Aleks grew up in Istanbul and was schooled in Switzerland and Chicago. He worked early in his career at SOM Chicago and Los Angeles on large commercial, institutional and planning projects before opening his own office in 1986. The early work of Aleks Istanbullu Architects includes private residences and community buildings as well as three ground-up loft buildings for the Frank Gehry + Charles Arnoldi development team, anticipating the loft market by a decade. Istanbullu’s current work merges his early experience into delicately designed and detailed mixed-use urban infill projects that recognize the complexities of public/private partnership in urban settings while prioritizing the tactile, functional and aesthetic needs and aspirations of the pedestrian and resident alike.