Istanbul New Airport ATC tower wins design award in Athens

Istanbul New Airport's Air Traffic Control Tower has won the International Architecture Award.
Time Aerospace thumbnail

Istanbul New Airport's (INA) 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. The award-winning design, originally the winner of a contest by INA in 2015, was created by Pininfarina and AECOM with inspiration drawn from the tulip flower, a key motif in the Turkish-Islamic culture and Istanbul's rich cultural heritage. 

A jury of Italian architects and critics assessed 370 projects from all over the world to select the winner. Yusuf Akçayoğlu, CEO of İGA Airports Construction accepted the award together with Pininfarina and AECOM representatives at a ceremony held in Athens on September 23, 2016.

Before the ceremony, 132 award-winning design projects from 43 countries were showcased at the Contemporary Space Athens.

"The New Istanbul Airport represents a number of firsts in many areas,” said Yusuf Akçayoğlu, CEO of İGA Airports Construction. “This special building, a top-notch design by the world-renowned designer Pininfarina, of Ferrari fame, is poised to become an icon for Istanbul. The airport will expedite the growth of our region and country, and this building serves as a testament to its aesthetics that is well ahead of its time. The award, the next step in a long journey that began with the ground-breaking ceremony on May 2015, fills us with pride. We hope to bring more awards to Turkey with this airport project, which continues to amaze the world. We are planning to break ground for the tower in October and complete it within the first half of 2017.”