The awarded project of the Istanbul New Airport Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT), designed by Pininfarina and AECOM, has won the prestigious International Architecture Award 2016 organized by Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The ATCT is one of the 130 winning projects chosen from a shortlist of 370 entries from across the world, achieving a high standard of excellence in design, construction, planning, and sustainability and promoting best practice in Real Estate.
Last December 2015 Pininfarina and AECOM won the international design competition for the Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) and technical building at Istanbul New Airport.
The AECOM and Pininfarina collaboration was chosen by IGA from six entries from international architectural firms (Zaha Hadid, Fuksas, Moshe Safdie, Grimshaw-Nordic and RMJM). IGA is a consortium of five leading Turkish contractors (Cengiz, Mapa, Limak, Kolin and Kalyon) that was awarded the concession to build Istanbul New Airport as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor and will also be the operator.
Uniquely, the innovative design by Pininfarina and AECOM combines influences from the aviation and automotive sectors with strong architectural design.
A landmark for all passengers flying in and out of the airport, the ATCT will be the signature of Istanbul New Airport, which is set to be the world’s largest new airport in terms of annual passenger capacity.
The aerodynamic and fluid tower’s shape is inspired by the tulip, a symbol of Istanbul for many centuries and an important cultural reference in Turkish history.
The elliptical shape of the tower influences all aspects of the form and geometry of the technical building below.
A number of the building’s characteristics are inspired by historical Turkish architecture, for example the double-height central atrium that has a bespoke mosaic-patterned skylight.
The concept for the tower and technical building is focused on the daily functional requirements of the facility and the people who use it.
