Mehmet İlker Akdeniz spoke to İnşaat Dünyası
Press / December 2021
We are currently developing various projects at a high pace and completing our ongoing work in various parts of the country.
WE ARE REALIZING WORLD-CLASS, HIGH-QUALITY INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS
“Serban, whose entire infrastructure is based on advanced technology and expert engineering, continues to realize high-tech works that bring a breath of fresh air to the industrial construction sector. Serban's goal, which has increased its asset size with great momentum since its establishment, is to become a leading and respected global company that develops and grows with the difference it shows in the field of technology in the construction sector.”
* Can we get to know Serban, starting with its fields of activity? Which goals did you set out with?
When we set out as Serban, we aimed to make a difference and bring solutions to the sector rather than taking market share among existing construction companies, and we saw the need, especially in the critical and industrial building sector.
As a company affiliated to Açık Holding, our entire infrastructure is based on advanced technology and expert engineering. With the power of being an Açık Holding company, we aim to take part in data centers, high-tech structures and critical projects and to provide high customer satisfaction by providing technical contributions to the projects.
To achieve this goal, we control quality, time and budget, and make use of all the possibilities of technology while ensuring optimization. We build data centers, critical facilities, industrial factories and infrastructure projects as well as hotels and residences. We are constantly working to develop new projects with our expert management and technical staff, and we take care to produce timely and high-quality projects with our solution partners and qualified workforce.
With the synergy created by Açık Holding, we can offer all solutions together under the same roof, and we add value to the projects we realize by performing turnkey work, especially in sensitive structures such as data centers.
“With the synergy created by our Açık Holding companies, we can offer all solutions together under the same roof, and we add value to the projects we implement, especially by performing turnkey work in sensitive structures such as data centers.”
*What kind of intensity are you in right now for your work? Could you provide information about your ongoing projects and project development efforts?
Currently, we are working at a high pace to develop various projects and complete our ongoing work at various locations across the country. We will complete the construction of Module 4 at the Gebze Turkcell Data Center in a short time. We have started our critical industrial facility project within Roketsan, and our goal is to complete this project within a year. We have begun the construction of administrative buildings at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. In this project, which is a significant milestone for our country, we aim to expand our work volume in the coming years. We are also continuing our efforts to complete the construction of the data center within STM.
Our Hilton DoubleTree Çanakkale project, owned by Açık Holding, continues at full speed. Our goal here is to open in March 2022. We have also started a hotel project in Sultanahmet, the tourism center of Istanbul. This hotel project, where modern things meet the historical texture, will be realized as one of the favorite hotels of Sultanahmet with Serban's high quality and added value to the future.
We are starting our smart building concept housing project in Davutpaşa, where we will again use our advanced technologies. We want to put this project on sale in a short time. We have also been awarded the construction of the Student Dormitory Building of the General Directorate of the Turkish Armed Forces Education Foundation, which is very exciting for us. By realizing this project with a capacity of 828 students in Maslak, Istanbul, we will experience the pleasure of doing a valuable work that includes social benefit. In short, Serban has started many projects simultaneously, especially in the last year, and continues to realize high-tech works that breathe new life into the industrial construction sector.
* You are a company that uses technology intensively and adapts it to the way of doing business. What place do technological developments, which are of undeniable importance for the construction sector, have in Serban?
Innovative construction technology contributes greatly to efficiency, safety and productivity in large-scale construction projects. As Serban, we realize qualified industrial buildings at world standards and build long-lasting structures using new technologies. In the coming years, in addition to the existing known building technologies in the construction sector, some new technologies will be required for very serious new infrastructure investments. Along with these exciting technologies that are reshaping the construction world, we are working on products that will make an impact in the global market with our technology companies that have recently joined Açık Holding.
In addition, we build structures that meet the needs of the age by using the most advanced technologies with our expert engineering staff. At the forefront of these are data centers that require high security and high technology. Because such critical facilities are of such importance and features that cannot tolerate errors, it is an important motive to work much more meticulously and programmatically.
“In the coming years, the construction industry will require new critical and qualified industrial structures in addition to the existing known building technologies. Therefore, I believe that as a sector, we should attach great importance to this area.”
* Could you please define “critical facility construction”? What kind of competence and expertise does the construction of such structures require? Could you elaborate on your work in these areas?
Critical facilities are special structures of primary importance to ensure that society's needs are met even in ordinary emergencies, such as utilities, transportation, communications, energy, data centers, etc., and contain many sensitive and important metrics. To work on critical facilities, you need to have a particularly reliable background. All teams that will work on such projects must be selected through special security vetting and must also have a history of specialized work. When we selected our teams for Serban, we made sure that they were suitable for the scope of the projects we targeted. We received certificates confirming that we provide services at global standards and we set out by targeting the most advanced standards in the sector when starting a project.
* How does our country fare in terms of "industrial building technologies" and "critical facility construction"?
In the global market, Türkiye ranks quite high in the contracting and project execution of critical facilities. My colleagues who have gained experience in Türkiye are taking on new assignments in various regions of the world. As a Turkish engineer, this makes me proud.
However, in the coming years, in addition to the current well-known construction technologies, very critical and qualified new industrial structures will be needed in the construction sector. Therefore, I believe that as a sector, we need to place great importance on this area. As we mentioned at the start of our journey, we are already working towards meeting the needs of the future and making a difference here. Additionally, I think it is everyone's responsibility to work on sustainable projects and to carry out our work without harming nature. All companies and employers in the sector should direct their investments considering the limited resources of our world. Our need for green and clean environments will continue to increase, and in this context, it will be very important to turn towards renewable energy and alternative clean sources and to evaluate all these possibilities at the planning stage.
“It is the greatest necessity of the new era for all companies and employers working in the sector to take into account the limited resources in our world and direct their investments accordingly.”
* What are Serban's goals for 2022 and beyond?
Firstly, we aim to increase the rates of local and national contributions in all the facilities we build, reducing dependency on external sources by producing domestically in needed areas. Sometimes we support this within our organization, and other times we collaborate with other businesses. Additionally, an equally important goal is to construct buildings that use renewable energies entirely. I believe that it is a major necessity of the new era for all companies and employers in the sector to direct their investments considering the limited resources of our world. We aim to continue our sustainable growth with increasing momentum in the coming years. Our company, which has been rapidly increasing its active size since its inception, aims to become a leading and respected global company in the construction sector, distinguished by its technological advancements in the medium term. We are continuing our efforts tirelessly towards this goal.