“Safe Buildings Are A Must For The Destructive Effect Of The Earthquake!” 

August 17, 1999 is an unforgettable date in the memory of every individual who witnessed the recent history of Turkey. In our country that had faced the devastating effects of the earthquake, much has been discussed since then, and decisions have been made, but the Elazig earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 showed that there are more steps to be taken. Today, while 2 million risky buildings are mentioned only in Istanbul, this figure is many times more across Turkey. How can we live without losing more people in the earthquake, how can we make our buildings safe? We talked about the answers to these questions with the two civil society representatives of important sectors, Turkish Contractors Association President Mithat Yenigün and İZODER (Association Of Thermal Insulation, Waterproofing, Sound Insulation And Fireproofing Material Producers, Suppliers And Applicators) Chairman Levent Gökçe.

Levent Gökçe, Chairman of İZODER which deals with four vital issues such as heat, water, sound and fire insulations in buildings and installations, states that they have taken strong steps to set the standards among the sector and to spread the awareness of insulation throughout the country on their journeys that they’ve started 27 years ago, points out the importance of waterproofing in the prevention of corrosion in buildings.

What are the activities of İZODER, what does it aim in its works?

Today, as a country, we need to perform insulation applications that will comply with regulations and standards in order to achieve safe and healthy structures. The Urban Transformation Action Plan announced by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization on the 12th of September should be used as an important opportunity to bring the insulation legislation that should be implemented in our country to the same level with the EU countries.

Gökçe: “A Building Exposed to Corrosion Can Lose More Than Half Of Its Bearing Capacity Within 20 Years”

With the increase of public support, aware of the positive impact of insulation on buildings as well as public interest, the sector will develop and grow further. As İZODER, we will continue to contribute to the society and to the economy of our country with our efforts to increase insulation applications in buildings.

In the earthquake on the 17th of August 1999, approximately 133,683 buildings had collapsed and thousands of buildings were damaged. Which criteria should be taken into consideration among the choice of building materials for safe and healthy buildings?

Waterproofing that protects the iron and concrete which are the main elements of the building throughout the life of the building is vital. One of the things that affect the reinforced concrete building systems the most is their sensitivity to water. In case of water penetration into our structures, the iron reinforcements in the bearing elements are exposed to corrosion and rust, and the life and durability of our buildings are reduced. A building exposed to corrosion can lose more than half of its bearing capacity within 20 years after its construction.

As a result of the investigations carried out by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Damage Determination Commission after the 17 August Marmara Earthquake, it has been detected that 55 thousand and 651 houses and the 64 percent of the workplaces had been corroded and this reveals the importance of waterproofing.

We Will Have A Chance To Live In Safe Buildings With Waterproofing Applications

What is the importance of waterproofing in building structures resistant to earthquakes?

As İZODER, we have made it our duty to raise public awareness about the earthquake reality and insulation. Because, as a country we must learn to live with earthquakes and act with an awareness on safe and quality construction. Building long-lasting and earthquake resistant buildings is one of the basic measures to be taken in order to ensure the safety of life and property in our country where 95 percent of the territory is located within the earthquake zone. We must prevent corrosion which is one of the most important causes of the destruction caused by the earthquake by protecting our buildings with waterproofing. With the right waterproofing applications we will have the chance to live in safe structures throughout the building’s life by protecting the reinforced concrete and the equipment.

What methods do you think should be followed in order to make the buildings safer and more efficient in the urban transformation process?

There is still no waterproofing in millions of houses throughout the country. Today, urban transformation creates a great opportunity in the construction of safe and qualified buildings equipped with waterproofing. It is a pleasing development for both the insulation industry and the society to see that insulation applications are being given priority in new buildings built during the urban transformation process. Since the waterproofing required for building strength has been mostly neglected so far, it seems that the buildings in our country have completed their life of 30-40 years. However, our buildings, which were designed and built for a minimum of 80-100 years must have been protected against corrosion during this period. If we evaluate the upcoming urban transformation process well and perform waterproofing with quality materials and expert practices, we can prevent the bad situations we had experienced after each earthquake.

The cost of waterproofing is not as high as thought. Today, the cost of waterproofing applications in a newly built building corresponds to the 3-4% of the total building cost. Of course, this cost increases slightly in existing buildings. Other factors come into play such as the terrain structure and the floor of the buildings. However, still the costs are not as high when compared to the overall construction. The results that emerge by the negative effects of earthquake-proof buildings not being waterproofed unfortunately have serious consequences for both life safety and property safety. 

