The Turkish Structural Steel Association (TUCSA), in collaboration with OSTİM Technical University, OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone, and the Turkish Steel Producers Association (TÇÜD), organized a two-day Earthquake-Resistant Construction Summit hosted by OSTİM Technical University.
The opening speeches of the summit were delivered by Banu Aslan, General Director of Professional Services at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change; Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir, Chairman of the Board of Directors of KARDEMİR; Memiş Kütükcü, President of the Organized Industrial Zones Association (OSBÜK); Orhan Aydın, Chairman of the Board of Directors / Chairman of the Board of Trustees of OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone; Prof. Dr. Murat Yülek, Rector of OSTİM Technical University; Dr. Veysel Yayan, former Undersecretary and General Secretary of TÇÜD; and Yener Gür’eş, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TUCSA.
“Structural intervention should be prevented”
Banu Aslan, General Director of Professional Services at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, mentioned their ongoing collaborative work with AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency) regarding structural reinforcement. Aslan also highlighted that another important issue is the inspection of buildings.
Banu Aslan emphasized that for structures to be sound and reliable, the correct project, manufacturing, and engineering services must be carried out rigorously, and stated: “It is necessary to prevent structural interventions after the building is completed. Significant steps have been taken in the last 6 years regarding workmanship and craftsmanship, and training is being provided. Training is particularly important in architecture and design faculties; academics and we have a lot of work to do. Curriculum development is crucial for engineers to become more specialized and competent. As the General Directorate of Professional Services, we have also initiated this work. We are open to all ideas and would be happy to cooperate with NGOs and universities in all our efforts, and to ensure that we work in an integrated manner with international technologies and standards.”
“The argument that steel structures are expensive should be removed from Turkey’s agenda.”
Kardemir Chairman of the Board Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir drew attention to the fact that Turkey is a country prone to major earthquakes. Emphasizing that one of the problems in the earthquake zone is the rapid construction of buildings, Demir stated, “We have also begun to investigate the question of why steel structures are not being used. As Karçel and Kardemir, let's challenge this; let's make every sacrifice to refute this argument of high cost. The argument that 'steel structures are expensive' must be removed from Turkey's agenda.”
“Industrial zones should also be made earthquake-resistant”
OSBÜK President Memiş Kütükcü stated that making industrial zones earthquake-resistant is a critical necessity.
Kütükcü emphasized the strategic role of industrial zones in the country's economy, stating that organized industrial zones in Türkiye account for 45% of industrial production and provide employment for over 2.6 million people. "While we discuss the earthquake resistance of our homes, we must also include our industrial zones in these strategies," said Kütükcü, noting that there are 404 organized industrial zones throughout Turkey, housing 67,000 factories. He stressed the need to protect industrial zones from natural disasters, stating, "Our industrial production must be able to continue even under the most difficult conditions." He also emphasized his belief that earthquake-resistant structures can be built through cooperation between the state and the people. He added that OSBÜK (Association of Organized Industrial Zones of Turkey) is always ready to cooperate with all stakeholders on this matter.
“The summit will open a new horizon in steel structures”
Orhan Aydın, Chairman of the OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Board of Directors, pointed out that steel structures account for only 2% of Turkey's building stock and questioned why more cannot be built.
Aydın, pointing out that the general answer to the question of why steel structures cannot be built is their high cost, said, “This is not an innocent statement. There are examples where steel is cheap and economical. We are making serious efforts to improve and develop the building stock of OSTİM. We changed our zoning plans. With the contributions of our Ministry of Industry and Technology, we produced steel, prefabricated, and concrete models. After the zoning amnesty, all our efforts were interrupted. We also became unable to implement the new regulations. We created good examples. We built our OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone Regional Directorate building about 20 years ago as a passive building made of steel and not harmful to the environment, both to be an example for the region and for the country.”
