Fedactio @ Paleizenstraat 27, 1030 Schaarbeek, België
The fifth series of EPN Breakfast Talks series took place on 26 February 2012 and we hosted Mr. Sefik Birkiye as the speaker of the day. Mr. Birkiye told about his own professional success and the one of his firm named VIZZION-EUROPE. He said that the motivation and consistency are the key words behind success and reminded that even faults could teach you a lot of things.
Once being asked what was behind his success, he replied saying “right decisions”. He was once more asked what was behind his right decisions and he replied “experiences”. As he was asked once more the what was behind his experiences, he answered mentioning “wrong decisions”.
According to him, the most livable environments are the ones where inhabitants could easily reach many facilities and services. That`s why he is totally opposing the idea of suburb settlements as he finds them economically, ecologically and socially not convenient. He also supports the architectural designs where you can find both historical inspirations and modern signs.
He advised young professionals to bind themselves strictly to what they want to do and believe in and never give up again. That is the key to success in your professionals life. You need to know exactly what you want to do, you need to have enough motivation and willing to realise and you need to have relevant information.. Then, you are destined to be successful…
Sefik BIRKIYE:
Sefik Birkiye was born in 1954 in Ankara, Turkey. After a well-travelled youth (his father worked for NATO), he went on to graduate from La Cambre School of Architecture (ENSAAV) in Brussels in 1978 and took his Masters in Town Planning from the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL) in 1981. His firm, VIZZION Architects, won the prestigious MIPIM Award in 1998 and again in 2000 for Le Jardin des Fonderies apartment building and the Green Island office complex. More recently, the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort, the only five-star resort in Monaco, was nominated for a MIPIM Award. A track record of more than eight million square meters already built or projected has helped VIZZION Architects to become one of the leading architectural firms in Europe.
As registered architect in Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Turkey, ?efik Birkiye has lectured widely on various aspects of his profession, and for more than 15 years has served as Board President of the Archives d’Architecture Moderne in Brussels. Internationally admired not only for his 30-year career as an architect and urban developer, ?efik Birkiye is respected for his qualities of leadership and as a man of rare vision.
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