Skip to main content

Evonik’s Degaroute paves the way at Istanbul Technical University

Ari Gate and the entrance to Ayazağa Campus are now pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly as part of Istanbul Technical University’s ongoing Green Campus project. The university is more than 250 years old and has five campuses spread throughout the centre of historic Istanbul, Turkeys former capital and now a financial and transport hub. The network of campuses and myriad buildings make it extremely difficult for staff and students to get around quickly and efficiently so they must resort to a vehicle, either ca
July 21, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Degaroute days: Ayazağa Campus Gate at Istanbul Technical University
Ari Gate and the entrance to Ayazağa Campus are now pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly as part of Istanbul Technical University’s ongoing Green Campus project.

The university is more than 250 years old and has five campuses spread throughout the centre of historic Istanbul, Turkeys former capital and now a financial and transport hub. The network of campuses and myriad buildings make it extremely difficult for staff and students to get around quickly and efficiently so they must resort to a vehicle, either car of public transport.

“And that’s not the only reason why creating a bike lane was a major challenge for the university,” said Sis Alkan, head of building and technology at İTÜ. The institution is state-run so it has a limited budget which forced the planners in this case to consider new ideas. “During the course of our research, we came across 4009 Evonik and its 1659 Degaroute product.”

The core of the Green Campus project is a 6km bike lane of which Evonik has sponsored 1km. Evonik, a German specialty chemicals company, supplied a durable methyl methacrylate (MMA) cold spray to put down all markings and symbols and the bike lane was open after three days of work.
E|vonik used the rapidly processed two-component system based on Degaroute reactive resins and which can be used for a variety of applications including flat line, structured and profile markings. The product %$Image: ext-gen1280 2 0 /EasySiteWeb/EasySite/SupportFiles/ExtJS/4/resources/themes/images/default/s.gif 0 0 0 false false false false%>hardens within 20 minutes.


To make the bike lane as safe as possible, a base layer with anti-skid aggregate was applied followed by a top coat. “This created a anti-skid surface,” says Melih Durmuş from the Altekma Group, the local company that completed the work. In all, 4tonnes of materials were used to treat the around 2,600m² of bike lane.

In addition to the new bike lanes, the university is now planning to open a bike store on the campus.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Road markings initiative for Mexico
    December 3, 2014
    The increasing need for efficient and durable products providing greater road safety is a concern of many authorities around the world, with Mexico being no exception While the Mexican Government seeks to improve the safety of the country’s roads, many companies and local governments are also taking the initiative to make their mark. Over the past decades, cities around the world have experienced rapid urbanisation. The growth of urban centres like Mexico City, coupled with the expansive use of cars as a
  • Green solutions for safety road markings
    May 19, 2014
    Investigating the options for green roadmarkings solutions - *Dr Alexander Klein reports Global challenges such as climate change, urbanisation and aging societies are increasingly becoming more important in managing any industry today. Road markings must ensure traffic safety. But there are differences among them—in terms of functionality and performance and eco-friendliness. A certified life cycle assessment for major road marking materials and application technologies has found that cold plastic agglome
  • Thailand's school zones project wins Evonik award
    March 13, 2017
    The Department of Rural Roads, Thailand (DRR) was rewarded for a comprehensive road safety initiative around schools, especially in rural areas. The award ceremony was held in the IRF offices in Geneva According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Thailand ranks among the countries with the highest number of traffic fatalities/ capita. In 2015, the country saw a road death rate of 36.2/100,000 of population. With this, Thailand ranked second in fatal traffic crashes worldwide and its situation regard
  • Evonik helps rumble strips prevent wrong-way driving
    December 11, 2015
    Each year in Germany, up to 80 accidents are caused by drivers on the wrong side of the road, of which many are on- and off-ramps to a main highway. To prevent this, a pilot test has been devised to alert drivers to their wrong-way direction. Cold plastic, one-sided rumble strips are being installed on the road surface within a 100cm-wide by 2cm-deep recessed groove across the lane. The specially shaped cold plastic coating with an uneven, rough bulge gives drivers a strong tactile and acoustic signal, aler