EIB: Steel Structure System Should Be on the Agenda

For Turkey, a large part of which is located in the earthquake zone, the steel structure system, which is very low-awareness, is of key importance. While the use of steel systems in Europe and America is around 40 percent, this figure is around 1 percent in Turkey.

Aegean Exporters' Associations Coordinator President Jak Eskinazi said, "Unfortunately, we lost many of our citizens in the earthquake on February 6, and we commemorate them with mercy. If the same earthquake had happened in Istanbul, the damage would have been greater and Turkey would have gone back 50 years. One of the locomotive sectors in our country is construction. Three countries leading Industry 4.0 in the world: Germany, USA and Japan. According to a 2022 survey by Ipsos; With 77 percent, Turkey is among the countries where people's expectations of natural disasters are the highest. But neither society nor the state is prepared for this. In Japan, the rate is 85 percent, but Japan is ready for it. Our Turkish steel sector is highly developed in terms of know-how and is able to produce all kinds of materials."

Referring to the fact 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 small. Mistakes are being made in the construction industry, and as we continue to make mistakes, the losses will increase. The reconciliation of the state with its nation cannot be achieved through zoning amnesty, but with solid structures. The perception of the construction sector in our country needs to change from top to bottom 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."

Yalçın Ertan, Vice President of the Aegean Exporters' Associations Coordinator, said, "We had to face again the truth of the saying that building kills, not earthquakes. Now, instead of producing a remedy after the earthquake, we are ready to do our part to build our buildings in an earthquake-resistant state. For safety, it is necessary to spread the steel structure model, which is an extremely safe model against earthquakes with its flexible structure, strength and lightness that is not fragile 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 use of steel systems in Europe and America is around 40 percent, this figure is around 1 percent in Turkey."

Underlining that the manufacturing and assembly of steel construction structures were completed in a much shorter time, Yalçın Ertan concluded his words as follows:

"The construction time is short; It is important to make the building habitable/usable as soon as possible. Steel construction structures, which are made quickly and at the same time have sustainable features, are economically more advantageous than other structures. Steel construction structures are quite light compared to reinforced concrete structures. The lightness of the building and the fact that the steel structures have more stretching properties compared to reinforced concrete reduce the impact of the earthquake due to the decrease in the load on the ground. In all new buildings, urban transformation projects and temporary housing constructions to be built in our country in the earthquake zone, it is useful to turn to steel construction by taking into account the earthquake conditions. With its structure feature that does not have the risk of corrosion and rotting, it provides an important advantage with its long service life compared to the reinforced concrete model in common use. We plan to carry out studies in the coming period to explain the steel structure system to more stakeholders."