IZODER's Statement on World Urbanism Day

İZODER, the organization representing the insulation sector, issued a statement on the occasion of 'World Urbanism Day on 8 November', emphasizing that thermal, water, acoustic and fire insulation must be applied throughout all buildings in every city to ensure earthquake-safe, energy-efficient and comfortable structures. İZODER Chairman Levent Gökçe, stressing that all insulation disciplines must be applied to buildings in all cities in compliance with regulations and standards to achieve safe and healthy structures, said: "As a country, we must learn to live with earthquakes and act with awareness of safe and quality construction. In our country, where 95 percent of the territory lies in the earthquake zone, constructing long-lasting and earthquake-resistant buildings is among the primary measures needed to ensure life and property safety. However, millions of housing units across the country still lack water insulation today.

The 'Building Water Insulation Regulation', which addresses a major gap in Turkey's construction sector and will bring durability, quality and comfort to buildings, came into force on 1 June 2018. Prepared by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, with the support and initiatives of İZODER to address deficiencies in legislation, the new regulation made water insulation mandatory in new buildings. This regulation, an important step for Turkey's construction sector and users, will address a major gap related to water insulation. If it is determined that newly constructed buildings do not comply with the principles outlined in this regulation, a building occupancy permit is not issued until these deficiencies are remedied.

In Turkey, making not only new buildings but also existing ones energy-efficient is very important for the country's economy. With a very serious stock of old buildings, our country will be able to achieve energy-efficient, healthy and comfortable structures through thermal insulation applications carried out in accordance with regulations, and for this we need to mobilize resources for insulation. Citizens need to be encouraged to make existing buildings more energy-efficient.

Turkey is the country with the fastest growing building stock on the European continent. While the EU is transitioning to zero-energy buildings, when we look at our current standards, the annual amount of energy permitted to be spent to heat one square metre of space in our country is well above that of developed countries. When we compare the U values defined in developed countries with the U values recommended in our country, we can see that as a country we need to move towards more efficient solutions. Making all buildings in Turkey transition to an environmentally friendly structure that consumes less energy should be our primary goal.

One of the most important problems in buildings today is noise. Acoustic insulation is a very important matter that addresses the homes we live in and directly concerns the public. Today, especially in large cities, we are exposed to noise in every aspect of our lives, often without realizing it, and we are increasingly feeling the negative effects of this situation. In developed countries, there is high sensitivity to insulation matters and acoustic insulation contributes to the formation of modern living standards. Noise causes health problems in people. The Regulation on Protection of Buildings Against Noise, prepared in Turkey to prevent noise pollution, came into force on 1 June 2018. Thus, through the regulation, acoustic insulation was made mandatory in new buildings. The regulation covers schools and hospitals where the public is concentrated, as well as residential buildings. In accordance with the Building Fire Protection Regulation in force; buildings in our country, in the event of a fire, must maintain their functions without collapsing for a period that will allow people inside to be evacuated safely and fire crews to intervene safely. In this context, certain parts of the structure, especially its load-bearing elements, must be designed to be fire-resistant. In order to limit the harmful effects of fire and create safe evacuation zones, fire insulation must be applied to the walls, ceilings and floors of the compartments created for this purpose."