Mighty & tall it stands

Fabrication of the facade of the new 365.5-metre Kucuk Camlica television tower in Istanbul, Turkey, is now underway. The facade of this £36 million structure was designed by UK-based Newtecnic, whose innovative concept allows inhabitable spaces to be attached to the whole of the tower's core. "Because of the complexity and cost of building, towers of this height normally have accommodation only at the top," said Newtecnic CEO, Andrew Watts.

The company devised a design that allows lightweight, prefabricated glass reinforced
concrete panels to be attached all the way up the central column. These hang like a curtain and are securely clipped to the main central core to create large interior spaces.
The tower will host 125 broadcasting transmitters and is expected to attract 4.5 million visitors annually. The design incorporates restaurants, exhibition and meeting spaces, two high-level observation decks and a panoramic elevator. The tower, when complete, will reach 580 metres above sea level. Newtecnic engineered the facade to last for more than double its lifespan, reaching 60 years.