I was born in Kemah, Erzincan, in 1956. I am a Mechanical Engineer. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the ITU Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in 1979 and received my master’s degree in 1982.

During my graduate studies at ITU, I began working at an engineering firm that handled both design and contracting projects in mechanical systems. After returning from military service, I gained on-site experience by working as a site manager at Form A.Ş.’s industrial plant construction sites for approximately three years. Later, I worked for many years as General Manager at Rabak Electrolytic Copper and Products Inc. and Işıklar Holding Inc. My responsibilities at these companies included preparing project plans for new and existing factory investments (architectural preliminary design, machinery layout design, mechanical systems design), managing manufacturing, procurement, installation, and commissioning operations; preparing investment feasibility studies and incentive applications; resolving technical issues at the factories; drafting technical specifications; sourcing technical materials domestically and internationally; and ensuring the necessary coordination for construction, architectural, mechanical, electrical, and infrastructure work. I have also been working at Entegre Project Management and Consulting for approximately 10 years. The work I perform at Entegre Project Management involves coordinating investment projects—similar to my previous roles—including design coordination and implementation coordination.

Integrated Project Management and Consulting provides project management, design management, and site management services, as well as consulting services, for all construction, architectural, mechanical, electrical, and infrastructure work related to an investment project.

Both design management and site management tasks are carried out by a team of in-house architects and engineers—including civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers—who are all experts and experienced in their respective fields. In the projects where we undertake project management, our team’s active organizational skills, combined with their past experience, ensure the highest level of coordination among project disciplines and consultants.

Strict monitoring of the project from start to finish ensures that decisions are made in a timely manner. By actively tracking the work schedule and project budget, we identify potential delays and budget deviations in advance and take corrective measures, thereby ensuring that both the design and on-site implementation are completed within the targeted budget, quality standards, and timeframe.

In this regard, our experience in coordinating the design and implementation of previous building and industrial facility investments with different usage classes, the practical experience we have gained from our site work, and our expertise in anticipating and resolving potential problems during design and implementation to ensure projects proceed without disruption—along with our experience in the areas of Training, As-Built Project Control, and the review of Provisional Acceptance Documents—enable us to ensure that projects are delivered to the client or operator on time, in accordance with the targeted work schedule, and at the targeted quality level. Training, As-Built Project Review, and review of Provisional Acceptance Documents—we ensure that projects are completed on time, in accordance with the targeted schedule, at the targeted quality level, and within the targeted budget.

• Preparing the design bid specifications and consultant bid specifications in accordance with the nature of the investment project. Obtaining bids from designers and consultants, comparing them, and submitting them for the client’s approval,

• Evaluating designers’ proposal reports; selecting alternative systems that are economically viable for the investment, have low operating costs, and are energy-efficient, and submitting these selections to the client for approval,

• Ensuring that projects and bidding documents are prepared in accordance with Turkish standards and regulations, international standards, technical specifications of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, and the requirements of relevant municipalities, and verifying their compliance,

• Reviewing and evaluating construction drawings and bidding documents (construction reports, calculations, technical specifications, unit price schedules, brand lists, and cost estimates) and ensuring that necessary corrections are made,

• Verifying the compliance of the necessary projects and documents for investments requiring green building certification (LEED, BREEAM, etc.),

• Creating brand lists; incorporating the brand list—developed based on the opinions of the designer, integrator, and client—into the bidding dossier after client approval,

• Reviewing and evaluating superimposed drawings, reservation drawings, coordination section drawings, fire system scenarios, and building automation scenarios, and ensuring that necessary corrections are made,

• Compiling a list of contractor candidates for the project, creating pre-qualification tables for them, and submitting the evaluations to the client for review and approval,

• Issuing a tender, requesting bids from contractor candidates, responding to contractor inquiries, and publishing addenda,

• Evaluating bids submitted in several rounds during the tender process, preparing shortlists of contractors, and submitting them to the employer for review,

• Preparing the contract between the employer and the contractor selected following employer negotiations,

The tasks mentioned above and more are carried out during design management; thanks to the advantage of having engineers from all relevant disciplines working together at all times, inconsistencies and deficiencies between disciplines in the project and documentation are easily identified, necessary checks are performed on project superimpositions, and they are evaluated, and by reaching a consensus on solutions to potential issues between projects, designers are notified, and the progress of the projects is ensured.

Our goal in design management for all our projects is to ensure coordination among designers and consultants; to ensure the preparation of the necessary groundwork to expedite the client’s decision-making; to ensure that design work is carried out more efficiently by establishing interdisciplinary priority rankings; to ensure that the design progresses smoothly by notifying the relevant designer in advance based on the experience we have gained from many of our projects; since all disciplines in design are interdependent, to ensure that design revisions are minimized through our foresight; to ensure that design work is completed as quickly as possible in accordance with the client’s decisions, while adhering to the project schedule and budget; and to complete design work with a minimum of revisions. Regarding system, equipment, and material selections, we prioritize systems and brands that are of the highest quality, widely used, and backed by excellent pre- and post-sales services. Selecting systems and brands with a widespread service network, high economic and energy efficiency, and ensuring that the project is executed at optimal investment and operating costs by applying value engineering at every stage of the project and prior to tendering.

