Global Architecture Development was founded in 1994 by Gokhan Avcioglu. Under the leadership and direction of Mr. Avcioglu, the firm has designed projects including residences, hotels, office buildings, and cultural and commercial spaces from Turkey to the United States, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the UAE. The practice is truly global in its scope of work over the past three decades. Mr. Avcioglu is internationally recognized as an architect and artist whose career has focused on innovative concepts, in form, materials, and computational design.

GAD has practice offices around the world including Istanbul and Bodrum in Turkey, Kiev, and Dubai in the UAE. Some notable projects include the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Residences, Kuum Hotel Spa & Residences, One & Ortakoy apartment complex, Besiktas Fish Market, Borusan Music and Art House, Swissotel Resort, and Cappadocia Spa Hotel. The award-winning firm has won such notable awards as the American Architecture Prize in 2017, AR Future Projects Award, MIPIM Civic and Community Project, Design, and MIPIM Future Project Award, both in 2012 and 2013, The Turkish Architecture Prize, the Bronze Prize in the Miami Biennale, and International Property Awards for several years in a row, German Iconic Awards in 2014, Chicago Athenaeum Green Good Design Award in 2015, 2014 and 2012, WAFX Smart City Prize in 2017, American Architecture Prize in 2017 and Jeu d’Esprit Prize in 2017.

His academic activities and teaching include Architectural Design studios at the Ecole Speciale d’Architecture in Paris, Istanbul's Yıldız Technical University, UPENN Weitzman Architecture, and Istanbul Technical University. In 2014, the GAD Foundation was established with the aim of cultivating a better understanding of the environment for architecture and construction. Seeking to raise broader awareness of the current state of both education and practice in these fields, the GAD Foundation produces videos, conducts training seminars, and sponsors workshops. Most recently, Mr. Avcioglu and the GAD Foundation were proud sponsors of "The Emerging Architecture Awards” and "Women in Architecture” for Architectural Review Magazine, the World Architecture Festival, and Design Junction for London Design Week.

GAD, and specifically its founder Gokhan Avcioglu as an artist, sculptor, and author has completed and installed numerous works of sculptures and paintings and most notably is the author of “Less or More”, a monumental 600-page work published by the GAD Foundation. The work, authored over five years by Mr. Avcioglu, provides the reader with an outstanding view of the nexus of archaeology, art, design, engineering, and most significantly, architecture.

Mr. Avcioglu is a member of The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), and the Turkish Society of Builders and Architects (TMMOB.) In addition, he is a frequent speaker at several prestigious academic institutions including Ecole Speciale d’Architecture in Paris, Istanbul Technical University, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture.