About
A small studio for old and public buildings
Mimar means architect, in Persian and Turkish. We started in Dhaka and Istanbul because the buildings we loved most, the libraries, observatories and inns, were being either frozen as ruins or gutted for something new.
We do the slower thing: survey, repair, and fit them for how people use them now. Most of our work is in buildings older than any of us, and we try to leave them better than we found them, and easier to find your way through.
What we hold to
- 01
Repair before replace
The greenest building is usually the one already standing.
- 02
Honest prices
Fees are fixed per stage and agreed before work starts.
- 03
Every language
Signs and documents in the languages the people there read.
- 04
Credit the craft
We name the masons, joiners and engineers we build with.
The people
Nur Haddad
Founding architect
Twenty years restoring public buildings; leads every survey.
Selim Arslan
Structural engineer
Specializes in lime and masonry; models how old walls move.
Farah Qadri
Wayfinding lead
Designs sign systems in Arabic, Urdu and English.
Rafiq Hossain
Interiors
Joinery and furniture, from drawing to workshop.
Leyla Demir
Daylight and energy
Works out where the sun goes before anyone picks a window.
Tariq Anwar
Site lead
On site every week; keeps the drawings and the build in step.