New Tower to Dwarf Istanbul’s Minarets

Istanbul's evocative skyline is set to be capped by a new peak, as architects on Wednesday unveiled plans to build a tower almost 300 meters high, which will rival the highest buildings in Europe.

Istanbul's evocative skyline is set to be capped by a new peak, as architects on Wednesday unveiled plans to build a tower almost 300 meters high, which will rival the highest buildings in Europe.

Scotland-based architectural firm RMJM's office in Dubai said that it received planning approval for "Metropol Istanbul," a vast 500,000 square meter project, which includes three towers, a 30,000 square meter public shopping mall, offices and luxury apartments.

Managing principal at RMJM, Chris Jones, said the tower complex would be "iconic and bring character to Istanbul," confirming that construction would conclude at the end of 2015. "There is nothing like this in Turkey yet… We could not be speaking about this kind of a project in any other part of Europe in this financial situation. This reflects the robust and confidence of Turkey's growing economy," Mr. Jones said in an interview.

The price tag for the complex, which will be located on Istanbul's Asian-side as a cornerstone of a new government-backed financial zone, is a cool 1.5 billion Turkish lira (over $800 million).

Photographs accompanying the press release showed that the towers would dominate the Asian side of the two-continent metropolis. Istanbul, estimated to house as many as 17 million people, does not currently have the skyscraper-laden skyline of many European business capitals. Its tallest buildings are on the district of Levent on European side of the city.

Turkish architects and city planning experts have criticized the frenzy in Istanbul to construct increasingly higher buildings. A swelling band of Istanbul residents have also voiced their concerns over the rapidly shifting skyline, recently seen in the successful citizens' campaign to halt construction a high-rise tower obscuring the view of the Topkapi Palace, the residence and center of government of Ottoman Sultans, and the iconic Blue Mosque.

Modern high-rise towers on the European side have already altered the traditional Bosphorus vista; world famous for its panorama punctuated by Ottoman era minarets and spires.

The city also lives under constant danger of an earthquake, heightening the risk of building higher. In the last major 7.4-magnitude earthquake near Istanbul in 1999, more than 17,000 people were killed, mostly due to poor construction. Experts warn that another massive quake could strike Istanbul at any time.

But Mr. Jones said the towers have been engineered to withstand earthquakes with a reinforced, aerodynamic structure. On allegations that the tower could obscure the jewels of the Istanbul skyline, he stresses that Atasehir is far from historic heart of the city.

"The skyline of Istanbul is exceptional and should be protected, but the city is large enough to have both the historical part and the 21st century skyline — and more," he said.

According to RMJM, the project appears to have gotten off to a flying start, with some 60% of the apartments of the residential tower already snapped up since launching on the market on Sunday. The clients are mostly Turkish customers seeking to move to the Asian side, which has grown and developed significantly in recent years, or make a real estate investment.

Once constructed, the main tower will be one of Europe's highest, but it will still fall short of the continent's tallest building: Moscow's 300-meter high "Moscow Capital Tower."

Competitive Turks needn't worry. The Capital Tower was constructed by Turkish firm Ant Yapi, which recently announced they will build an even taller 330-meter skyscraper in Moscow.

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