Pininfarina and Aecom win the International Architecture Award 2016

The Istanbul New Airport Air Traffic Control Tower and technical building - designed by Pininfarina and Aecom – has won the International Architecture Award 2016, awarded by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. The winning projects were chosen from a shortlist of 370 entries from across the world. Uniquely, the innovative design by Pininfarina and Aecom marries influences from the aviation and automotive sectors with strong architectural design.The tower’s shape is inspired by the tulip, which has been a symbol of Istanbul for many centuries and is an important cultural reference in Turkish history. The elliptical shape of the tower influences all aspects of the form and geometry of the technical building below. A number of the building’s characteristics are influenced by historical Turkish architecture, including a double-height central atrium that has a bespoke mosaic-patterned skylight.