The stunning new complex in the heart of Istanbul’s new financial district masterfully bridges past and present, combining the city’s rich cultural heritage with innovative vertical mobility solutions that set a new standard in passenger experience. Our team installed 81 elevators and escalators throughout the two towers and podium that make up Ziraat Bank’s new headquarters.
The two elegant towers connected by a gracefully curved podium are a fitting centerpiece for the city's new financial district. Designed to capture Istanbul’s unique cultural heritage, the Ziraat Bank Headquarters are packed full of innovation – housing the country's fastest elevators, first double-deck and first dual-load elevators, as well as numerous innovative custom-made solutions.
This was a very important project for us. Technically it was quite challenging, with many non-standard solutions," says Emrah Cakmak, our project manager.
Standing tall at the heart of the new Istanbul International Financial Centre, the buildings of 40 and 46 floors top out at 219 meters. Including the ground-level podium, the complex covers more than 350,000 square meters and incorporates the bank’s headquarters with commercial office and retail space, as well as seven floors of underground parking.
The distinctive curving profile of the complex’s two towers, viewed together with the podium, evokes the Tughra, a traditional Ottoman calligraphic signature used as a "seal of a sultan" – a fitting symbol of the state-owned bank's importance and rich heritage that dates to 1888.
"With the support and encouragement of a visionary client, we’ve designed a modern financial services high rise inspired by the intricacies of Istanbul’s incredible cultural, urban, and historical legacy," comments Paul Katz, managing principal at the New York-based architectural firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, who designed the buildings.
On the tower façades, louvers of various sizes allow high levels of natural daylight while reducing glare and preventing excessive solar gain. Inside, there are planted balconies for relaxing breaks, prayer rooms, and a natural ventilation system that, along with our energy-efficient vertical mobility system, helped the project attain LEED Platinum Certification.
We installed 81 units in the buildings, including 27 Schindler 7000s – 23 of which are double-deck elevators – 32 Schindler 5500 elevators, and 19 Schindler 9300 escalators. We also installed several specially customized technical solutions requested by the owner.
As a safety requirement, to prevent the risk of falls during construction, we installed over 1,000 landing doors before the installation of the elevators began.
"All doors had to be completed within three months, so it was tight. It's quite an unusual request. We worked very hard and even ran nightshifts," Emrah says.
The complex was originally designed to accommodate up to 5,000 employees, with elevator shaft spaces pre-defined from the start. It quickly became evident that traditional single-deck elevators would struggle at peak times.
"Our traffic analysis confirmed this," Emrah explains. "No one wants to wait one or maybe two minutes for an elevator, right?”
The solution was to use double-deck elevators to increase capacity. “It's the first time we installed these in Turkey, so it was a welcome challenge for us."
These double-deck elevators – which rely on our advanced transit management system, Schindler PORT, to optimize traffic streams – are an ideal solution for increasing capacity and improvingthe experience in high occupancy buildings, such as the Ziraat Bank Headquarters.
Schindler PORT also helps to optimize traffic flow throughout the building even before you get to the elevators. It’s integrated into our Schindler PORT 4-mini turnstiles for improved passenger experience and security – providing quick and reliable access control.
"When you come to the turnstiles, a camera will recognize your face and confirm access. The turnstile opens and the system designates an elevator to your floor automatically. There's no need to press any buttons. Could it be more convenient?" Emrah asks rhetorically.
Located in an area where three tectonic plates interact, the elevators in the Ziraat Bank Headquarters prioritize passenger safety: all are earthquake-proof, designed to meet seismic category 3 standards. Our elevator systems in the building are equipped with sensors detecting different waves of seismic activity, automatically shutting down upon detection. The system then continues to monitor the situation, with the elevators resuming operation once the system confirms that seismic activity has ceased.
"We can’t stop the earth from moving, but we can make sure that the structures we build are safe," says Emrah.
Another challenge we faced was the weight of the elevator machines. To accommodate the number of elevators needed, the added weight that comes with double-deck elevators, and the height and speed at which they travel – these are the fastest elevators in the country, reaching speeds of up to eight meters per second – the machines had to be massive. Each one weighs 12.5 tons, so getting them up to the top-floor machine room was no small feat.
We collaborated with heavy-lifting Swiss experts, Hebetec Engineering. "It was quite a light job for them, but very heavy for us," Emrah says with a smile.
When it came to installing a 4.6-ton transformer on floor 29, a more creative solution was needed. This is where dual-load elevators come into play – an ideal approach for moving heavy goods without requiring a dedicated goods elevator.
Our dual-load elevators have two settings: one for regular use, functioning as standard passenger elevators, and another for transporting much heavier loads.
This came in very handy. In the standard setting, our dual-load elevator can carry up to two tons at a speed of four meters per second. When switched to the heavy load setting, it can carry up to five tons at a speed of 1.5 meters per second.
"This is the first time we've installed dual-load elevators in Turkey. The different speed and weight capacities offer a smart way to transport heavy materials to the upper portion of the building," says Çağlar Türkmen, then our sales manager for the Ziraat project, now stationed in the Netherlands as European Sales Manager of Global Large Projects. "It’s like having two elevators in one, it’s an incredibly versatile solution."
Custom-designed solutions were a recurring theme throughout this project. For example, all the passenger elevator cars were fitted with tailor-made illuminated glass floors, special lighting, and uniquely designed walls.
We also installed a custom-made corner post elevator. With standard elevators, food-laden trollies must be pushed out into the lobby and then back in. But with these elevators, doors at a 90-degree angle to one another enable direct access to both the kitchen and the lobby. "It certainly makes life a lot simpler for catering staff!" explains Çağlar.
In the upper section of the building, which houses the VIP floors, we installed two unique units. The first is a small dumbwaiter that assists in serving tea. The second, a spectacular cylinder-shaped hydraulic panoramic elevator that rises up as if floating, offering magnificent views of the city. The hydraulic elevator works by pressurizing hydraulic fluid with an electronic pump and forcing it into a cylinder, and the pressure created pushes a piston that moves the elevator upwards.
When asked if he enjoys the view from the panoramic elevator on the VIP floors, Emrah smiles broadly and offers a confession: "Actually, it’s not something I focus on too much,” he says.
"Yes, the view is quite breathtaking up there. But it’s the ride quality that gives me the most satisfaction."