Additionally, upon the investor’s request, we conduct technical evaluations of existing buildings—covering construction, architecture, mechanical, and electrical systems—to help the investor make more informed decisions regarding leasing, purchasing, or selling.

Site operations are managed by specialized Civil Engineers, Architectural Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, and Electrical Engineers assigned to the construction site.

During the implementation phase, our colleagues assigned to the construction sites verify that all work performed by contractors complies with the project specifications, technical specifications, unit price schedules, cost estimates, and brand lists. Our colleagues on-site are responsible for approving material files, approving shop drawings, approving the methods of statement prepared for the execution of work, approving revision drawings, approving contractors’ progress payments, resolving any issues that may arise during construction, ensuring that work is performed with high-quality materials and workmanship, ensuring that work is completed on time according to the schedule, and facilitating coordination among contractors. Our on-site integrated discipline coordinators ensure that contractors working on their respective disciplines are not hindered by other disciplines by notifying them in advance, thereby clearing the way for the contractor. During construction, we use quality forms and test forms prepared in accordance with the work discipline to ensure the work is carried out properly and to track progress on a daily basis. Throughout the project, our on-site teams meticulously carry out all necessary testing; conduct testing, adjustment, balancing, and commissioning activities near the project’s handover; perform provisional acceptance; address any deficiencies identified during provisional acceptance; provide training to the operating company; prepare as-built drawings; review and approve final payment claims; and prepare monthly reports and the final closure report.

In all our projects, the Architectural Project Designer, Structural Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, and Electrical Engineer are involved in the design process, along with some or all of the consultants, depending on the project’s size and characteristics. During the design phase, we work with Fire Safety Consultants, Infrastructure Consultants, Façade Consultants, Lighting Consultants, Traffic Consultants, Security Consultants, Kitchen Consultants, Pool Consultants, Accessibility Consultants, Acoustics Consultants, LEED Consultants, Landscape Consultants, and others.

If we evaluate the Turkish MEP sector in terms of designers, contractors, and manufacturers, I believe that all three sectors have developed very well in parallel with the growth of the construction industry, both in Turkey and abroad.

I find today’s designers to be quite successful. They are more successful than many international projects. They have successfully completed numerous projects both in Turkey and abroad. We see that large design firms train their staff very well, and we also witness designers who, having gained sufficient experience and left their design groups to establish their own design firms, are delivering successful projects with the same level of discipline. Today, projects are drawn entirely on computers using AutoCAD; revisions are made easily and stored on hard drives. Drawing projects has become much faster and easier. The only drawback is that, since projects are drawn in AutoCAD, a large number of architectural revisions are required; while making a revision is simply a matter of changing a line for the architectural team, the mechanical designer must perform numerous changes—such as recalculating comfort conditions, pipe sizing, equipment selection, and duct cross-sections—to ensure these conditions are met.

Several project teams are producing 3-dimensional designs using Revit Building Information Modeling (BIM) software. The production of 3-dimensional designs is increasingly being adopted and becoming widespread among other design teams as well. So far, several of our projects have been prepared as 3-dimensional drawings.

Today, industrial buildings have decreased in number, while structures such as shopping centers, hotels, high-rise residential and office buildings, hospitals, call centers, and data centers have increased; design teams are successfully producing projects tailored to these types of structures.

The design teams on the projects we manage have expressed satisfaction with our efforts to ensure close monitoring of the design process, prompt decision-making, minimal revisions, rigorous review and evaluation by us of the project and bid documents they prepare, and the identification of details that might otherwise be overlooked during the fast-paced design work. Furthermore, by verifying that decisions made jointly with the client during design-phase meetings are properly reflected in the project and tender documents, we ensure that contractor tenders are issued with a well-structured project and tender documentation that has undergone the necessary checks and includes a superimposed drawing. This eliminates potential conflicts between the client and the contractor during the construction phase and ensures that contractors complete their work with a minimum of revisions and a minimum number of new price adjustments.

Contractors also carry out successful projects both in Turkey and abroad. These successes enhance their professional experience and that of their staff, ensuring that the work performed and services provided are of even higher quality. The proper preparation of project and bidding documents, as well as the contract, ensures that all contractors submit the correct bid for the right project. This reduces the risk of the contractor making errors during the contract period. Consequently, no issues arise between the employer and the contractor during the implementation phase, and the contractor fully fulfills the contract requirements.

High-quality products certified to TS EN, CE, and Eurovent standards, and approved by UL and FM, are manufactured in compliance with international standards. Successful operations are carried out through both domestic sales in Turkey and exports to international markets. As domestic production becomes more successful, its use is increasing day by day. Domestic manufacturers are driving widespread adoption by conducting their own R&D, establishing laboratories, improving the quality of pre- and post-sales services, and expanding their service networks. We hope to see an increase in domestic brands that meet these criteria, as well as foreign brands that establish factories and produce in Turkey.

