Özgün Balaban

Özgün Balaban is an architect and engineerwho studies how cities work,and how they could work better.His research builds digital twins and serious gamesthat let people test decisions before they are built.He teaches architects to think in code,and writes research software for the joy of it.Now he is building OzgunLab, a venture that turns research into tools.

  • TU/e
  • Tilburg University
  • Leiden UMC
  • TU Delft
  • Columbia GSAPP
  • SUTD
  • Future Cities Laboratory
  • ITU
  • MEF University
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Latest news

All posts →
  1. New · Paper

    Building a digital hydro twin for flood resilience

    Our paper on a digital hydro twin that captures stakeholders’ perspectives on flood resilience is out in the COBEE 2025 proceedings.

    Read more →
  2. · Paper

    Cadastral data for flood risk in a BIM–GIS environment

    New paper at EC3 & CIB W78 2025 on managing cadastral data for flood risk management by engaging stakeholders.

    Read more →
  3. · Paper

    Structural plan schemas from generative adversarial networks

    In the Nexus Network Journal, we use GANs to generate structural plan schemas as an aid for early design.

    Read more →
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Research areas

  1. 01 Digital twins Live models of neighbourhoods and rivers that let stakeholders test flood-resilience decisions together.
  2. 02 Machine learning in architecture Generative and predictive models for plans, streetscapes and urban activity.
  3. 03 Serious games Games as testing grounds for policy, learning and participation.
  4. 04 Heritage and GIS Mapping, simulating and preserving architectural heritage, from caravanserai networks to façades.