Ahmet Arslan, Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication, inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony of Istanbul New Airport’s Air Traffic Control Tower designed by Pininfarina and AECOM. The tower, winner of the 2016 International Architecture Award, will be 90 meters tall and completed in approximately six months.
Construction officially commenced at Istanbul New Airport’s (INA) award-winning Air Traffic Control Tower, which, once finished, will become the world’s largest airport ‘built from scratch.’ The tower will rise as high as 90 meters over an area of 6,085 m².
Inaugurated by Ahmet Arslan, Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication, the groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Orhan Birdal, Transportation, Maritimes and Communications Ministry Deputy Undersecretary, Funda Ocak, General Director of State Airports Authority of Turkey, IGA Board Members as well as top executives of Pininfarina and AECOM.
“Air traffic control towers have taken on a new significance in the next-generation airports, becoming an architectural design icon aside from functionality. We believe that this Air Traffic Control Tower, whose groundbreaking we celebrate today, will offer Istanbul a new city symbol and fascinate the aviation community with its unique design. With inspiration drawn from the tulip flower, a symbol in Turkish history and Istanbul’s rich cultural heritage, and its aerodynamic shape, our tower will be visible to all passengers traveling between Europe and Asia. We see many of its counterparts in the U.S., Gulf States and Europe. Being the developer of the world’s largest airport, we stand out in this aspect, as well,” noted Yusuf Akçayoğlu, CEO of IGA Airports Construction at the ceremony.
“The laying of the corner stone is an important step towards the birth of this extraordinary building destined to become a real milestone for Istanbul. Today I’m particularly proud of this project as it’s the evidence that, with the right team, an outstanding and sculptural design – winner of the International Architecture Award – will become real,” said Paolo Pininfarina, Chairman of Pininfarina Group.
90 m tall 17-floor tulip tower
Back in December 2015, IGA organized a design contest for the Air Traffic Control Tower, inviting globally acclaimed designers including Zaha Hadid, Moshe Safdie, Grimshaw-Nordic, Massimiliano Fuksas, Pininfarina-AECOM, and RMJM Architects. Pininfarina and AECOM won the contest with a design inspired from the tulip flower. INA’s Air Traffic Control Tower and Technical Building received the 2016 International Architecture Award by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, and The European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Technical information:
Construction Area: 6,085 m²
Height: 90 m
Number of floors: 17 + basement
Foundation Type: Raft Foundation + 30m-deep drilled shaft foundation
Carrier System: Reinforced concrete & steel construction
Façade materials: Glass fiber reinforced concrete will be used to create organic curvy forms on the tower façade.
Tower Control level: Two-floor control level with an employee capacity of 16. Control floors will have a glass façade enabling a 360 degree panorama view, while providing reflective and acoustical comfort.
Technical building: Cafeteria, gym & squash courts, offices, recreational rooms, seminar hall, meeting rooms.