By closely monitoring both imported and domestically produced products on the market, we help employers make informed decisions when investing—ensuring they choose products that are high-quality, widely used, backed by excellent after-sales service, and supported by a widespread service network in Turkey.

The most fundamental and crucial aspect of any INVESTMENT is the PROJECT. When projects are prepared to the highest standards, they result in a structure that is fast, efficient, functional, and meets the best possible comfort conditions—both during construction and operation—ensuring user satisfaction. By developing the most suitable solutions for the investment and creating the projects in the sequence of preliminary design, final design, and construction drawings—with all projects cross-checked by the Architectural Group at every stage—we ensure that the final design is implementable and that construction proceeds without any issues during the execution phase.

During the preliminary design phase, multiple alternative designs can be produced to find the best solution. Projects identified as unsuitable during the design phase can be modified or replaced with new ones, which may result in some time loss. However, if insufficient time is allocated to the design phase and certain decisions are deferred to the construction phase, this will cause the client to lose both time and money during construction. It will lead to work having to be torn down and redone or to a temporary halt in on-site operations.

Projects must be developed by the project designers, and any issues or omissions must be resolved during the design phase. Design work, superimposed tasks, etc., should not be left to the site. Due to the fast-paced nature of on-site work, field personnel either lack the time or suitable conditions to address these issues, or—when they are on-site—they are unable to produce proper project documentation.

Therefore, design work must be completed by designers during the design phase; work should not be left to the site. We have experienced many negative examples of this in projects carried out quickly at the employer’s request.

On the other hand, we often hear that in the market, employers put projects out to bid based on permit drawings; this causes difficulties for bidding firms when preparing their proposals, and the firm awarded the contract frequently experiences ongoing conflicts with the employer during construction because there is no proper as-built drawing or bid documentation. Furthermore, the materials procured and the workmanship are often substandard; systems fail to function properly, and the expected comfort conditions are not met—we often hear that the work is done on the cheap by selecting equipment with undersized capacity, or that the contractor abandons the project midway, claiming to have incurred losses. We observe this in some of the buildings we have technically evaluated. As a result, the investment becomes unrentable and unusable just a few years later.

The Integrated Project Management and Consulting firm was established in 2003. The projects for which we provide design management and site management include shopping centers, hotels, office buildings, data center buildings, museum buildings, residential buildings, hospitals, and industrial structures.

Turkey is a country dependent on foreign energy sources. We import all the energy we use. We believe that renewable energy sources should be widely adopted. Turkey, which imports approximately three-quarters of the energy it consumes, ranks among the few countries with the highest levels of energy dependence. For about 10 years now, Green Building certifications have been increasingly obtained in Turkey, and many of the projects we have managed have received Green Building certifications. We also have experts in this field within our organization. For green buildings, we ensure the use of graywater and rainwater, heat recovery devices, building automation systems, and energy-efficient systems and equipment—even if a Green Building certification is not obtained.

There are very few companies that operate under the “Design & Build” model, handling both design and construction. We believe that design work should be carried out by professional design firms, while construction should be handled by contractor firms. If the design work is left to the contractor, the project begins with many unknown factors, and numerous conflicts of interest arise between the client and the contractor until the project is completed. We do not want either the client or the contractor to be drawn into such a conflict during the construction process. For small-scale buildings or small-scale fit-out (interior decoration) projects, if the client opts for a Design-Build approach due to the urgency of the work, we include a precondition in the contract requiring the contractor to have the plans drawn up by professional designers we approve and to have those plans approved by us.

In all projects, the architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical disciplines are currently working together—do you think we’re where we need to be?

With the exception of a few project teams, I cannot yet say that we are at the desired level. Generally, the architectural team attempts to coordinate the other disciplines. The short timeframes allocated for design, the lack of experienced personnel within the design teams, the inability of existing experienced personnel to properly guide the younger team members working on the projects, and their inability to allocate sufficient time to produce quick and accurate solutions to these problems—all these factors make it difficult for each discipline to coordinate even within its own ranks. Consequently, it is challenging for the architectural team—which must have some understanding of structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering—to bring all disciplines together and deliver a sound project in the end.

Of course, I am not saying this applies to all projects and design teams. There are also project and bid documents that have been prepared very well.

It cannot yet be said that there is complete uniformity in the formats of the design and bid documents produced by designers. In the projects we manage, we strive to establish standards—from the scope of work format to the lists and content of tender documents—by developing them in accordance with current conditions and the requirements of the structure, and to implement these standards in the projects we undertake.

In projects where we do not manage the design but only handle site management, we first review and evaluate the projects. In many projects where we have taken on this role, we observe that the architectural foundation in the mechanical and electrical designs does not align with the architectural group’s most recent revised architectural foundation; rather, the architecture in the mechanical and electrical designs is based on a version from 2–3 revisions prior. In such cases, we identify numerous errors and omissions in the mechanical and electrical design and bid documents and inform the client companies accordingly. Depending on the extent of these deficiencies and errors, the architectural, mechanical, electrical, and structural designs must be revised again—a process that can take several months—resulting in time and financial losses for the client companies.