Turkey was shaken by two major earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş. The locomotive cities of population and economy, Istanbul and Izmir are two of the regions that pose the most danger. While the steel system usage is around 40 percent in Europe and America, this figure is 1 percent in Turkey.
Turkey was shaken by two major earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş. The locomotive cities of population and economy, Istanbul and Izmir are two of the regions that pose the most danger.
For Turkey, a large part of which is located in the seismic belt, the steel structure system, which has a very low awareness, is of key importance. While the steel system usage is around 40 percent in Europe and America, this figure is around 1 percent in Turkey.
Turkish exporters emphasize that the earthquake is a natural disaster that must be dealt with together and evaluated with scientific data, and that necessary precautions must be taken before an earthquake occurs.
Our Turkish steel industry is able to produce all kinds of materials.
Aegean Exporters' Unions Coordinator President Jak Eskinazi said, “Unfortunately, we lost many of our citizens in the earthquake that took place on 6 February, and we commemorate them with mercy. Had the same earthquake been in Istanbul, the destruction would have been greater and Turkey would have gone back 50 years. One of the leading sectors in our country is construction. Three countries leading Industry 4.0 in the world: Germany, the USA and Japan, the locomotive sector industry. According to a research by Ipsos in 2022; Turkey is among the countries where people have the highest natural disaster expectations with 77 percent. However, neither the society nor the state is prepared for this. In Japan, this rate is 85 percent, but Japan is ready for it. Our Turkish steel industry is highly developed in terms of know-how and is in a position to produce all kinds of materials.”
A new roadmap should be set forth in the construction industry immediately.
Pointing out that Turkey is shaken by major earthquakes every 30 years, Eskinazi said, “While the loss of life in our country exceeds tens of thousands, the loss of life in the world is very low. Mistakes are made in the construction industry and as we continue to make mistakes, the losses will increase. The state's reconciliation with its nation cannot be achieved with zoning amnesty, but with solid structures. The perception of the construction industry in our country needs to be changed completely and a new road map needs to be put forward urgently. A zoning plan should be prepared by acting with scientists. This should be one of Turkey's main goals.” he said.
The steel structure model needs to be disseminated
Aegean Exporters' Unions Coordinator Vice President Aegean Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals Exporters' Association President Yalçın Ertan said, “We regretfully had to face the truth of the saying, "Building kills, not earthquakes." Now, instead of producing solutions after an earthquake, we are ready to do our part to build our buildings resistant to earthquakes. For security, the steel structure model, which is an extremely safe model against earthquakes with its non-fragile flexible structure, strength and lightness, should be popularized in buildings. Compared to reinforced concrete structures, steel construction structures have many advantages, especially for regions located in the earthquake zone. Unfortunately, the awareness of the steel structure system in Turkey is quite low. While the steel system usage is around 40 percent in Europe and America, this figure is around 1 percent in Turkey.” said.
Turkey should turn to steel construction in new buildings, urban transformation projects and temporary housing constructions.
Underlining that the manufacturing and assembly of steel construction structures were completed in a much shorter time, Yalçın Ertan concluded his words as follows:
“Short construction time; It is important in terms of making the building habitable/usable as soon as possible. Steel construction structures, which are built quickly and at the same time, are more advantageous economically than other structures. Steel construction structures are quite light compared to reinforced concrete structures. The lightness of the building and the greater flexibility of steel structures compared to reinforced concrete reduce the impact of the earthquake due to the reduction of the load on the ground. Considering the earthquake conditions, it is beneficial to turn to steel construction in all new buildings, urban transformation projects and temporary housing constructions in our country in the earthquake zone. It provides a significant advantage with its long service life compared to the commonly used reinforced concrete model, with its construction feature that does not have the risk of corrosion and decay. We plan to carry out studies in the coming period to explain the steel structure system to more stakeholders.”
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