Aecom, a global provider of professional technical and management support services, said it joint venture with Italian car design firm Pininfarina has won a major contract to design the regional air traffic control (ATC) tower and technical building at the new airport in Istanbul.

The win marks Aecom’s first collaboration with Pininfarina, the design house renowned for its car designs for Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, among others, said a statement from Aecom.

The collaboration combines the expertise of Aecom’s architectural and engineering teams with Pininfarina’s distinctive architectural style that epitomises speed and movement, influenced by automotive design, it added.

The contract was awarded by İGA, a consortium of five leading Turkish contractors - Cengiz, Mapa, Limak, Kolin and Kalyon.

The Turkish government had roped in İGA to build Istanbul New Airport as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor and also its operator. In October, the Turkish consortium had secured a €4.5 billion ($5 billion) loan from a group of six banks for the first phase of the project.

The Aecom JV was selected for the project from a total of six entries after they won the international design competition conducted by İGA for the regional ATC tower and technical building at the Istanbul New Airport.

The other top firms in the fray included Zaha Hadid, Fuksas, Moshe Safdie, Grimshaw-Nordic and RMJM.

Yusuf Akçayoğlu, the chief executive officer of İGA, said: "One of the world’s largest aviation projects, Istanbul New Airport’s air traffic control tower will be an iconic structure, visible to all passengers travelling through the airport."

"We were looking for a striking design fit for a 21st century airport while remaining sensitive to Istanbul’s unique heritage. We received excellent designs from all over the world and are delighted to announce the Aecom and Pininfarina team as the competition winner," he added.

According to him, the ATC will be the landmark for Istanbul New Airport, which is set to be the world’s largest new airport in terms of annual passenger capacity.

The competition scope was to deliver the concept designs for the tower, showcasing contemporary sustainable architectural design that reflects the multi-cultural and historical characteristics of Istanbul city.

The Aecom and Pininfarina design evokes the aerodynamic forms used in automotive and aviation design, and includes an elliptical tower that will be visible to all passengers flying in and out of the new airport.

The tower shape is inspired by the tulip, which has been the symbol of Istanbul for many centuries and is an important cultural reference in Turkish history.

Jennifer Dixon, head of architecture, Europe, Middle East, India and Africa, Aecom, said: "In this competition, our aim was to combine the dynamism and romance of Pininfarina’s architectural style that is so influenced by automotive design with Aecom’s in-house aviation architecture capabilities."

"The Aecom and Pininfarina team has created a beautiful and highly functional piece that rekindles the excitement and glamour of modern air travel at the crossroads of Europe and Asia," she stated.

The design competition is the latest win for Aecom at Istanbul New Airport. Earlier this year, it was appointed by İGA to deliver designs for all the airside works at the airport.

Bernardo Gogna, the senior VP and director of global aviation, Aecom, said: "Our approach to this competition was to combine the expertise of a different design industry with Aecom’s in-house aviation architecture and engineering capabilities."

"Our goal was to bring Pininfarina’s values, which are grounded in tradition and craftsmanship, to the world of aviation. The result marries pure iconic beauty with true innovation," stated Gogna.

Paolo Pininfarina, the company chairman, pointed out that Istanbul ATC for the new airport was an iconic building, destined to become a landmark for the Turkish capital.

"Our aim, as with all our projects, was to develop a bespoke idea that embodied our partner’s design identity while at the same time bringing a new aesthetic perspective," stated Pininfarina.

"By leveraging the unique combination of our 85 years’ experience in design - from cars to superyachts, and from luxury products to furniture - with our architectural knowledge gained from several projects around the world, we have been able to create a technologically advanced structure of distinctive character," he added.

The new Istanbul airport, to be located on the European side of the city, 35 km from the centre on a site adjacent to the Black Sea, will have an initial capacity of 90 million passengers per year, said a statement from İGA.

Subsequent planned phases will expand the airport to include six runways and three terminal buildings. When all phases are complete, the airport will have an annual capacity of up to 200 million passengers, it added.-TradeArabia News Service