The CTBUH 2024 Europe Conference was held on April 18th and 19th in Istanbul, Turkiye. The conference covered various topics, such as building resiliency against different types of events, protecting tall buildings from natural and human-made threats, the success of dense communities during and after the pandemic, upkeep and renovation of existing high-rise buildings, and growing dense capitals in Eastern Europe. It featured presentations from experts from around the world.
The main conference was held at Ziraat Tower, located in Istanbul International Finance Center. It was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates in partnership with Turner International LLC and Arup. The tower, which belongs to Ziraat Bank, is the 86th tallest building in Europe, the 21st tallest in Turkey, and the 16th tallest in Istanbul. It houses offices, meeting rooms, and conference halls. Construction began in 2017 and was completed in 2023.
One of the conference sessions focused on preventing threats to cities and buildings. The speakers discussed challenges such as terrorism, data security, and fires and presented case studies on how challenging circumstances can be an opportunity for innovation.
Another session was about mobility and how technological advancements are transforming the way we think about transportation in urban areas. The speakers shared their insights on how to create a seamless world of mobility that is adaptive to our dynamic urban condition and supportive of productivity and quality of life.
There was also a session that addressed climate change and natural threats. The speakers discussed how European cities and buildings are dealing with this problem and presented solutions at the regional, city, and building levels.
Lastly, CTBUH 2024 held a session about growing city densities in Europe. The speakers shared their experiences and insights on densification through height and other means, like interlocking small private spaces, public gardens, and communal piazzas. They also provided successful case stories of new buildings that have created thriving neighborhoods.
You can stay up-to-date with all CTBUH’s upcoming events by following this link.