA Design & Antiques Show (2026). The firm has won four National Architecture Awards (2012 TCMB Bursa, 2020 Troya Müzesi, 2022 Zonguldak Visitor Center, 2026 Manisa Museum), the EMYA Special Prize 2020 for Troya Müzesi, and the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture 2022 (UNESCO patronage), positioning it as a top-tier Turkish boutique firm with international recognition.

Name

Yalın Mimarlık

Legal name

Yalın Mimarlık

Website

https://yalin-mimarlik.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Yalın Mimarlık is a private Istanbul-based architecture and urban design firm founded in 2011, specializing in museums, civic, cultural, mosque, and residential projects for Turkish government agencies, municipalities, and select private clients through competition wins and invited commissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (541410), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious & Cultural Building Construction (Places of Worship, Museums, Libraries) (IMAFACAH), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban master planning
• Cultural building design
• Residential architecture
• Civic infrastructure design

Headquarters

HQ city

Istanbul (Kuzguncuk, Üsküdar)

HQ country

Türkiye

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Yalın Mimarlık generates revenue through fee-based architectural design contracts, won via competition or direct commission. Revenue is project-based, non-recurring per project, and tied to public and private sector clients. Services include master planning, building design, interior design, and landscape design across cultural, civic, residential, and commercial typologies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Yalın Mimarlık provides architectural design services across a diverse range of building typologies, including museums and cultural facilities, mosques and religious buildings, residential complexes, civic and public buildings, and healthcare facilities. The firm complements its building-level design work with urban design and master planning services, delivering site-specific, contextual architecture that responds to local culture, geography, and community needs for public and private sector clients.

Product overview

Yalın Mimarlık is an architecture and urban design office offering comprehensive architectural design services across diverse building types and scales. Founded in 2011 by Ömer Selçuk Baz (Architect) and Okan Bal (City Planner), the firm operates as a single integrated practice rather than a platform with separate modules. The portfolio encompasses museum and exhibition design (including the award-winning Troya Müzesi), mosque design, residential architecture, cultural and civic buildings, healthcare facilities, and urban design/master planning. The firm also runs an educational model workshop program and actively participates in architectural competitions. Notable completed projects include Troya Müzesi (Museum of Troy), Zonguldak Mağaraları Ziyaretçi Merkezi (Zonguldak Caves Visitor Center), Çanakkale Gazi Evi (Veterans House), and various municipal buildings, libraries, and cultural centers across Turkey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum and Cultural Facility Architectural Design Architectural design services for museums, cultural centers, and cultural facilities, delivered for public agencies and cultural institutions.
• Mosque and Religious Building Architectural Design Architectural design services for mosques and religious buildings that integrate contemporary architectural expression with religious and cultural traditions, delivered for religious foundations and public clients.
• Residential Architectural Design Architectural design services for residential buildings, delivered for private developers and property owners seeking site-specific, contextually integrated residential architecture.
• Civic and Public Building Architectural Design Architectural design services for civic and public buildings, delivered for government ministries, municipalities, and public agencies.
• Healthcare Facility Architectural Design Architectural design services for healthcare facilities, delivered for public health agencies and private healthcare operators.
• Urban Design and Master Planning Urban design and master planning services integrating city planning expertise with architectural design, delivered for public agencies, municipalities, and private developers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple National Architecture Awards in the Building category (2012 TCMB Bursa, 2020 Troya Museum, 2022 Zonguldak Visitor Center, 2026 Manisa Museum)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Atelye70 + Landworks (joint venture for oliVelo)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Yalın Mimarlık entered a joint venture with Atelye70 and Landworks for the oliVelo Izmir Ecological Common Life Space competition. The team won first prize in this competition in 2020. This represents a project-specific strategic collaboration rather than a sustained partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SANAA: Japanese architecture practice globally recognized for museums and cultural buildings (e.g., Louvre-Lens, New Museum). Comparable in cultural-architecture excellence and award-led positioning, with substantially greater international scale.
• David Chipperfield Architects: British firm internationally renowned for award-winning museum and cultural architecture, including UNESCO-recognized heritage projects. Comparable civic/museum specialization and award pedigree, with much larger international footprint.
• Ennead Architects: American firm specializing in cultural, civic, and institutional architecture including museums, libraries, and government buildings. Direct typological peer for Yalın's cultural/civic portfolio, though at much larger scale.
• Studio Gang: American firm with strong civic and museum architecture portfolio, including natural history museums and cultural centers. Comparable in cultural-typology focus and sustainability-oriented positioning, though at larger scale.
• Mecanoo: Dutch firm with significant civic and cultural typology portfolio (libraries, museums, public buildings). Comparable in public-sector orientation and library/cultural museum focus, with global delivery footprint.
• Snøhetta: International firm known for contextually rooted cultural and civic architecture (museums, libraries, public buildings). A broad incumbent in the same civic/cultural typology space with stronger global brand and larger delivery capacity.
• Kengo Kuma & Associates: Japanese firm with strong cultural and civic portfolio emphasizing materiality and context — closely aligned with Yalın's design philosophy. Comparable in typological focus and award recognition, with much broader international delivery.

Direct peers

• Emre Arolat Architecture (EAA): Istanbul-based architectural firm of comparable scale specializing in cultural, civic, and commercial buildings across Turkey. Similar competition-based GTM, public-sector client base, and award-winning profile, making it the closest direct Turkish peer.
• SO? Architecture and Ideas: Istanbul-based architecture and research firm of similar size that also operates at the intersection of cultural, civic, and experimental typologies. Comparable competition-driven model, similar profile of international awards and publications.
• Tabanlıoğlu Architects: Major Istanbul architectural practice delivering large-scale cultural, civic, and public infrastructure projects across Turkey and internationally. Comparable in typological focus on museums, libraries, and civic buildings, though substantially larger in headcount and project scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPkXrUw_CfaOX3bnyApVzmQ
• Instagraminstagram.com/yalin_mimarlik
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yal%C4%B1n-mimarl%C4%B1k

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yalın Mimarlık