ISTANBUL

Turkish modular building firm Karmod has hosted a delegation of representatives from Russia’s modular steel construction sector, including officials from the Russian Construction Ministry, the company said in statement on Thursday.

During a visit organized by the Turkish Structural Steel Association (TUCSA), high-level representatives from ARMAS—the Russian Association for the Development of Modular Construction—including the head of International relations at the Construction Ministry, toured Karmod’s production facilities to explore advances in next-generation steel structures.

Hakan Durmaz, a member of Karmod’s board and the company’s sustainability manager, said the delegation included not only Russian representatives but also sector professionals from Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.

“We provided detailed briefings on our innovations in modular steel construction,” he said.

Durmaz emphasized that Türkiye’s steel construction sector is increasingly being recognized internationally for its large-scale contracting projects.

“We are proud to be closely followed by the global industry. During this visit, we shared our experiences and discussed potential cooperation opportunities for future projects in Russia and Central Asian countries,” he added.

Highlighting the significance of steel structures for sustainability, Durmaz said that while countries like the US and those in Europe have embraced steel structures -- where they account for up to 35% of new buildings -- Türkiye lags far behind.

We estimate that steel structures make up only around 2% of buildings in Türkiye, he said. “To preserve our limited resources and address the country’s seismic risks, we must prioritize sustainable solutions like steel construction.”

“We were honored to host representatives from Russia’s modular construction sector, including Anastasia Sergeyevna Mihaylova, Head of International Relations at the Russian Ministry of Construction, and Ekaterina Ramonovna Dominges, General Director of ARMAS,” Durmaz said.

"We exchanged views on the state of the sector in Russia and discussed possible areas of collaboration in both Russia and the Turkic Republics."