The construction of Turkey's first green public building, which was planned in cooperation with Turkey's General Directorate of Renewable Energy and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), is 80 percent finished and plans to be completed by the end of this year.
The building is constructed in line with the principles of an integrated building design as part of the project on Promoting Energy Efficiency in Buildings in Turkey. The vocational high school, located in an Ankara suburb, is composed of a school building, a workshop, a dormitory and a sports hall for the Ministry of National Education.
One of the main targets of the project is to begin operations in compliance with energy efficiency laws and regulations on energy performance in buildings, Erdal Calikoglu, deputy general director of the General Directorate of Renewable Energy of Turkey said.
The energy efficiency law of Turkey entered into force in 2007 to prevent energy waste and to promote energy efficiency.
The project, which was started in 2011, is funded by stakeholders - the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and the Ministry of National Education. The construction of a service building for the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre affiliated to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization is also in progress under the project.
The school campus is projected to consume the minimum of energy while minimizing adverse environmental effects as much as possible when compared to a traditional school premises. The building's construction, which will cost 23.4 million Turkish liras ($7.8 million), will save 70 percent energy. The building, in which solar and wind power technologies are used, will generate 80 percent its total energy needs.
With the aim of maximizing energy, the building orientation and window surfaces have been optimized to make the best use of daylight through the use of daylight lighting systems and sun breakers which have the capability of monitoring the direction of sunlight.
The building is designed so students can study in a comfortable and healthy setting while using natural ventilation and optimum lighting techniques. In addition to passive systems such as solar walls for indoor air conditioning, the building is equipped with a soil-borne heat pump, trigeneration, low-speed displacement heating-cooling systems and air-to-air cross-flow heat exchangers.
The school campus features photovoltaic solar panels and a wind turbine to access renewable energy sources. For major returns in water management, some innovative solutions such as a rainwater collection system and grey water usage will be implemented. The building also features a variety of external insulation and a green roof.
The school building was constructed in line with the principles of integrated building design. This approach requires interdisciplinary processes and demands that those who play a role in the construction of such a building work together during its design phase.
"We are trying to extend this approach for all building design in Turkey," Calikoglu said.
He noted that the school building constructed under the project consumes 80 percent less fossil fuels compared to traditional school buildings, so it is cleaner and more eco-friendly.
"In Turkey, it is widely supposed that energy efficiency only means insulation. However, in an energy efficient building, energy resources should be used efficiently and energy loss should be precluded," Calikoglu added.
Asli Karabacak, the project manager, also noted that the main objective of the project is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by ensuring energy efficiency in buildings in Turkey.
"The project is funded by GEF and the total budget [for entire implementation of project] is approximately $17 million. Sustainable green buildings are becoming widespread in the private sector, however they are not preferred to be used in the public sector as they are perceived to be costly. Hence, the aim of the project is to show feasibility of these buildings in the public sector," Karabacak said.
She added that the very modern school is designed by a consortium of Ekodenge, Willen Associates and Atelier Ten as the first public building which has energy efficient solutions.
The Etimesgut-Eryaman Cezeri Green Technology Technical and Industrial Vocational High School, will be opened in the 2017-2018 school year and will include green technologies in its curriculum.
By Dilara Zengin
Anadolu Agency
dilara.zengin@aa.com.tr
