Environment Ministry Links High-Rise Demolition to New Rules

Quick summary

The Ministry of Environment has published new rules standardizing demolition procedures for high-rise buildings. It aims to regulate demolition operations that have increased following the Kahramanmaraş earthquake and to bring urban transformation processes under control in cities such as Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

Why it matters

The new regulation will directly affect urban transformation projects in risk zones in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Since the floor limits and detailed rules that will apply to high-rise demolitions have not yet been disclosed, engineers, contractors and the real estate sector must wait for the instructions to be published subsequently.

Key takeaways

• ›Turkey's Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change has amended the Regulation on Building Demolition to create a separate procedural track for high-rise structures.
• ›The change, published in the Official Gazette, was driven in part by the surge in high-rise demolitions under post-2023 earthquake urban transformation programs.
• ›The Ministry has yet to publicly disclose the floor threshold that triggers the new rules or the full scope of their application.