DOUBLE OSCAR AWARDS GO TO VARYAP MERIDIAN FROM EUROPE / 09.02.2010

Varyap Meridian has been awarded with Europe’s best Property Project and best High Rise categories at the International Property Awards, known as the “Oscars of the Property Industry”.

Although its construction started just recently, Varyap Meridian, the first and only high standard green property project of Turkey implemented by the Varyap, TOKI and Emlak Konut GYO joint venture has succeeded to announce its name in the international arena. It has been elected to receive awards in two different categories at the International Property Awards, based in London and known as the “Oscars of the property”. The 2009 International Property Awards, held with the cooperation of CNBC, will be presented during a ceremony to be held on the 16th of October at London, where the world’s leading construction and property companies will come together. Varyap will attend the meeting with a wide participation from Turkey.

Thousands of projects compete

The scope of the contest held in order to determine the world’s best professionals and projects from 5 regions include Europe & Africa, Asia Pacific, Great Britain, South & North America and Middle East. In the contest held in 21 categories, category winners are elected initially. Category winners then compete again at a different evaluation at whose end the overall world champions are chosen. Varyap Meridian has made it to the finals for the evaluation of the world’s bests by being awarded with Europe’s most preferred Property and High Rise Project. More than 4 thousand projects from 97 countries have participated in the contest held in 2008, which received great interest and whose this year results are expected with great excitement.

A special committee of considerable professionals and experts from the property industry constitute the jury members of the contest. British Conservative Party Chairman Eric Pickles, Great Britannia Google Property Industry Chairman Ben Wood, International Property Professionals Federation Group Chief Bolton King, National Construction Council Chairman Imtiaz Farookhi; FIABCI’s assigned chairman Christopher Hall, Wilhelm Harnish from Master Builders of Australia (MBA), Thijis Stoffer from International Community of Real Estate Agencies (ICREA), International Luxuries Houses Collection Magazine General Editor Helen Shield and Laura and Ashley Home Head Designer Gillian Farr were among the jury members for year 2009.

With the satisfaction for receiving two of the world’s most prestigious property awards, Varlıbaş Holding CEO Süleyman Varlıbaş said, “Varyap has proved its leadership in Europe, not only in Turkey, with its performance exhibited in the contest organized for finding the world’s best property professional.” Evaluating these awards as a beginning, Varlıbaş stated that they believe Varyap Meridian, executed fastidiously from the design phase, will be one of the world’s most known projects besides being the best known face of the Turkish property industry in the world.

The first and only luxurious green complex project

With Meridian Project, Varyap has presented the “İntegrated Sustainability” approach that requires design and application in compliance with the current environmental needs standardized in the international property industry during the recent years. The project, carried out according to the “LEED” criteria on the last and most spacious property on Istanbul’s Anatolian Side/Ataşehir, will be next to the new finance center of Turkey with over 1500 properties, a 5 star hotel, a business center, commercial and social areas. Being constructed on a total of 107 thousand meter squares of land, Varyap Meridian’s 90 percent will consist of green areas, with buildings constructed on a 13,000 sqm area. The environmental precautions started in the design phase, with the selection of environment friendly materials and waste management providing approximately 40% energy and water saving and allowing a minimum consumption cost at the highest comfort to the project residents. Within the LEED Certification program, the life in VARYAP Meridian, the first and only luxurious green complex project of Turkey, will commence in 2011.