Classrooms in elementary and junior high schools in Taiwan are commonly built in a long, single row, with broad windows on both sides. Many new classrooms, meanwhile, have been built by being stacked on top of the existing, older structures.
But until the earthquake on Sept. 21 left over 120 schools destroyed or severely damaged, the flaws in this design, used since Japanese colonial rule, as well as school buildings' construction in general, received little public attention.
Architectural experts say that poor design is the main culprit behind much of the destruction, though a large portion of blame has also been placed on shoddy construction.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES.
"This design is desirable in tropical areas, because it offers good ventilation and sufficient natural lighting. But its shortcoming is its weak resistance to earthquakes," said Hsu Mao-hsiung (
Since a large area of the walls is used for windows, the area for solid walls becomes very limited. "For a low building, walls are a very economical and effective structure against tremors. If walls are used effectively in a building, it can withstand a tremor as strong as the 921 earthquake," Hsu said.
The intensity of September's earthquake was, however, three times stronger than school buildings were designed to withstand. Since Nantou County and many parts of Taichung County were not designated as areas likely to experience strong quakes, the building standards for quake resistance in those areas were clearly too lax.
Chang Chia-hsiang (張嘉祥), director of the NCKU's department of architecture, said the problem with proportionally low wall space is common in elementary and junior high schools, regardless of whether they are new buildings or old ones built before 1974. There were no construction regulations before 1974, and anti-quake standards were implemented only in 1982.
"Up to 90 percent of schools in the earthquake-prone Tainan and Chiayi areas have the same problem," Chang said.
Many elementary and junior high school buildings, meanwhile, are a combination of old and added-on new structures, which further complicated the problem.
Chang Chun-che (張俊哲), president of the Taipei Architects Association (台北市建築師公會), estimated that some 80 percent of elementary and junior high school buildings are old-new combinations, and most of these are located in areas with limited financial resources.
"It is a problem with the system," Chang said. "Schools get funding to build several classrooms every year. So new structures are built on top of old ones." This format causes difficulties, though, when the buildings need renovations after nearly 40 years of use.
"There is no way to tear down the building. While the bottom structure has outlived its usefulness, the top structure is still young," Chang said. A building less than 40 years old can be torn down only if there are certificates from professional engineers proving that it is dangerous.
Structurally, buildings with several successive additions usually have weak joints, and the stacking of another structure on top increases the weight on an old building whose foundation is already stressed. Furthermore, the steel rebar in the original structure is likely not as strong as it originally had been.
Due to financial constraints, however, the government cannot afford to destroy old structures altogether.
"From a financial perspective, the government will give the money for two classrooms when a school needs only two classrooms. But when it comes to construction, things get more complicated," Hsu argued.
In the past 50 years, many schools were built up classroom by classroom. Some were even built in three stages -- the main body, the corridor and the floor and windows.
"There hasn't been comprehensive planning for schools. It was felt to be good enough to have shelter against the wind and rain," said Li Po-chia (
Cheng Lai-chang (
Since then, the central government has appropriated an annual budget of some NT$20 billion for the renewal of old school buildings.
"To avoid the combination of old and new structures, the funding is for an entire building, rather than for a certain number of classrooms," Cheng said.
He said the ministry has prohibited the building of new structures on one that is over five years old.
However, as the ministry is promoting a program to minimize the size of classes in elementary and junior high schools, schools may still need to have classrooms built to cope with the change.
Under the program, the number of students per class is to be limited to 35 students in elementary schools and 40 students in junior high schools.
Chen Shan-bao (陳善報), director of the Taichung County Government's bureau of education, said that the problem is inevitable under the current circumstances.
"Some schools don't need an entire building. But they won't have enough classrooms unless a few new ones are added," Chen said.
"So in some cases, the new classrooms are simply built on top of old ones."
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft