Istanbul Sapphire, set to fully open its doors in September 2010, is the highest residential building in Turkey and Europe, measuring over 240 meters in height. Aside from apartments, a luxury shopping mall, and a golf practice area, the 54th floor hosts an open air museum. Yasemin Camlibel, Sales & Marketing Director, Istanbul Sapphire, discusses Istanbul’s newest jewel.

By Bernd Struben, Senior Editor, REP

Q: How is this building superior to its neighbors in regards to its environmental impact? Do you think this will set a new trend for Turkish development?
Istanbul Sapphire has a ‘double façade’ coating which enables the building to save 30% in energy usage. We are aware of the enormous amount of energy necessary to support high rise buildings. We hope all high rise building contractors will eventually come up with similar technologies to save energy.

Q: Sapphire is known as an environmentally friendly building; why did you choose to go green?
We chose to go green because we care for environmental responsibility regarding future generations.

Q: Can you tell us a little about the shopping mall?
The shopping mall will be opened in September 2010. It is 6 stories high and has 30,500 m² of retail area. It is planned to be a neo-traditional shopping mall with traces of old and new Istanbul mixed with elegance. The first and only ‘observatory terrace’ of Turkey on top of Istanbul Sapphire will be reached through the shopping mall. So the shopping mall will be serving local and foreign tourists as well as ordinary shopping mall visitors.

Q: How about the vertical gardens?
The most striking feature of the building is the vertical gardens with natural air, natural soil and natural plants. Due to the ‘double façade’ fresh air comes into the space between the two glass coatings. Natural air circulates in three story partitions and goes out on every third floor. So it is possible to walk out into the garden after opening the doors at even heights like 200 meters. This is an incredible privilege in a high rise building.

Q: What other interesting features does Istanbul Sapphire have?
Besides the fact that Istanbul Sapphire is the highest residential building in Turkey and Europe, there are certain features in Istanbul Sapphire that make a difference. Istanbul Sapphire offers 6,000 m² of social areas for residential use only. A 2,000 m² lobby lounge, a 2,300 m² swimming pool and fitness floor and a 1,600 m² golf practice area are fully equipped for the residents’ comfort and pleasure. So even if you own a 120 m² residence, you will be using plus 6,000 m² any time and any way you like. The ceilings in Istanbul Sapphire are gross 4 meters high. This gives a volume once you enter a residence. So we speak of m3 not m² when we define our residences.