New Era Begins in Zoning Plans: Water Efficiency and Green Certificate Obligations for Buildings

The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change is making important changes to zoning regulations in line with sustainable urbanization targets. With the new regulations, it is planned to make rainwater collection and gray water systems mandatory in buildings to increase water efficiency and minimize environmental impacts. The draft regulation aims to build more sustainable cities with green building certificates and environmentally friendly practices in both public buildings and large-scale projects.

Rainwater Collection Systems Will Be Mandatory
Within the scope of the amendments to be made to the Planned Development Regulation, the design of rainwater collection systems will become mandatory for large buildings with a storage volume exceeding 5 cubic meters. Buildings with a parcel area exceeding 2,000 square meters or a roof footprint exceeding 800 square meters will fall within the scope of this regulation. In public buildings, this will be mandatory for buildings with a storage volume exceeding 5 cubic meters.

Gray Water System Requirement in Shopping Malls, Hotels and Dormitories
Gray water systems aim to separate domestic wastewater from sewage. The installation of these systems will be mandatory for hotels with more than 200 beds, dormitories with a capacity of more than 1,000 people, shopping malls with a construction area of more than 10,000 square meters and public buildings with a construction area of more than 30,000 square meters.

Green Certificate Obligation Coming
In addition, new health, education and service buildings with a construction area of 10,000 square meters or more will be built with a Green Certificate to be obtained through the National Green Certificate System (YeS-TR). This certificate is based on criteria such as the use of environmentally friendly materials, energy and water efficiency.

Electric Vehicle Charging Units and Barrier-Free Playgrounds
The draft regulation will also allow new electrical installations to be made without the need for a building license in order to facilitate the installation of electric vehicle charging units in parking lots in housing estates and apartment buildings. At least 4 percent of new parking lots will be designed as barrier-free playgrounds for children with disabilities, and these areas will be equipped with disability-friendly materials.

These new regulations will accelerate the spread of sustainable urbanization and environmentally friendly projects across Turkey and ensure a more livable urbanization process for future generations.