A new high for Istanbul, soon

As the population of the Turkish city of Istanbul continues to swell, urban intensification is in full swing along the shores of the Bosphorus. Long dominated by dozens of minarets, the area now boasts a variety of high-rise residential and office buildings. On the eastern edge of the metropolis, developer Varyap is currently building one of the city’s future tallest edifices —  Metropol Tower.

If completed today, the building would be the second tallest in the city after Sapphire Tower; however, the Skyland Office and Residential Towers, currently under construction, are set to become the tallest towers in the city at 284 metres, knocking the Metropol to fourth place.

The Metropol Tower has structurally topped out recently, and workers have begun the cladding process along the first 20 to 25 floors of the building. Designed by British architecture firm RMJM, the tower is characterised by a curvy glass facade on one of its sides, giving the structure a slender look as it ascends toward its final height of 250 metres and 58 storeys.

The mixed-use tower  will be part of a vast 500,000 square metre complex, comprising three skyscrapers.  In total, 1,200 apartments will be added to the master planned district of Atasehir which has been designed to eventually welcome more than 80,000 residents.

The tower will stand above a 30,000 square metre public shopping mall, including a multi-screen cinema complex and a 400-metre open-air promenade lined by exclusive retail on the mall’s rooftop.  Named the Metropol Catwalk, the shopping complex will be adjacent to office space and accessible via nearby highways, easily connecting the newly developed spaces in central Istanbul. The whole project is scheduled for completion in 2017.