Kutan Ayata

Kutan Ayata is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair at the Department of Architecture and Urbanism at UCLA, where he also serves as Director of the Master of Architecture Program. He previously taught at the University of Pennsylvania, Pratt Institute, Cornell University, and Columbia University.

• Education: Masters of Architecture (Princeton University), Bachelor of Fine Arts (Massachusetts College of Art)

His research focuses on architectural form, materiality, technology, and historical processes in contemporary building. The firm Young & Ayata, founded in 2008, combines built commissions with experimental research, emphasizing conceptual and aesthetic possibilities.

Recent projects include the DL1310 Apartment Building (2019 Progressive Architecture Award), the New Bauhaus Museum competition win (2015), and the upcoming Agricultural Resource Management Building in South Korea (2022 winner).

• Scientific Awards: 2016 Design Vanguard Award, 2019 Progressive Architecture Award, 2015 New Bauhaus Museum First Prize, 2014 Architectural League Young Architects Prize, 2022 First-Place Prize for Gyeongsangbuk-do Agricultural Building

Kutan Ayata is a registered architect in Turkey and has exhibited work at MoMA, Istanbul Modern, and other institutions.