The big day has arrived: on Monday 29 October, on the occasion of the national holiday which commemorates the proclamation of the Republic, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will inaugurate the new international airport in Istanbul, planned to be the largest in the world. The new hub, which will be further expanded up to be able to accommodate up to 200 million passengers a year, will replace Ataturk's over time and is one of the mega projects wanted at all costs by Erdogan, despite months of strong controversy due in particular to the protests of the unions, who tried to block the work following the death of some workers during jobs. For the president, however, hit in the summer by the crisis of the Turkish lira, the infrastructure - which sorgies in the part European city, at 35 ckilometers from the center on a site near the Black Sea, and was built in record time in 42 months – it was too important even for propaganda and image purposes.
In the massive work, which cost almost 30 billion euros (including the 100 square meter residential complex and the mega car park with a capacity of 25 vehicles) and which according to plans will employ 36 people (225 considering related industries), there it is also a touch – not irrelevant – of made in Italy. The control tower of the new Istanbul airport is in fact designed by Pininfarina, in partnership with AECOM, US engineering and design company. The structure is aesthetically the flagship of the airport and it is inspired by the tulip, for many centuries symbol of istanbul and important cult referencehistory of turkish history. From a functional point of view the Tower has two distinct control areas a different odds: the view a 360° a by dand the controllers is ensured through a stained glass window designed to optimize radiationament and acoustic comfort.
As it has always been in Pininfarina's DNA, also concept della Torre, selected among six solutions proposed by international architecture studios (including Zaha Hadid, Fuksas, Moshe safdie, Grimshaw-Nordic and RMJM), mixes influences from the automotive sector, and also from the aerospace one, with inevitable evocative elements of Turkish culture, such as the reference to the tulip but not only: thelobby Central, for example, features a skylight typical of historic Turkish buildings, custom made to fill the spaces through a vivid mosaic light.
The planning of the structure is based on the daily cycle of the staff who will use the building and is therefore inclusive of daily human activities – sleep, eat, work, learn, play, rest – creating a simple and logical flow within the shifts of the workers. The sleeping areas have been designed to provide the perfect rest area for staff, benefiting from the early morning sun and avoiding exposure to the brightest sunlight. Using the inclination of the facade, a raised bed, a small lounge area and washing facilities have been created for each unit. The Tower is even equipped with a sports hall, created as a recreation area for the staff.
Pininfarina has not neglected the aspect of sustainability either. The design of the tower tiein fact I take into account the foryou climatic changes in Istanbul. PFor this, an accurate solar analysis was carried out which allows to reduce the energy expenditure of the structure. Me too'use of high efficiency glass Eastato used in order to compensate for the need visual through natural light, while maintaining efficient insulation. The infrastructure will also be able to supply hot water through solar collectors and to generate electricity on site using photovoltaic panels. Finally, a rainwater harvesting system was designed for reduce the water footprint of the buildingfig. The Control Tower is already award winner, theInternational Architecture Awards 2016 awarded by the Chicago Athenaeum.
