Perkins+Will to design Istanbul's Airport City
Airport City is the 1,700-acre (690-hectare) development around Istanbul New Airport, which will include a central innovation district, hotels, retail and commercial office space, logistic centres, an expo and convention centre, public space and metro and high-speed rail connections to Istanbul and beyond.
David Green (above), EMEA Urban Design Lead at Perkins+Will, said: “The opportunity to lay the groundwork for a development of this magnitude is both a tremendous honour and responsibility. Istanbul’s new airport will serve millions of passengers, but its airport city will be key to capturing that vitality. Beyond simply supporting aviation, our plan will create a framework for a truly unique centre of economic, cultural, and social life.”
An airport city is a development model that organises buildings, infrastructure, and transportation networks around an airport core, with the airport serving as primary economic driver for the surrounding area. The airport city beside Istanbul’s New Airport, which will be one of largest sites of its kind in the world, will also serve as the seed for future development along the Black Sea, Green added.
Perkins+Will’s masterplan will incorporate sustainability strategies to enhance building performance, comfort and livability at the district scale — all contributing to the resilience and economic viability of the development. It will draw on Turkish history, culture, and tradition to create an inviting sense of place in the public realm. And for travellers, it will enhance connectivity to Istanbul’s central business district and across the region.
Cem Cakaralir, Deputy General Manager of IGA Havalimani Isletmesi AS, overseeing the Airport City development, said: “This is an unprecedented opportunity to launch the Istanbul New Airport as a global crossroads into Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It is an important investment for the future of Turkey.”
Perkins+Will will deliver the masterplan to IGA in a record-setting four months’ time, setting the entire development on a fast-track toward ground-breaking in 2016.
