Dutch firm looks to expand to Turkey
ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency
The Zeytinburnu neighborhood in Istanbul is set to undergo urban transformation. OMA is interested in such projects. Hürriyet photo
The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), a Rotterdam-based Dutch architecture and urban development firm, wants to take part in construction projects in Turkey if the country is awarded the Olympics and interested in urban transformation projects.Istanbul is among three candidate cities for the 2020 Summer Olympics, the others being Tokyo and Madrid.
“We believe that Turkey will win the Olympics. In our opinion it is almost certain,” Victor van der Chijs, a partner at OMA, told Anatolia.
“Turkey is an amazing place. We have been studying Turkey for six or seven years now. We believe that Istanbul will host the Olympics in 2020. Comprehensive investments in sports facilities, infrastructure services and transportation will be needed. That is why we want to take part in urban master planning and projects to prepare for the Olympics,” he said.
Van der Chijs said the OMA planned to open an office in Istanbul in addition to its offices in New York and Hong Kong if the company grows and makes more deals in Turkey.
Among the development projects the OMA has taken part in are the CCTV Olympic Center, which was constructed for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the headquarters of the Shenzen Stock Exchange, Skolkovo Innovation Center in Russia and the headquarters of Rothschild Bank in London.
