Şefik Birkiye

Şefik Birkiye (born 1954) is a Turkish-Belgian architect who has designed buildings in Brussels, France, Switzerland, Monaco, the United States, and Turkey. He is the founder of Vizzion Architects, a team that has been designing architecture in Brussels since 1979, as well as the founder of Vizzion Europe, an international umbrella company.

Early life and education
Birkiye was born in Ankara in 1954. At the age of 17, he moved to Brussels in order to pursue his academic interests. In 1978, he graduated in architecture from La Cambre School of Architecture. In 1981, he then went to study at University of Louvain where he obtained a master's degree in urban planning.

Career
In 1979, Birkiye founded Vizzion Architects, a team with several high-profile projects in Brussels. After many years of success and growing reputation in the industry, Birkiye founded the umbrella company Vizzion Europe in order to expand internationally. To date, Vizzion Europe has designed over 8 million metres sq. of property, 4 million of which is situated in Brussels.

Projects

 * Jardin des Fonderies apartment (1998) - received the 1998 MIPIM Award for best residential development
 * City 2 shopping mall (1999)
 * Green Island office complex (2000) - received the 2000 MIPIM Award for best business centre
 * Presidential Complex (Turkey) - Turkish Presidential Complex (2014)
 * Taksim Mosque - Istanbul, Turkey (2021)