CommonLab
ABOUT
CommonLab is an Istanbul-based architecture, urban design, and research practice working across scales and programs, ranging from interiors and buildings to public spaces and urban-scale interventions. Through design and research, CommonLab explores how architecture can accommodate changing patterns of life and respond to contemporary social, environmental, and spatial conditions. The practice focuses on spaces that enhance everyday life, foster interaction, and use resources responsibly. CommonLab takes part in national and international architectural and urban design competitions, and has received several awards.
AWARDS
2026 | TMMOB Chamber of Architects 20th National Architecture Exhibition and Awards | Project Category Award
Podgorica Social Housing Project
2026 | TMMOB Chamber of Architects 20th National Architecture Exhibition and Awards | Idea Presentation Award
Community-Led Recovery Approaches in Antakya
2026 | Honourable Mention | Conceptual Urban and Architectural Design of a Residential and Commercial Complex Gradski Stan Project
Podgorica Social Housing Project
2022 | Honourable Mention | Buildner Berlin Affordable Housing Challenge
Urban Shelf
2021 | Shortlist | Büyükada Fayton Meydanı Urban Design Competition
ASLI AYDIN
Founder, MSc. Architect
Aslı holds a Bachelor of Architecture (2005, High Honors) and a Master of Science in Architectural Design (2008) from Istanbul Technical University. During her master’s studies, she attended Brandenburg University of Technology in Germany in 2007. She completed a Master of Urban Design at Technische Universität Berlin in 2024.
Prior to founding CommonLab, Aslı worked as an Associate at Tabanlıoğlu Architects (2008–2019) and as a Senior Urban Designer at Atkins Shanghai (2019–2021), gaining experience across a wide range of scales and project types, from small-scale buildings to large-scale urban design projects, including master plans, mixed-use developments, high-rise buildings, interior design, and exhibition design. In 2022, she founded CommonLab, where she brings this architectural and urban design experience into her ongoing work across architecture, interior, and urban design, including national and international competitions.
ÇAĞLAYAN ÇAĞBAYIR
Partner, Principal Architect
Çağlayan holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Middle East Technical University. He began his career at Çinici Architects in 1998, working as a Senior Architect until 2007. He then joined Tabanlıoğlu Architects, and later +Murat Tabanlıoğlu, as Design Director from 2007 to 2026, leading the design and development of residential, mixed-use, cultural, educational, and masterplanning projects at various scales, both in Türkiye and internationally. Working closely with clients, consultants, and multidisciplinary teams, he led projects through all phases of design, overseeing their architectural development from concept through construction. In 2026, he joined CommonLab as a Partner, bringing two decades of design leadership experience to the practice.
Alongside his professional practice, he has taught architectural design as a part-time studio instructor and served as a guest studio critic at Istanbul Bilgi University.