ELAZIG GUNISIGI NEWSPAPER – October 2012
DESIGN ISSUE!
We are talking about urban transformation, structural inadequacies during earthquakes, and building inspections. We care about them and are trying to take very important steps. However, I believe there are essential issues that are overlooked technically.
Lately, all of our attention regarding the production of earthquake-resistant structures is focused on the manufacturing phase. Yes, a building's value and strength depend on how well it is built according to the project. But how healthy are these projects, and how effectively are they being controlled?
The sentence I have been hearing frequently these days is the reason for my concern and should also be a reason for concern: "I entered the project into the computer, and it passed, the calculation reports didn’t show any errors."
The person who says this should not be a civil engineer. Computer programs are there to assist the engineer and minimize possible errors in the process—they serve us. It seems that we are facing a group that has become or is trying to become slaves to these programs.
Another group expresses that static errors are made due to architectural projects. Neither the civil engineer is the slave of the architect, nor the architect is the slave of the civil engineer. If there are static issues in the architecture, these problems should be resolved with joint work, meaning changes in the architectural project.
It is not suitable for logic, technique, or even humanity to consider either the computer program as an absolute authority or the architectural project as unchangeable.
What I’ve shared here is not just my personal opinion. I would like to share the views of three different reinforced concrete professors in their own words: • “Reinforced concrete theory is not yet 'complete and flawless.' No matter how realistic the assumptions forming the basis of the calculation methods are, these methods are not exact but approximations. Because in these methods, the complex behavior of reinforced concrete is idealized. Simulations are made to understand and solve the behavior, using abstract mechanical models. Furthermore, some factors are usually neglected due to their minimal effects, but they do exist. Therefore, a table reflecting the true behavior of reinforced concrete can never be drawn as 'complete and exact.'” (GÜNDÜZ, A., Reinforced Concrete, Calculation According to Load-Bearing Capacity, Istanbul, 1980)
• “A student who studies subjects like statics, strength, structural mechanics, reinforced concrete, etc., aims to combine all this information for a specific purpose, and they seek this ability in a textbook. What the student truly wants is to be taught ‘experience.’ However, experience cannot be taught; it can only be gained by living through it. Making 'mistakes' is part of engineering. An engineer who doesn’t make mistakes cannot gain experience. Naturally, this claim holds true for engineers who, after making mistakes, recognize them and correct them to find the right solution. However, very few project engineers visit the buildings they design after they are completed and operational. Thus, the project engineer rarely sees the mistakes made during the project phase and doesn't learn the necessary lessons.” (ATIMTAY, E., Design of Reinforced Concrete Systems, Middle East Technical University Publication, Ankara 2000)
• “From analysis, numerical results are obtained. Ignorant engineers forget the assumptions made and mistakenly believe the resulting numbers are the solution to the problem.” (Hardy Cross, an American engineer, and the master of the famous CROSS Method in structural engineering)
In Elazığ, many buildings, which can be considered prestigious structures built in the last decade, have failed in terms of their architects and engineers. Of course, there are many technical people trying to perform their jobs in the best way possible. However, unfortunately, I must express that there are far too many negative examples.
What will happen, and how can we fix this? First and foremost, technical staff who thoroughly understand the projects should be trained in public institutions. The municipalities, provincial special administrations, and the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization should lead these efforts. I hope that no one will read this article and think that engineers in these institutions don’t know anything. We do have very valuable colleagues, but their numbers are definitely insufficient. Increasing this number is a must.
In Elazığ, there hasn’t been any professional event for a long time. For example, the Provincial Directorate of Environment and Urbanization, with the support of relevant institutions, could organize a workshop with building inspection firms. Why? To prevent construction from starting without a building permit. Why? I could write a lot of reasons here, but let me summarize: for good work to be done.
Elazığ Municipality could also organize a workshop related to project preparation with support from relevant institutions. Moreover, architects should also participate in this workshop alongside civil engineers.
“Follow those who know what they know. Wake up those who don’t know what they don’t know. Teach those who don’t know what they know. Avoid those who don’t know what they don’t know.” (Confucius)
Those who don’t know what they don’t know and those who make mistakes knowingly will run away from us, and we will try to make them correct their mistakes. We may not know how much power we have, but let our position be clear. (Just like the ant bringing water to the fire of Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him…)
When building something or working on any project, the better it is designed from the start, the more efficient the results will be. Without a good project design, it is not possible to build structures with high earthquake resistance.
On World Architecture Day, I congratulate all architects and wish them success in their important tasks for our country.