CONVERSATIONS WITH TURKEY'S CAREER PIONEERS - ENIS ÖNCÜOĞLU

This week’s guest on our Career Pioneers Talk was Enis Öncüoğlu, the owner of Öncüoğlu + ACP Mimarlık. Mr. Öncüoğlu, who started his talk by introducing himself, said that together with his wife, brother and partner, they have transformed the company, established by his father 25 years ago, into an architectural firm offering international project services and thus differentiating itself from others in the sector. He indicated that with the introduction of computer technologies, compared to its earlier years, the structure of architecture has changed dramatically. He said that he learned AutoCAD on his own during his military service and upon his return, became the Cad operator by having a computer bought for the company. He talked about the contract they made with ENKA during the economic crisis, and that as a result of ENKA’s satisfaction, they worked together on other projects and received more references.

Continuing his talk by answering student questions, Mr. Öncüoğlu talked about how architecture interacts with technology. He also told students to first determine their goals, and postpone a master’s degree and their military service to a later time. He advised them to improve their foreign language skills to become closer to any place in the world, and to pursue their dream to do designs if it is really what they want. In addition, he said that they should follow technological advancements and instead of directly opening an office, they should work at an international firm to become better prepared. He underlined that the best education is to observe the construction process of the buildings they design.

Mr. Öncüoğlu stated that the best platforms for young architects are the competitions organized, and that they should follow these competitions. He said that presenting their ideas to jurors will help students reach a certain level. He suggested students to think about the starting point of their ideas and their current status, question why they did certain things and to ask questions even if they know the answer will not satisfy them. He also told students that their GPA is not everything, and that the best way to communicate is to travel.