Turan Duda  |  Faia

Founding Principal

Turan is a passionate believer in ideas as a catalyst for great design. His conceptual focus and inquisitive design approach have led to the creation of visionary projects for a wide spectrum of building types, scales and purposes. He is also an advocate for place-making, whether the location is an urban or sylvan site. In cities such as Austin, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Washington DC; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Monterrey, Mexico, Turan is reshaping built form to meet the demands of today’s communities, foster a sustainable world and inspire the future.

His professional career began with eighteen years as Senior Associate working alongside Cesar Pelli, where he built an international portfolio of corporate, institutional and civic commissions. Establishing Durham-based Duda|Paine Architects in 1997 with fellow Pelli colleague Jeff Paine, FAIA, Turan led the design of notable regional, national and international projects that are redefining cities, academic campuses, workplaces and our understanding of design for wellness.

Turan brings international perspective to facilitate new models of working, learning, research and urban development. He was a visiting scholar at the American Academy in Rome, where he investigated the influence of fragmentation and layering on the experience of architecture in urban centers. He is also an accomplished artist and uses pencil and pastels to investigate form, color and patterning in architecture.

Turan’s work has been featured on a local, national and international scale over the course of his career. In 2013, he was elevated to the College of Fellows for his contributions in architectural practice and education. As an educator, he taught graduate students at Yale University and has been a visiting studio critic at MIT, Columbia University, UNC Charlotte and Rhode Island School of Design. In 2021, Turan received the F. Carter Williams Gold Medal, the highest honor presented by the AIA North Carolina Chapter, for his extraordinary accomplishments as an architect. In 2022, Turan received the Distinguished Alumni Award from North Carolina State University.

Master of Architecture, Yale University
Bachelor of Architecture, North Carolina State University

ORGANIZATIONS
American Institute of Architects, College of Fellows
N.C. State Design Guild
Urban Land Institute
U.S. Green Building Council
Society for College & University Planning
Caring House
SeeSaw Studio