 Yenigün: “Earthquake Oriented Urban Transformation Processes Should Be Realized As Soon As Possible”

Turkish Contractors Union President Mithat Yenigün underlines that not the earthquake but the defective buildings and neglect would kill people and emphasizes that earthquake oriented processes of urban transformation should be carried out without delay.

What activities does Turkish Contractors Union carry out for the sector?

Turkish Contractors Association, as one of the first non-governmental organizations of our country, has been operating in this framework for 68 years for maximum contribution to our country’s economy as well as the construction sector and to member companies. It is the main goal of our association to lead an economic, efficient, competitive, socially responsible, environmentally friendly and sustainable development in our industry. Our vision is to create a brand of “Turkish contracting” which has completed its domestic structuring under the leadership of TMB, which carries a weight among the world contracting sector as is a leader in its region.

Our objectives in the TMB Regulation can be summarized as follows: In line with national, sectorial and institutional goals, to increase the competitiveness of our members in domestic and foreign markets, as well as to protect their rights and benefits; to develop cooperation and solidarity among our members; to build strategic and practical collaborations with relevant institutions at home and abroad; developing professional standards and business ethics; providing information support services to public institutions on legal, economic and technical issues related to the construction sector and to raise the level of awareness and knowledge of the public on issues related to the sector.

Turkey is a country that experiences frequent earthquakes from east to west. It is known that there are around 2 million risky buildings only in Istanbul. How do you evaluate the table in Turkey in terms of building safety?

In Turkey which is located within the one of the most active earthquake belts in the world, the importance of solid structures emerge more and more every day. It should not be forgotten that the earthquake which is among our social memory with great losses and deep suffering, is a very serious threat at the moment we are in as well as the future. However not the earthquake but the defective buildings and neglect would kill people. We have been seeing the accuracy of this determination for years, as in the case of Japan.

The Legal Infrastructure That Will Determine the Correct Contracting Criteria Must Be Completed

What kind of a road should be taken on safe constructions of the buildings against earthquakes?

The recent earthquakes have once again demonstrated the importance of proper contracting and building inspections. The legal infrastructure that will correctly determine the contracting criteria should be completed and implemented effectively, and the earthquake oriented urban transformation process should be carried out without delay. While constructing the building the quality and the completeness of the materials may not be enough alone, a qualified and trained workforce is also of great importance for durable structures.

What should be done to make the urban transformation process that aims to building safe structures faster within the country? What are the needs and problems that need to be solved urgently?

Urban transformation is vital for our country where the earthquake risk is high. However, urban transformation should not only be considered building-based and rent-oriented, the transformation should be planned in a holistic manner by taking all the rights of the residents of the region especially the need for urban infrastructure, green space and property rights into account and the environmental impacts and recovery of construction wastes should be considered during the planning phase. Although awareness on safe structures is increasing and the measures have begun to be taken in a satisfactory manner in our country, the needs must be met by keeping the earthquake constantly on the agenda.

What topics will Turkish Contractors Union focus on this year?

As the representative of the Turkish construction industry who stands out with its contribution to employment and to foreign exchange input, we will continue to give priority to explaining the importance of earthquake-oriented and sustainable urbanization while trying to make the biggest contribution to our country’s economy in this difficult period. Our activities are centered within the framework of our 10-article Construction Sector Declaration announced in 2014. For the purpose of implementing the reforms in our declaration, we continue our collaboration with the relevant ministries, institutions and organizations. In this context, the implementation of the “Classification of Building Contractors” legislation by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization was a pioneering step in our sector in which we emphasized technical and financial capacity adequacy. Arrangements were made regarding our suggestions such as prevention of vertical construction in urban transformation and restriction of zoning changes. The “Target Zero” Declaration was signed by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and the sector organizations including our Union in order to reduce fatal accidents, which is among our main targets. In this context, we will continue our efforts to increase the performance of our industry both at home and abroad. In addition, our activities that bring together all relevant parties to contribute to our members’ search for new markets and to strengthen their position in existing markets are among our prominent activities. Our Union represents the 90% of the project portfolio undertaken by our country abroad of approximately 400 billion US dollars with its current 120 members. If the legislative arrangements that we need abroad will be implemented, we also aim to increase the employment of Turkish labor force, to over 100 thousand which has declined to 35 thousand. Encouraging the use of local products in our contractors’ projects is among other issues we attach importance to. Thus, domestic products and environmentally friendly construction materials were used in the construction of our Union building as well. Our headquarters in Ankara is an example of a green building that complies with the principles and approaches in line with the “sustainable construction” target.