Expressing his belief that these studies will be very beneficial to everyone in terms of raising awareness and will contribute to decision-makers, President Aydın conveyed the following views: “Being trapped under buildings after the earthquake crushed us all. There needs to be a solution. We believe that one of these solutions is steel structures. It saddens us all that these applications have been implemented in countries in earthquake zones all over the world, and that we have not been able to produce sufficient solutions despite having the capacity and potential to do so. In this sense, with the sensitivity of our university, we hope that we will open a new horizon in our country as a result of this summit.”
“Necessity is the mother of innovation”
OSTİM Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Murat Yülek emphasized that almost all of Turkey is at risk of earthquakes.
Yülek stated that countries at risk of earthquakes are expected to implement solutions, technologies, and ideas related to earthquakes, saying, “There is a saying, ‘necessity is the mother of innovation.’ If you have a need or a problem in a certain area, and if you have collective intelligence, you develop the technology and ideas in that area and benefit the whole world. Unfortunately, the situation is different in our country; when an earthquake occurs, we are among the countries that suffer the most damage in the world. After the February 6th earthquake, our university conducted a study. This study evaluated structural damage and disaster logistics. Our academics carried out studies in two areas immediately after the earthquake, visiting the earthquake zone. We experience disasters, and we will continue to experience them. Is our capacity to respond to disasters adequate? Are we able to respond to disasters correctly? At the summit, many companies, NGOs, public institution officials, and academics came together to discuss how we can diversify our building quality and technology, and how we can build more qualified structures, focusing on steel structures.”
“Steel is cheaper than water”
Dr. Veysel Yayan, Secretary General of the Turkish Steel Producers Association (TÇÜD), provided the following information about steel production: “In 1998, Turkey's steel production was 14.3 million tons, with a capacity of 19.5 million tons. Over the years, our steel production has reached almost 60 million tons. Although there have been fluctuations in production in the last two years, it was 40.4 million tons in 2021 and is projected to reach 42 million tons in the coming years. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that our production and capacity have tripled. We can clearly state that our production is approximately twice our consumption, and our capacity is approximately three times our consumption. Currently, steel is sold cheaper than water in Türkiye.”
“Steel structures are the key to preventing losses in earthquakes”
TUCSA Chairman of the Board Yener Gür’eş** emphasized that steel structures protect human lives. Stating that “The only solution is to build earthquake-resistant structures,” Gür’eş continued: “As a result of the ‘Damage Assessment Studies of Steel Structures’ that we initiated on March 29, 2023, upon the instruction of the General Directorate of Construction Works of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, we have revealed the performance of steel structures in earthquakes. After the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, we saw that steel structures remained standing with great success thanks to their durability properties. In the damage assessment studies conducted, while over 250,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, not a single steel structure collapsed. This is not a coincidence; it is a scientific result stemming from the superior technical properties of steel structures.”
Yener Gür’eş, arguing that the only solution to prevent loss of life and economic devastation in earthquakes is to switch to earthquake-resistant building systems implemented in countries like Japan and America, said, “Steel structures are the key to preventing loss of life in future earthquakes. Looking at the Erzincan, Marmara, and Kahramanmaraş earthquakes we experienced in the history of the Republic, we lost tens of thousands of citizens, and millions of people continue to live in fear of earthquakes. Our duty is to build solid structures that will end this fear.”
Gür’eş stated that the village house projects and structural steel frame housing projects carried out in the earthquake zone demonstrate the state's visionary approach to steel structures, adding, “Public institutions play a major role in the development of the earthquake-resistant building sector in Türkiye. The instructions given by our President after the Van Earthquake regarding steel structure production can be considered as the first visionary steps taken in this regard. The steel structure projects initiated after the February 6th Earthquakes show that the public has a broader perspective on this issue. As TUCSA, we support this vision of our state and will continue our efforts to ensure that earthquake-resistant structures become widespread throughout the country in the future.”
Attendees at the summit included all relevant public institutions and organizations, universities, local governments, architects, engineers, contractors, and non-governmental organizations, while interactive sessions and technology stands allowed participants to learn about new solutions.
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