Istanbul Sapphire

Istanbul Sapphire
A view of the tower from bottom.
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Residential
Location	Büyükdere Avenue Levent, Istanbul, Turkey
Coordinates
Opening	4 March 2011
Cost	US$150,000,000
Height
Antenna spire	261 m (856 ft)
Roof	238 m (781 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	54 (above ground) 10 (below ground) 64 (total)
Design and construction
Architect	Tabanlioglu Architects
Developer	Biskon Yapı
References

Istanbul Sapphire, or Sapphire, is a skyscraper, and as of 2016, the tallest building in Istanbul and Turkey, located in the central business district of Levent. Istanbul Sapphire was the 4th tallest building in Europe when construction was completed. It is now the 19th tallest building in Europe. It is the country's first ecological skyscraper. Sapphire rises 54 floors above ground level, and boasts an above-ground roof height of 238 meters: the building has an overall structural height of 261 meters including its spire, which is part of the design and not a radio antenna. It is a shopping and luxury residence mixed-use project managed by Biskon Construction (a subsidiary of the Kiler Group of Companies.)

Location

It is strategically located close to the TEM and O1 main road arteries and to the Bosphorus and F.S.M. bridges. The building has direct access to the 4. Levent subway station from its 3rd basement floor, and is situated on Büyükdere Avenue, one of Istanbul's main thoroughways, in the middle of the city's central Beşiktaş and Şişli districts, and in close proximity to the quarter of Etiler.

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  A catamaran Seabus on the Bosphorus, with the skyscrapers of Levent business district in the background. Istanbul Sapphire is the first skyscraper at left.

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  Distant view of Levent from the Khedive Palace gardens on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. Istanbul Sapphire is the first skyscraper at right.

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  A view of İstanbul from Istanbul Sapphire.

History and architecture

A distant view of Levent from the Bosphorus strait. Istanbul Sapphire is the tallest skyscraper at left.

Istanbul Sapphire has been designed by Tabanlıoğlu Architects as a high-tech structure that consists of 64 floors (54 above-ground and 10 basement floors), communal living floors, extensive parking spaces, a large shopping mall, and 47 floors for residences.

There will be specialized floors which have private gardens between every 3 floors, and every 9 floors are separated from each other by a communal living area or mechanical floors. Design of the gardens are proposed with a number of alternatives and the consistency of garden maintenance is under the residence management company’s responsibility.

Sapphire is the first ecological building of Turkey, having two special glass shells which can take the outside air naturally by holes located at every 3 floors. Thanks to this system, the inhabitants of the building will not be affected by the negative weather conditions and external urban noise, in addition to providing a buffer with the outside atmosphere and the internal facilities. Absorption of the sunlight and ultraviolet beams will be ensured by a special curtain system that's automatically controlled through a computer, depending on the season, day and hour.

Turkey's deepest excavated construction pit

The foundation pit excavated for the project – 42.5 meters deep – is the deepest foundation pit excavated for any structure in Turkey.

Construction work

The project is built on a land plot of 11,339 m2 and has an overall total construction area of 157,800 m2, which includes a 35,000 m2 shopping mall.

Companies

The companies involved in the development and construction of the project have included thus far:

• Biskon Yapı (construction subsidiary of Kiler Group of Companies and the project's main construction company, Istanbul, company web site)
• Güney Turizm (Mustafa Tatlıcı Group) (owner of the plot)
• Kiler Holding (investor and developer)
• Tabanlıoğlu Mimarlık (the project's architectural design, Istanbul, company web site)
• Demsar Inşaat (project's sub-contractor for structural construction of the skyscraper, Istanbul),
• Ruscheweyh Consult GmbH (wind loads on buildings and structures, Germany, company web site), and other Turkish and international companies.

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Istanbul
• List of tallest buildings in Turkey
• List of tallest buildings in Europe

External links

• Istanbul Sapphire (official website)