I am writing to express my keen interest in joining your team as a Junior Architect. With a degree in Architectural Engineering from TU Delft and a diverse background in architecture, design, and innovation, I am eager to contribute my skills and passion to your projects. My journey as an architect has been driven by a dedication to tackling complex challenges, creating meaningful spaces, and leveraging cutting-edge tools to design for a better future.
Throughout my academic and professional experiences, I have developed a strong foundation in mixed-use developments, public architecture, and sustainable design. My portfolio highlights my ability to integrate parametric design tools like Grasshopper and scripting for energy simulations and innovative form generation. This approach enables me to design spaces that are not only aesthetically compelling but also environmentally responsible and forward-thinking.
What sets me apart is my determination and proactive mindset. I thrive in challenging environments and approach every project with the goal of turning obstacles into opportunities. This was evident in my work on a large-scale airport renovation project in Kazakhstan, where I collaborated with teams from three countries to navigate multidisciplinary challenges and deliver impactful results. This experience sharpened my problem-solving abilities, strengthened my adaptability, and taught me the value of clear communication in diverse teams.
Having lived and worked in various countries, I bring a global perspective and cultural sensitivity to my work. I excel in creating architecture that bridges cultural and social contexts, crafting spaces that foster connection and engagement. My focus on publicly significant developments such as tourism, museums, and mixed-use spaces reflects my passion for designing environments that serve as catalysts for interaction and community building. I am particularly drawn to challenging projects that require collaboration with diverse stakeholders and multidisciplinary approaches. My ability to manage complexity, coupled with a critical and analytical perspective, allows me to contribute meaningfully to a team’s vision while ensuring that the final design aligns with broader social, environmental, and functional goals.
Currently, I am learning Dutch to further integrate into the local professional environment, demonstrating my commitment to immersing myself in the context of my work. I am confident that my technical expertise, creative vision, and dedication to pushing boundaries will make me a valuable addition to your team.
Zeynep Naz Yelken
RECOMMENDATION LETTER
LinkedIn: /znyelken
Zeynep Naz Yelken
DESIGNER ARCHITECT
PROFILE
Hi, I’m Zeynep, a passionate and focused architect with a passion for creating meaningful spaces. I thrive in collaborative environments, approach challenges with curiosity, and bring a friendly, engaging energy to every team!
linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/znyelken/ CONTACT
Rotterdam
Work Permit Present
EXPERIENCE
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER - DMF Group, Astana
Aug Oct 2024 Freelance
Zeynep Naz Yelken
•Collaborated on the renovation of an international airport with multidisciplinary teams from three countries.
•Contributed to conceptual design, planning, and coordination phases, ensuring alignment with project goals.
•Gained hands-on experience in managing deadlines and adapting to a dynamic project environment.
CONTACT
Rotterdam 06 39212866
•Assisted in developing design solutions for complex large-scale infrastructure challenges.
•Engaged in effective communication across diverse cultural and professional contexts.
Work Permit Present linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/znyelken/ zeynepnazyelken@gmail.com
STUDENT ASSISTANT - TU DELFT FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, ICT DEP.
Feb-Aug 2024
•Assisted students in resolving technical issues with architectural software and hardware.
•Provided guidance and support for overcoming project-related challenges.
•Delivered tailored solutions to improve students' proficiency in design tools.
•Fostered a supportive environment by troubleshooting technical difficulties effectively.
•Coordinated with experts and guest speakers to ensure their participation and engagement.
•Assisted in planning and organizing the schedule for a successful workshop week.
•Planned, organized, and set up the schedule and content for a successful workshop week.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER - TEAM CASA, Team Business
Feb 2021 July 2022
•Led rebranding efforts, including designing a new logo, color scheme, and cohesive social media visuals.
SKILLS
ADOBE CREATIVE
COMMUNICATION
LANGUAGES
•Created layouts, posters, and sponsored social media content to enhance brand presence.
•Designed invitations and promotional materials for the CASA 1.0 Project opening ceremony.
•Developed marketing materials to effectively communicate project goals and engage audiences.
TRAVEL ORGANIZER - COSMOS INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Nov 2019 Aug 2021
•Led and guided international students during trips, offering insights as a city guide.
•Planned and organized travel itineraries, including destination selection and scheduling.
•Managed trip budgets, ensuring cost-effective planning and adherence to financial guidelines.
TREASURER, LUSTRUM COMMITEE- COSMOS INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Aug 2020 Feb 2021
•Managed financial accounts and budget for the student association, ensuring proper allocation of funds.
•Successfully proposed and secured a budget increase for the association's events and initiatives.
