In memoriam: Ersin Arioğlu

Ersin Arıoğlu, a visionary Civil Engineer and Chairman of Yapı Merkezi Holding, died on Monday, March 27, 2023. Mr. Arıoğlu who lived in Istanbul, Turkey, was 82.

Arıoğlu was born on June 10, 1940, in Istanbul, Turkey. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), in 1963, where he worked as a lecturer and research assistant until 1969.

He founded the Yapı Merkezi Construction Inc. in Istanbul, Turkey in 1965. He oversaw the company as Chairman from 1969 to November 2002. Since July 2007, he served as Chairman of Yapı Merkezi Holding, with 12 subsidiaries which are active in research and development, engineering, design and consultancy, construction, education, manufacturing, and large transportation projects.

Arıoğlu authored more than 80 articles published in various domestic and international technical journals, covering a wide range of topics including concrete technologies, construction methods, transportation systems, and earthquake engineering. He is the author of the book, “An Approximate Formula for Calculating the Dominant Period of Vibration of Structures and Frames”, published in Turkish by Yapı Merkezi in 1970. He also edited two industry catalogues and several symposia books. He organized and coordinated various congresses, panels, and conferences in Turkey and internationally. In March 2022, Arıoğlu was selected among the “TOP 25 Newsmakers”, among people who make a difference in construction and who develop communities by ENR magazine, “Engineering News-Record”.

Arıoğlu was recognized with medals and special honors for his contributions in various fields and was awarded two Honorary Doctorate Degrees. In 1997 he was awarded the degree of Ph.D. (Hon. Causa) by the Faculty of Engineering of the Marmara University in Turkey for his scientific contributions in the development of quality standards in civil engineering and his leadership in the promotion of the concept of scientific centres in Turkey. In 2018, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree from Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) for his leading role in the development of Turkey’s construction industry and transportation systems and representing İTÜ and Turkey in the international arena with prestige.

The retrofitting of the Galata Tower, which is an historic landmark on the skyline of Istanbul, in 1963 was Arıoğlu’s first project. He was the leading force behind Turkey’s ambitious civil engineering landmark projects such as Eurasia Tunnel and 1915 Çanakkale Bridge. The Eurasia Tunnel is a road tunnel under the Istanbul Bosphorus Strait, connecting the Asian and European parts of Istanbul, which had significant design and construction challenges due to complex geology and high seismicity of Istanbul. When opened to traffic on March 18, 2022, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, which connects the Asian and European shores over the Dardanelles Strait, was crowned the world’s longest suspension bridge with a main span of 2023 m.

As I have been privileged to work with Mr. Arioğlu and his team on the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, I attest to his commitment to excellence and unwavering dedication to quality.

Ersin Arioğlu is survived by his wife, daughter, three sons, and nine grandchildren. All who knew Mr. Arioğlu will miss him.

Khaled M. Mahmoud, PhD, PE

Editor-in-Chief

BTC

New York, New York, USA