Architecture Term

Building Class (Yapı Sınıfı)

In Turkey, the class a building is placed in, by type and quality, in the approximate unit cost communiqué that the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change publishes in the Official Gazette every year (for example 3-A, 4-B). The communiqué gives an approximate cost per m² for each class; this is not a market price but a baseline used in official calculations.

Also available in:Türkçe (Yapı Sınıfı)·فئة المبنى (Yapı Sınıfı)

What the communiqué is for

Each year, under item 3.2 of the Architectural and Engineering Services Specification, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change publishes the approximate building unit costs used to calculate architectural and engineering service fees. The 2026 communiqué is in Official Gazette No. 33157 of 3 February 2026; the amounts are given excluding VAT and including overheads (15%) and contractor's profit (10%)^[1].

Classes and groups

Buildings are divided into classes I to V, and each class into groups A, B, C (and in some cases D). Examples from the 2026 communiqué: apartment-type housing (up to three storeys) class III (A), 19,800 TL/m²; housing above three storeys up to 21.50 m building height (21.50 m included) class III (B), 21,050 TL/m²; housing over 21.50 m and under 30.50 m class III (C), 23,400 TL/m²; retaining walls class I (C), 4,200 TL/m²^[1]. Similar buildings not in the communiqué are determined by comparison with buildings in the relevant group (Art. 2/1)^[1].

It is not a market price

These figures are approximate unit costs; they do not show the actual construction cost on the market, but a base used in official service-fee calculations. To try it for your own building, use our Construction Cost / Building Class Calculator; for how the building inspection fee is calculated see our article on who pays the building inspection fee.

Frequently asked questions

What is a building class (yapı sınıfı)?

The class and group in which a building is placed, by type and nature, in the approximate building unit cost communiqué the Ministry publishes each year (for example III-A).

What are the approximate unit costs used for?

Under item 3.2 of the Architectural and Engineering Services Specification they are used to calculate architectural and engineering service fees; they exclude VAT and include overheads (15%) and contractor's profit (10%).

What is the unit cost of apartment-type housing in 2026?

Under the communiqué in Official Gazette No. 33157 of 3 February 2026, apartment-type housing up to three storeys is class III (A), 19,800 TL/m². It is not a market price but an approximate unit cost used in official fee calculations.

Sources

Communiqué on the 2026 Approximate Building Unit Costs (Official Gazette, 3 February 2026, No. 33157)

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