Isilay Civan: Solves Multi-Layered Complex Problems
Senior Associate, Specialist
HOK
Age: 39
Years in Aviation: 8 years
Memberships: AIRFC (Airport Facilities Council of IFMA), IFMA, USGBC, EDRA
Did you know?
Civan has three first-place medals for running, skiing and team handball, and was recruited for the Turkish national team but chose architecture.
Isilay Civan says she likes working in the aviation industry because it gives her the opportunity to solve multilayered, complex problems while developing strategies that balance efficiency with resiliency for sustainable solutions. Her 15 years of international experience spans projects across three continents and includes aviation and most other facility types at all phases of the building life cycle. This gives her a distinct perspective on how to achieve and sustain truly wholesome, high-performance built environments. In her role as firm-wide research and strategic innovation specialist with HOK’s consulting group, she is responsible for leading cross-pollination among different industry sectors, conducting research-driven diagnostic and predictive analytics, and developing innovative solutions for strategic portfolio optimization. Civan earned her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Master’s degree in Construction Project Management and two PhDs: one in Facilities Management and the other in Real Estate Development, with a minor in Business–giving her a comprehensive understanding of the entire building spectrum. Currently serving as chair of the Environmental Design Research Association’s Certificate of Research Excellence program development committee, Civan is on the editorial board for the International Facility Management Association (IFMA)’s Sustainability “How-to Guides” and was one of the subject matter experts for IFMA’s Sustainability Facility Professional (SFP) credential. She served on IFMA’s board of directors from 2010 to 2012 and chaired the IFMA Research Committee and Global FM International Workshop Taskforce during that time. She is an active member of IFMA’s Airport Facilities Council (AIRFC) and served as panel and focus group members to multiple Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) research studies. She holds USBGC’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design professional accreditation, with a specialty in operations and maintenance, and is a Sustainability Facility Professional. Civan has authored Ways to Prevent Office Buildings from Getting Obsolete and From Design to Development, and numerous articles.