EDUCATION
MSc. ARCHITECTURE URBANISM AND BUILDING SCIENCES
DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Sept 2022 July 2024
Specializing in Heritage, Complex Projects (which involves integration of technology and architecture through grasshopper, and other optimization methods), and Architectural Engineering (focusing on sustainable tourism, mixed use developments involving accommodation, retail and residential zones.
Honors Academy BSc. ARCHITECTURE, SMART CITIES
EINDHOVEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Sept 2022 July 2024
Specializing in Heritage, Complex Projects (which involves integration of technology and architecture through grasshopper, and other optimization methods), and Architectural Engineering (focusing on sustainable tourism, mixed use developments involving accommodation, retail and residential zones.
BSc. ARCHITECTURE URBANISM AND BUILDING SCIENCES
EINDHOVEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Sept 2019 Jun 2022
Graduation project involving a culture park complex which involves performance halls of various sizes, schools and small studios. The project pays attention to public sequence at a masterplan level and carries it to the detail level of the performance hall.
LANGUAGES
SKILLS TURKISH ENGLISH DUTCH RUSSIAN NATIVE FLUENT A2 NIVEAU A2 NIVEAU
HARDSKILLS
ADOBE CREATIVE AUTOCAD
ARCHICAD REVIT DIALUX EVO ENSCAPE LUMION RHINO GRASSHOPPER TWINMOTION
SOFTSKILLS
COMMUNICATION TEAMWORK ADAPTIBILITY PROBLEM SOLVING RESPONSIBILITY ORGANISATION PRESENTATION
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN THE MEDITERRANEAN HOTEL, RESIDENTIAL & MIXED-USE | RE-USE & ADAPTATION|ENERGY EFFICIENCY
DESIGN-TO-ROBOTIC PRODUCTION ON MARS PARAMETRIC DESIGN | DESIGN OPTIMIZATION | DIGITAL PRODUCTION | 3D PRINTING
THE RIPPLE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
INDIVIDUAL GRADUATION THESIS-STUDIO 2024
DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY | TIME DURATION: 10 MONTHS
Inspired by the ripple effect, the project sought to foster meaningful engagement and create lasting benefits for both visitors and the local community. At the heart of this approach was applying passive design strategies, and implementing scripting for detailed energy analysis to achieve both efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The conclusion of this thesis was a comprehensive design manual, which outlines how to implement passive design principles across diverse tourism typologies and morphologies by also considering their architectural design potential.
The project is based on a coastal town in Malta, by transforming an abondoned building area into a vibrant social hub that serves both tourists and the local community. Key aspects included transforming existing structures into tourism hubs, implementing optimal natural ventilation layouts and configurations, and fostering social interactions between commercial and non-commercial stakeholders. Concepts included integration of tourism products into existing context, adapting energy efficient and financially feasable energy concepts like passive design and combat against high seasonality by introducing 3 lengths of stays as part of the tourism concept.
The Ripple - Shopping Zone, Lumion + AI rendering tools
URBAN STRATEGY
INVITATION TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE LUXURY
• Coastal promenate focuses on creating zones for informal gathering spots
• Integrates greenery to create a clear division between the residential zone, roads and pavement zone.
URBAN STRATEGY
Long-term Accommodation
Accommodation
Medium Term Accommodation Terrace
Downstairs Lobby - Coast Entrance
The Ripple - Coastal Promenade
The Ripple - Shopping Zone, Lumion + AI rendering tools
KGF AIRPORT RENOVATION
PROFESSIONAL WORK - JUNIOR ARCHITECT
KAZAKHSTAN - KARAGANDA
TIME DURATION: FREELANCE - 3 MONTHS
This professional project focused on the renovation of an airport, aiming to enhance its overall look and appeal. The work involved collaboration with a high-profile client and an international team and offices spanning Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Italy. The project concentrated on pre-design, concept design, and design development phases.
As a junior architect, responsibilities included:
• Contributing to conceptual floor plan development and brainstorming sessions.
• Minimizing high-cost changes while meeting client demands for a fresh and active look.
• Developing detailed floor plans, ceiling, and flooring plans.
• Preparing presentations, renders, and other supplementary visuals.
• Calculating material usage to support cost proposals.
The participation was conducted online, with weekly meetings and close collaboration between junior and senior architects, fostering a dynamic and productive team environment.
KGF Airport - floorplan & ceiling plan
VISTAS CULTURE PARK
INDIVIDUAL SPRING/SUMMER STUDIO 2022
EINDHOVEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
TIME DURATION: 16 WEEKS
Vistas Culture Parks is designed to rejuvenate an area by integrating culture, education, and nature in a dynamic and cohesive way. The masterplan features a playful arrangement of tectonic forms that appear to rise from the ground, creating a seamless connection between the landscape and architecture. This thoughtful composition ensures that both local residents and visitors alike can enjoy the coastline, explore the park, and invigorate less frequented areas with new energy and activity.
At the heart of the concept is a striking play of contrasts. The design blends nature with the area’s industrial history through its choice of materials. The exterior facade presents
a modern, revitalized image of the town, while the interior embraces warmth and comfort with inviting timber finishes. Monumentality plays a significant role in the project, with performance halls, schools, and studios featuring bold, unique shapes that leave a lasting impression. The iconic treeshaped columns, which effortlessly lift the heavy structures off the ground, extend the greenery theme indoors, creating a harmonious blend between architecture and nature.
This project seeks not only to breathe new life into the area but also to foster a sense of community, creating a memorable, engaging environment where culture and nature thrive together.
A CULTURE PARK OF EXPERIENCES
Vistas Culture Park focuses on admiring a combination of arts and nature by creating a landscape of music and performance.
• Forms and elevations that resemble rocky elements emerging from the ground.
• Implementing suprise spaces forced perspectives and converging/ diverging paths.
• Different scales of public/private as well as an appealing coastline.
Creating perspectives surprise spaces Three scales of public space
High & low density greenery
Reshaping the coastline
Main performance hall - Exploded
A PLAY OF CONTRASTS THROUGH MATERIALIZATION
• Externally, strong, angular masses blend with the landscape through green roofs and rock-inspired facades, echoing geological tectonics with a modern, industrial aesthetic.
• The interior shifts to a warm, natural wood palette, creating a surprising and inviting contrast that enhances the overall experience.
PERFORMANCE HALLT LOUNGE
CAFE FOYER
TOILETS TOILETS
RHIZOME 2.0
DESIGN TO ROBOTIC PRODUCTION
ON MARS
GROUP SPRING/SUMMER STUDIO 2023 - INDIVIDUAL WORK: IMPLEMENTING OPTIMIZED GRASSHOPPER SCRIPT
DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY | TIME DURATION: 9 WEEKS
In collaboration with the European Space Agency, this research focuses on achieving design-to-robotic production, optimization, and operation, aiming to link performancedriven design with robotic production and user-driven building operation. Utilizing Voronoi points, the structural stress lines are reinforced, ensuring solidity in critical zones during 3D printing while allowing in-between spaces to serve purposes like aquaponics, acoustics, and furniture. The exploration of zoning and pattern implementations demonstrates significant potential for 3D artwork, enhancing
spatial qualities through texture, color, and depth. This approach optimizes material use while integrating secondary spatial qualities. Additionally, the developed script explores efficient methods for implementing texture, furniture, and structure through 3D-printed concrete
Script for acoustic, structural and bioponic production related optimization
Zoning of structure, aquaponics (with piping)
Positioning denser acoustic texture along structural lines due to material density
Programmatic and voronoi zoning
Structural analysis of the design
TOP 7 SELECTED WORK FOR MUNICIPALITY PRESENTATION
JUXTAPOSE
INDIVIDUAL WINTER NOV-JAN STUDIO 2022
DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
TIME DURATION: 16 WEEKS
The former American Embassy in The Hague has long been a significant landmark, shaped by various historical events. However, beyond its role in political relations, the building has been perceived by many locals as imposing, with a dominant and aggressive presence. Juxtapose seeks to transform this perception by balancing the preservation of its heritage with a sensitive rejuvenation, while accommodating two distinct museums: Escher and Contemporary Art.
A key element of the design lies in the dialogue between the building’s historical character and modern intervention, mirroring the relationship between the two museums housed within. To achieve this, a secondary design language is introduced, aimed at softening the
embassy’s defensive and austere facade. The existing structure, designed by Marcel Breuer, will remain dedicated to showcasing Escher’s works, reinforcing the connection between the building’s geometric, brutalist style and Escher’s intricate, mathematical art. In contrast, a contemporary addition slices through the guarded facade, symbolically and physically opening the building to the public.
Inside, the interplay between these materials invites visitors to reflect on the juxtaposition of Escher’s work and contemporary art, creating an immersive experience where history and modernity meet.
Context Analysis - Existing styles
Juxtaposing Brutalism aims to capture the contrast between contemporary design and brutalism. This is due to the negative reputation over the existing building due to its historical background, style and materialisation. The new addition slices through the building focusing on opening up the existing rigid structure and material concept.
This is combined with the two contrasting museums independently or collaboratively function withing the building.
First Floorplan - Escher and Contemporary Museums
South Elevation - Escher and Contemporary arts museum
West Elevation & Entrance - Escher and Contemporary arts museum
