4 September 2012 - AECOM announced today that it has been appointed project manager on Phase 1a of Bio Istanbul, the $2.2 billion development that will become Turkey’s first dedicated biomedical science park, advanced children’s hospital and sustainable residential community. This appointment comes a year after our Program, Cost, Consultancy team was appointed cost and program manager on the project.
Phase 1a includes the construction of three distinct campuses: the Istanbul Children’s Hospital designed by Gmur Architekten of Switzerland, an R&D commercial office park (Innovation Campus) designed by Rafael de La-Hoz of Madrid and, finally, 150 residential units, ranging in size from 50 to 149 square metres, designed by Tabanlioglu of Istanbul and Saunders Architecture of Norway.
As concept design is now complete for the three campuses, AECOM will henceforth manage the project through completion of construction, while supporting the client team in the development of the wider site infrastructure planning and delivery.
Bio Istanbul is a joint venture between the Bio City Development Company (BCDco), the leading emerging markets’ healthcare infrastructure company; EPP, an affiliate of the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKI); and the Turkish Ministry of Urbanization and Environment. The facilities’ occupiers will include world-leading pharmaceutical, medical technology and biomedical informatics companies, helping to ensure that Bio Istanbul becomes the region’s main hub for biomedicine.
“Our goal is to significantly expand Turkey’s knowledge-based economy while at the same time surpassing the current de facto standards of Turkish private development,” explained Tobias Levey, Chairman & CEO of Bio Istanbul. “We are relying on AECOM to ensure that our ambition for quality in construction is delivered on time and on budget.”
“Bio Istanbul has the potential to dramatically improve the level of medical care for the people of Turkey while also positioning Turkey to become the leading centre for pharmaceutical and advanced biomedical research for southeastern Europe and the Middle East,” commented David Whitehouse, AECOM’s managing director for CIS and Turkey. “Having worked with Bio City Development Company from the outset of this important project, it is exciting for everyone at AECOM that our role in seeing it successfully delivered has been expanded.”
When completed, Bio Istanbul will accommodate 15,000 residents and a further 20,000 working commuters. It will be the first large-scale community in Turkey built to meet internationally certified sustainability standards (LEED/BREEAM). It will incorporate smart city infrastructure initiatives to ensure efficient use of energy and facilities, an integrated transport network with an intra-site public tramway and a comprehensive site security system.