Istanbul’s new airport awarded LEED Gold certification
Share
Istanbul’s new $10.2 billion airport has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the US Green Build Council (USGBC).
The award recognises the sustainability efforts that went into designing and constructing the airport’s terminal, which becomes the largest LEED certified building in the world.
Commentating on award, Kadri Samsunlu, CEO and director general at İGA Airport Operation, said: “This good news has brightened up our day in these difficult times of the world’s fight against COVID-19.
“At every stage at Istanbul Airport, from its design process to construction and from the construction process to commencement of operations, we have always paid ultimate attention to take all our steps in line with our targets of sustainable development.
“By virtue of this implementation model, we have qualified to receive the LEED Gold certificate that made us the world’s largest LEED Gold certified building. As İGA, we consider compliance with sustainability principles as the most important component of our corporate culture.
“Based on this mindset, we have set the ‘zero waste’ approach as a key success factor and have put sustainability to the core of all activities that are being carried out at Istanbul Airport. Thanks to this approach, we have qualified to receive the LEED Gold certificate, and thus, we broke ground yet again.
“As we always say, Istanbul Airport has always been and will always be the airport of new grounds and top ranks. We are so proud to have succeeded in putting sustainability to the forefront in all steps we take, so that we, the world, the future, the environment can reach a sustainable level of self-sufficiency.”
LEED Certification is a long-running process from the design process to completion of the buildings and covers a wide range of aspects that involve several disciplines.
The system evaluates the buildings under various categories such as sustainable land, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation in design, or regional priority credits.
Buildings satisfying the prerequisites earn one of four LEED rating levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum based on the number of points achieved.
The USGBC president, Mahesh Ramanujam, noted: “Nowadays, airports are not mere centre of transportation but places where people connect and get inspired, places that mirror the cities they are located in.
“As an entrance point to Turkey, the terminal of Istanbul Airport will also mirror the first impression that the millions of passengers passing through its gates every year will get at the airport.
“Istanbul Airport, as the largest LEED Gold certified building worldwide, is a manifestation of the fact that, no matter the size or unique aspects of a project, all projects can be a healthy, sustainable and high-performance place if designed in the right way.”
