Future in Turkey belongs to sustainable cities!
2021-12-26
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In a statement to Anadolu Agency on the occasion of the International Civilization Day, on November 8 of each year, Erdal Arn, head of the Turkish Contractors Union, said that the measures to the border to build sustainable, environmentally friendly cities have begun to turn into an urgent need more than ever with Exacerbation of the global climate crisis.
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Dangers of current cities
According to United Nations data, more than half of the world's population has lived in cities since 2007, and this rate is expected to rise to 60 percent by 2030.
Cities account for about 70% of global carbon emissions and consume more than 60% of global energy resources.
Mr. Arn stressed the importance of promoting the concept of "sustainable buildings" around the world, in light of the increasing need for policies that include taking into account the needs of future generations, efficient use of resources, energy conservation, and the selection of environmentally friendly building materials.
The idea of sustainable cities
Sustainable cities are based on building zero-energy residential and commercial buildings, that is, they generate renewable energy only without the need for energy sources generated from fossil fuels, and it is part of the concept of cities that emit zero carbon emissions.
"According to the foregoing, priority must be given to the guidance of science, through the establishment of construction projects under the supervision of architects and technical consultants, and that the projects being built have a lifespan of at least 100 years," Mr. Erdal said.
He stated that countries should pay attention to and support innovative and creative projects, as well as green building projects and energy-efficient technologies.
Earthquake resistance
The President of the Contractors Union drew attention to the vital importance of urban transformation for Turkey, especially as this country suffers from the risks of seismic movements.
He mentioned that "This transformation must be implemented on a comprehensive basis, taking into account the urban infrastructure and the historical specificity of the buildings, with attention to being environmentally friendly in terms of planning and implementation."
On his side, Tefun Koçoğlu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Building Materials Manufacturers Association, stressed the need to focus on sustainable buildings to increase the number of earthquake-resistant and energy-saving buildings in all Turkish cities.
Energy saving
The dramatically increasing costs of energy around the world are placing both producers and consumers under pressure from increased consumption.
In the same context, Mr. Koçoğlu said: "35% of the total energy is consumed by the housing and services sectors, 34% by industry, and the rest by the transportation, agriculture, animal husband,ry and other fields."
He added, "We can save between 30 to 40% of the energy consumed, which is a value of up to $20 billion, only in the housing and services sectors, as we have the necessary capabilities, infrastructure,eure and the opportunity to provide energy."
Energy-saving insulation
Emrullah Aruslu, head of the Association of Producers of Heat, Fluid, and Sound Insulators, said that the urban transformation opportunity must be well exploited so that all Turkish cities have energy-saving, safe and healthy buildings.
He added, "If we pay attention to the thickness of the insulation in all buildings that will be reconstructed during the urban transformation process, we can achieve energy savings of about 90% compared to buildings that do not follow the insulation standards."
He also noted that Turkey can save $9 billion annually by constructing energy-saving buildings and that Turkish contractors have recently begun to focus on using energy-saving technologies by building sustainable cities.