Turkish Airlines’ Green and Clean Airport Wins LEED Certification

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Recently Turkish Airlines (TA) announced that nine of their buildings have been registered with the USBC LEED certificate.

Taking the LEED

USBC stands for U.S. Green Building Council and is a program committed to achieving sustainability for buildings and communities alike. Recognition from the project can lead you to be accredited with a LEED certification and gain a competitive edge. TA took on this very challenge.

Ever conscious of the need to minimise global warming, TA has sought to reduce C02 emissions by freeing up space and usage of materials in nine of their buildings at Istanbul Airport. For instance: by providing ease of access to building, reducing the need for unnecessary transport, and building on sustainable land that is in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

These nine buildings were designed by Scott Brownrigg+ who worked with numerous other architects to design a healthy and sustainable lead airport. This includes Istanbul’s terminal building, which won Gold in 2020, for its fair use of space, control of water and air quality.

Mahesh Ramanujam, President of the USBC says: ‘‘Istanbul Airport, as the largest “LEED Gold” certified building worldwide, is a manifestation of the fact that, no matter the size or unique aspects of a project, all projects can be a healthy, sustainable and high-performance place if designed in the right way.”

The Green Team

Since 2008 TA has been in collaboration with IATA Green Team to measure and monitor fuel efficiency and reduce carbon footprint, (which included the improving of infrastructure, such as offering better parking spaces and better usage with improved approaching procedures).

TA say: ‘‘Turkish Airlines conducts projects in awareness of [climate change] and carries out improvements to reduce emissions caused by its activities.’’

TA also uses a Waste Management System which allocates different locations to sort out the different types of waste (e.g., electronic, hazardous, paper) with one stationed at Istanbul Airport which led them to win the Zero Waste Certificate 2020.

This is one of the reasons why TA has saved up to 30% of water with focused materials with up to 75% of recycling possibility, as accredited by USBC through LEED. And as we have seen, recycling possibility has led to sustainable amenities and even more awards for TA.

Taken together, TA’s is doing very well in reducing global warming and providing a greener future.

Which part of TA’s approach to sustainability do you like best? Let us know below.