A tulip tower at Istanbul airport

A tower shaped like a giant tulip will soon become an iconic symbol of a new airport in Istanbul, Turkey. As part of an international competition to build the future control tower, the operating consortium IGA selected a design submitted by the global architecture and engineering practice, AECOM and Pininfarina, an Italian design office.

The tower’s design combines modern and traditional elements. The tower’s twisting form is based on a tulip, which has long been the symbol of Istanbul. The 96-metre building will be visible to all passengers flying into or out of the Istanbul New Airport. The design is also reminiscent of the forms used in aviation design.

According to Yusuf Akcayoglu, chief executive officer of the IGA consortiu, the tulip tower will have a striking design that will be a 21st-century building, but will remain sensitive to
Istanbul’s unique heritage. He also revealed that it would be one of the world’s largest aviation projects that  evokes the aerodynamic forms used in automotive and aviation design.

Pininfarina is an Italian firm known for its work with many international firms like Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Jaguar, among others. Construction of the control tower is scheduled to begin in May this year and is expected to be completed in October 2017. Just 22 miles from the centre of Istanbul on the European side of the city near the Black Sea, the Istanbul New Airport is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of Turkey. When it opens in spring 2018, it will have an initial handling capacity of 90 million passengers a year. There are plans to expand the airport to six runways and three
terminals.