We should take advantage of industrial building technology

Building tests and urban transformation works gained momentum throughout Turkey after the earthquake disaster, the epicenter of which was Kahramanmaraş and killed more than 45 thousand people. Drawing attention to the need to renew risky buildings in a sturdily and quick way, Prof. Dr. Celalettin Kozanoğlu, Head of Department of Civil Engineering, Izmir University of Economics (IUE),  suggested that the 'precast concrete' system, which is prepared in the industrial environment by making use of industrial building technology, should be used more widely. Stating that the precast concretes, produced by making the necessary static calculations, regardless of the climatic conditions, will provide advantages in terms of time and cost, Prof. Dr. Kozanoğlu said, "Thanks to the use of precast concrete, you can complete the building, which will be completed in 2 years, in 6 months. Since it is produced in an industrial environment, the inspection of precast concrete is much easier, and its production is also serial."

The earthquakes that caused great destruction in 10 of our cities once again revealed the importance of safe building stock. While almost 'earthquake' vigilance was started throughout Turkey, Head of IUE Department of Civil Engineering, Prof. Dr. Celalettin Kozanoğlu made important evaluations about the precast concrete system.

EASILY ASSEMBLED

Stating that precast concretes produced with industrial building technology can now be used more frequently, Prof. Dr. Kozanoğlu said, “In the precast concrete system, you prepare the concrete to be used in the building and the iron in it in the industrial environment, transport it to the construction site and assemble it easily. In other words, the precast concrete elements that make up the building come ready to the construction site. In the traditional method, concrete is prepared on-site, at the construction site created for construction, that is. I am not saying that a building that does not use precast concrete is unsafe. Of course there is no such thing. However, there are some advantages that precast concrete provides us. Thanks to industrial building technology, it is possible to construct the building faster and lighter. This lightness reduces the load of the building in the event of an earthquake."

INDEPENDENT OF CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

Continuing to count the advantages of precast concrete, Prof. Dr. Kozanoğlu said, “Since precast concrete is prepared indoors, it can be produced even in the most difficult natural conditions. For example, you cannot pour concrete in the rain. However, you can produce precast concrete indoors, even if it is snowing or raining outside. Precast concrete is completely independent of climatic conditions. There is almost no maintenance cost. It does not require plaster and additional labor. The material used for precast concrete is much less than traditional methods. It is also very efficient in sound and heat insulation. Thanks to its high concrete resistance, it is also very resistant to earthquakes. For example, there is an application that we call steam curing in precast concrete. Concrete is poured by providing steam and heat and waited. In this way, precast concrete becomes ready in 1 day. At the construction site with traditional methods when you pour concrete, there may be cases where you have to wait 1-2 weeks, depending on the climatic conditions. Saving time and labor also means cost savings. It is possible to apply the precast system even to building foundations. Precast concrete piles can be used in weak soils.”

REINFORCED CONCRETE IS NOT THE PROBLEM, THE MAN DOING THE WRONG WORK IS

Prof. Dr. Kozanoğlu continued as follows: “Precast concrete is nothing new. It was first used in the 1960’s. But now we can apply this system more. We can build apartment buildings, multi-block sites, and large organized industrial centers with this system. There are large buildings using precast concrete in Turkey, but we should increase the number. Various evaluations are made about reinforced concrete structures in earthquakes. Let me be clear, if done correctly, buildings are safe, whether you use precast concrete or use traditional methods. The buildings destroyed in the earthquake did not collapse because they were reinforced concrete, they collapsed because they were built incorrectly. Our problem is not with the ground or the type of building, our problem is with the person doing the wrong job. After the earthquake, awareness about building safety increased. Certainly a very good development. However, we should make use of the opportunities that technology offers us and use them in building construction.”