Business · Companies · 6 hrs ago
Turkish steel industry leaders say steel homes need not cost more
After part of a seven-storey building collapsed in Istanbul’s Maltepe district, attention returned to the city’s earthquake-vulnerable buildings.
Turkey’s steel industry leaders are urging more steel construction for homes and urban renewal.
They say steel buildings are made in factories and can be about half the weight of concrete buildings, which may help on weak ground.
The industry says steel homes would not raise construction costs, though that is its assessment.
The leaders say engineers, geologists and architects should work together to choose building types based on local ground conditions.
Steel accounts for only 3% to 5% of Turkey’s building stock, according to the association’s vice-chair, despite the country’s large steel industry.
The association aims to lift that share to at least 15% in five years and says factory production could cut construction time to a third.
Turkey’s government-backed Yarısı Bizden urban renewal support scheme, including grants, loans and moving costs worth up to 1.8 million lira, has been extended to 31 December 2027.
Turkish Structural Steel Association leaders say steel homes need not cost more than concrete homes.
Association President Selami Gürel said steel buildings weigh about half as much as comparable concrete buildings.
Gürel argued that factory production of modular steel homes can improve quality and said construction costs would not rise.
Association Vice President Melih Şimşek said steel makes up 3–5% of Turkey’s building stock, and the association aims to raise that share to at least 15% within five years.
Turkey produced 38.1 million tonnes of crude steel in 2025, ranking seventh worldwide and second in Europe.
- Who
- Leaders of the Turkish Structural Steel Association, including President Selami Gürel and Vice President Melih Şimşek.
- What
- They argue that steel homes need not raise housing costs and promote wider use of steel construction.
- When
- The article was published on 21 October 2026.
- Where
- Turkey, with discussion focused in part on earthquake risks and urban renewal in Istanbul.
- Why
- They say steel buildings are lighter and factory-produced, which they argue can support earthquake safety, quality and faster construction.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Turkey produced 38.1 million tonnes of crude steel.
Dünya published remarks from Turkish Structural Steel Association leaders advocating wider use of steel in housing.
The extended deadline for Turkey’s “Half of Us” state-supported campaign is set to expire.
- Steel share of building stock
- 3–5% currently; target of at least 15% within five years
- Weight comparison cited by Gürel
- 1,000 tonnes for concrete; 500 tonnes for steel
- Housing cost claim
- Gürel said upper-structure costs are $1,250 per unit for both steel and concrete
- Crude steel production
- 38.1 million tonnes in Turkey in 2025
- Global and European production rank
- Seventh worldwide and second in Europe in 2025
- Steel construction capacity
- TUCSA members have annual capacity of about 750,000 tonnes and exports of about 450,000 tonnes
What people are saying
If there is earthquake risk, definitely a steel structure... Even if there is no earthquake risk, a steel structure.
The cost will never rise.
We aim to raise steel’s share in Turkey’s building stock to at least 15 percent in the next five years.