Kobisan Residences Residential Devolopment by Ser Mimarlık Wins the Golden A' Design Award in Construction and Real Estate Projects Design

Ser Mimarlık honored for construction and real estate projects design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 18, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Golden A' Design Award in the Construction and Real Estate Projects Design category for Kobisan Residences Residential Devolopment by Ser Mimarlık, designed for Ser Architecture. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Golden A' Design Award Means

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

Regarding Kobisan Residences Residential Devolopment

Kobisan Residences is a residential development located in Konya, Turkey. The site covers 108,000 square meters and has a steep slope, standing about 60 meters above the city level. The development contains 330 residential units arranged in 9 blocks. The buildings are oriented toward the view and placed along the upper edge of the site. A sectional strategy divides the 14 story mass into a main block and four story volumes, so the development is read as two separate buildings. A social facility in a central position holds the shared functions.

About Ser Mimarlık

Ser Architecture was founded in 1999 by senior architect Serdar Ekizer. Since its establishment, the firm has undertaken numerous comprehensive and multifunctional projects, including residential developments, urban planning, commercial buildings, public facilities, educational and university buildings, as well as cultural and administrative structures. Recognizing the strength of teamwork, Ser Architecture considers interdisciplinary interaction and the dynamic exchange of ideas as one of the most important factors enriching design at every stage of a project.

Award Record

Ser Mimarlık is a winner of 2 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. The awards were granted in the 2025 - 2026 edition of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Construction and Real Estate Projects Design Award

The A' Real Estate Design Award is an international architecture competition recognizing good real estate projects by architects and enterprises worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to real estate designers, architectural firms, interior designers and construction companies from all countries. Typical entries include residential complexes, commercial buildings, industrial properties, mixed-use developments, hospitality establishments and educational facilities. The awarded real estate designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/real-estate

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/182194
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/182194
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!182194
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/380572
Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.sermimarlik.com.tr

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Kobisan Residences Residential Devolopment
Function: Residential Devolopment
Category: Construction and Real Estate Projects Design
Discipline: Spatial Design
Industry: Architecture
Colors: Dark Slate Gray, Light Steel Blue, Dark Olive Green, Gainsboro and Light Slate Gray
Images: 5
Client: Ser Architecture

The Recognition

Laureate: Ser Mimarlık
Country: Turkiye
Recognition: Golden A' Design Award
Edition: 2025 - 2026
Design ID: #182194

Credits

Team: M.Arch. Serdar Ekizer, Architect Emine Sarıbaş, Architect Bahar Çakır, Architect Emine Sarıbaş, Architect Bahar Çakır, Architect Canan Kaya, Architect Emine Çınarka, Architect Hatice Bezci, Architect Sevim Demir, Architect Betül Balkı and M.Arch. Serdar Ekizer
Image Credits: Photographer: Egemen Karakaya

Design Details

Unique Properties: The project is situated approximately 60 meters above the city level, directly impacting the skyline. The buildings are oriented towards the view and positioned at the upper edge. To mitigate the effect of the 14-story development, a sectional strategy divides the mass into the main block and four-story volumes, creating the perception of two separate buildings. The social facility, as the symbolic heart of the project, is located in a central position.
Inspiration: The project treats topography as a productive design force. Its sensitive position within the skyline transforms development rights into architectural responsibility. Height is reinterpreted through sectional manipulation, and the mass is fragmented to achieve a balanced scale. Inspired by traditional Turkish architecture, principles such as adaptation to slope, orientation, wide eaves, low-rise structures, and terraced layouts are reimagined within a contemporary residential environment.
Research: The research is grounded in key concepts such as view and housing, landscape and topography, density and section. Its aim is to integrate intensive development with natural slope and the urban skyline in a balanced manner. The methodology is based on sectional terracing and terrain-adaptive strategies. Zoning data, level analyses, and 3D modeling were utilized, resulting in a scale-controlled and context-sensitive residential model.
Challenge: The challenges of the project can be addressed in two phases. In the first phase, the massing strategy and perceptual scale control of the volume integrated into the city skyline constituted the primary design problem. In the second phase, adapting the structure to the natural terrain became essential; efforts focused on minimizing excavation and fill. Due to the slope, high retaining and reinforced earth walls required significant engineering solutions.
Realization and Technology: The project is designed as a reinforced concrete frame system based on a raft foundation. The superstructure consists of a column–beam–shear wall system resisting lateral loads. Due to steep topography, a stepped layout and geogrid-reinforced MSE retaining walls were implemented. Terrace roofs are designed as inverted roofs with waterproofing, XPS insulation and drainage layers. Landscaped areas include an extensive green roof system.
Operation and Interaction: Kobisan Residences offers a settlement model integrated with topography and oriented toward panoramic views. Its terraced massing and pedestrian-focused open spaces create a calm residential atmosphere, while the social facility and central plaza foster a strong sense of community. The development’s adaptation to natural slope generates a balanced and human-scaled living environment.
Project Duration and Location: The project in Konya began in the design phase in 2013 and was completed from a design perspective by 2017. Construction started in 2017 and is scheduled to be completed in 2024.
Specifications: The project is located on a 108,000 m2 site characterized by a steep topography. It comprises 330 residential units distributed across 9 blocks. A centrally positioned social facility accommodates all shared functions. The project is situated in Konya, Turkey.
Keywords: Integration with Topography, Skyline Sensitivity, Mass Fragmentation, Balanced Scale, Pedestrian-Oriented Ground Plane