CO- FOUNDERS.
DİLER ÇİFTÇİ
Diler Ciftci is a project manager and researcher with 11 years of experience in public space, urban design and landscape design projects.
In 2012, she graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Forestry, Department of
Forestry Engineering and Landscape Architecture double major programme.
After working at Akgöze Landscape Services for about 2 years, she started her Master's education at ITU Urban Design Programme in 2015 and continued to work as a landscape architect /urban design specialist at Promer Planning, Nokta Planning and Architecture firms during the same period.
She took part in urban design, landscape and architectural design competitions with the passion for presenting and performing research and design in an integrated way.
She received many first prizes in the competitions she participated in as a project designer and consultant.
In 2020, started her PhD programme in ITU Landscape Architecture.
Between 2021-2022, she worked as project manager at Ds Architecture.
While continuing her education in Eth Zurich, Switzerland, she became one of the co-founders of LUPA LANDSCAPE AND URBAN DESIGN company in 2022.
NİHAN BALKAN
Nihan Balkan has graduated from Yıldız Technical University (YTU), Department of Urban and
Regional Planning in 2012.
In the beginning of her professional experiences on urban implementation and zonning plans, she realized the inadequacy of these plans and the important role of urban design in shaping the areas we live and touching with a planning perspective. With this passion, she decided to specialize in this work space.
In same year, while contuinuing to work at Nokta Planning and Architecture Company, she started Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Urban Design Master's Programme. During her master's
education, she worked on a number of urban design concepts and implementation projects, which reinforced her ultimate expertise.
The projects she worked on and her interest in solving urban transportation problems, encouraged her to work on transport projects and then to pursue her education in this department.
In 2019, she was accepted to the YTU Transportation Master's Programme and continues her
education. She has been working on large scale urban transportation projects both before and during her higher education period.
After 11 years in profession, with the interdisciplinary experience she gained from the competition experience in which she won many first place prizes, Nihan Balkan became one of the co-founders of LUPA LANDSCAPE AND URBAN DESIGN in 2022.
