During the panel discussion at the SteelOrbis Market Talks Meeting held in Izmir this week, Turkish Construction Steelwork Association (TUCSA) vice president Yener Gür'e stated that the earthquake which hit the city of Van in eastern Turkey in October 2011 was significant in terms of highlighting the use of steel in housing. He pointed out that steel framed buildings were the quickest ones to be delivered in the aftermath of the Van earthquake.
Regarding Turkey's urban transformation plan, one of the hot topics in the Turkish steel sector during 2012, Mr. Gür'e said that it would not provide support for the Turkish steel structure business, though it will require 300,000 mt of steel per year once it is put into effect.
Yener Gür'eindicated that, while the steel structure business improved less than expected due to the contraction in the markets during 2012, it delivered a better performance than the other steel segments. For 2013, the TUCSA vice president expects the domestic structural steel volume to reach 1.6 million mt and the light steel building structure capacity to increase to 6 million m2, thanks to the third Bosphorus bridge project, the Izmit bay bridge project and Turkey's planned $4.2 billion investment in wind towers.
