Building to Last in Urban Renewal: What Should Flat Owners Check?

At urban renewal meetings, the first two questions are almost always the same: how many flats will the new building have, and how long will construction take? The decisions that shape how you will live in the new building for decades get far less attention: the soil investigation, facade insulation, the heating system, upkeep of the common areas. If these are not settled before the contract, changing them later is either very expensive or simply not possible.

What should you look for in the soil investigation and the design?

A building's life starts in the ground. Your plot needs its own soil investigation; the borehole data determine the foundation type, the waterproofing of the basement walls and, where needed, ground improvement. Making do with the neighbouring plot's report is a shortcut that can turn out expensive. We start our urban renewal quotations with the soil investigation, because the foundations are among the items that move the quantity take-off the most.

The structural design is prepared to the Turkish Building Earthquake Code (TBDY 2018), and the building inspection firm checks the design and the works under Law No. 4708 on Building Inspection. The questions you follow as a flat owner are simpler: Are concrete samples taken at every pour? Does anyone pour before the reinforcement has been inspected? Are the inspection records passed on to the building management? The structural system is covered in more detail in our article on earthquake safety in residential construction.

In the architectural design, a long life means the building can be adapted. Load-bearing shear walls scattered through the flats restrict any later change to the layout. If the water, waste-water and heating risers run through shafts in the common areas, nobody's wall has to be broken open when something fails.

What determines the Energy Performance Certificate class?

New buildings are subject to Turkey's Regulation on Energy Performance in Buildings, and the Energy Performance Certificate (EKB) is issued at the occupancy permit stage. The class on the certificate follows from the insulation of the facade, roof and ground-floor slab, from the windows and from the heating system. In other words, it is the outcome of design and specification decisions, and hard to raise once the building is finished. Have the class you are aiming for, and the materials that will achieve it, written into the technical specification attached to the contract. On site, also check the following:

• Insulation should run without a break across column, beam and slab edges and balcony projections; gaps here come back indoors as condensation and mould.
• Turkey's Regulation on Fire Protection of Buildings sets requirements for facade insulation materials that depend on building height; the choice between stone wool and EPS is not made on price alone.
• If the gap between the window frame and the wall is left uninsulated, even the best glazing will not stop condensation around the window.
• A floating screed between flats is the established way to cut footfall noise; adding it later means taking up the floor.

Even if rooftop solar panels, a heat pump or a rainwater tank for garden irrigation do not fit the budget today, leaving room for them in the roof, the shafts and the electrical infrastructure from the start is cheaper than breaking things open later.

How do common areas affect the service charge?

After handover, the monthly service charge is largely set by the common-area equipment: lifts, the booster pump, the generator, car park ventilation, a pool if there is one. Each needs a maintenance contract and periodic inspections. Whenever an item is added to the design, someone should also ask who will maintain it and on what budget. Materials are a maintenance decision too: a finish that wears quickly at the entrance soon has to be replaced, and a painted facade needs scaffolding again every time it is repainted.

A step-free or ramped entrance, a play area kept apart from the driveway, and covered space for bicycles and prams make the building liveable for older residents and children alike; because zoning and parking requirements limit where these can go, they need to be discussed before the architectural design is approved. At handover, take over the construction drawings and the operating and maintenance documents for the equipment on behalf of the building management.

Extra cost, financing and support

Thicker insulation or a heat pump raises the initial budget. When the difference pays back through energy bills depends on the building, how it is used and energy prices; quoting a general rate would be misleading. Ask to see these items as separate lines in a quantity-based quotation and decide on that basis. For the official figures, see our article on 2026 construction cost per square metre.

Public support varies by city. In Istanbul, the "Half on Us" (Yarısı Bizden) campaign run by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change gives owners who demolish and rebuild their at-risk building a grant, a loan and relocation support; the conditions are in our Istanbul urban renewal guide, and the total for your building is in the "Half on Us" calculator. For Ankara and İzmir, see the city guides below. The green loans some banks offer for energy-efficient homes can also be used to finance the owners' contribution.

What should you check when choosing a contractor?

Choosing a contractor starts with choosing the model. Under flat-for-land, some of the flats and their land share pass to the contractor, and most material decisions stay with the contractor as well; under the construction contracting model, the flats stay with the owners and the price is paid through progress payments. We explain the difference in our article on flat-for-land and the construction contracting model.

A single price per square metre does not tell you what it includes. A quotation you can actually compare sets out the quantity take-off from the design and the unit prices, the technical specification, the work programme, the progress payment procedure, the price-adjustment and delay clauses, and the items not included in the quotation (permit fees, the building inspection fee, demolition, utility connections). Ask the firm as well: Does the class of its contractor licence (Turkey's yetki belgesi) fit this job? Can you visit buildings of theirs that have received an occupancy permit? Who will be the site manager? At Savaş Grup the quotation is based on a quantity take-off and is free of charge, and payment is made through progress payments; you can see how the process runs on our urban renewal service page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the neighbouring plot's soil investigation report enough?

No. A neighbouring report gives you an idea, but the foundation design has to be based on boreholes drilled on your own plot.

Is LEED or BREEAM certification mandatory?

No. These are voluntary certifications with their own process and cost. The document legally required for a new residential building is the Energy Performance Certificate.

Can insulation be upgraded later?

It can, but the facade then needs scaffolding again, removal work and labour. Doing the same job during construction is usually cheaper.

Regional Application

For how these criteria play out in specific cities, see soil- and energy-focused renewal in İzmir and the Ankara strengthening guide; for rebuilding in and around Kahramanmaraş, see reconstruction in the earthquake zone.