Weak, watered-down concrete was likely used in the Weiguan Jinlong complex that collapsed in the Feb. 6 earthquake, academics and industrial representatives said yesterday, calling on the Ministry of Interior’s Construction and Planning Agency to randomly sample the concrete used in major construction projects to deter such practices.
The Taiwan Concrete Institute and Taiwan Ready-mixed Concrete Industry Association held a news conference at National Taiwan University (NTU) to call for regulatory reform.
Chan Yin-wen (詹穎雯), a professor of civil engineering at the university and the institute’s executive director, said that while some media reports on the complex’s collapse focused solely on possible problems with its steel beams, photographs taken at the site suggest that weak, watered-down concrete was also a factor in the building’s collapse.
Photo: CNA
The collapse of the 17-story complex in Tainan’s Yongkang District (永康) caused 115 deaths, as one more body was found yesterday, and was the largest source of casualties in the magnitude 6.4 earthquake.
“The exterior of the broken steel beams [found in the rubble] are smooth and have very little concrete attached to their surface. This shows that the concrete used in the building’s construction was not strong enough to effectively reinforce the steel beams when the earthquake struck, causing them to snap,” Chan said, adding that another factor that might have contributed to the collapse could be the use of too little concrete.
While an official examination of the building is ongoing, an academic survey of more than 1,000 buildings damaged in the 921 Earthquake in 1999 found that the quality of concrete was directly related to damage, Chan said, adding that concrete in 88 percent of the damaged buildings surveyed in 1999 failed to meet regulatory standards.
Price competition, combined with poor accountability, encourages developers to take shortcuts, such as watering down concrete to cut costs and make pouring easier, he said.
“The responsibility of architects to supervise construction has not been realized because it is unclear and no authority enforces the standards. After a developer constructs and sells a building, they can be cleared of any responsibility if they change their company’s name and keep on building through other means,” he said.
“The problem is that while they might be saving several hundred New Taiwan dollars per ping [3.3 m2], they are endangering a consumer value of up to NT$50,000 per ping [for houses in Taipei and New Taipei City],” he said.
The institute and the association recommended the Construction and Planning Agency conduct random sampling of the concrete used in major construction projects and publicize any sub-standard results along with other projects that had been developed by the company.
Companies caught cheating would find it difficult to sell properties in completed buildings, making them think twice before taking shortcuts, Chan said, adding that use of sub-standard materials in public construction projects dropped sharply after random sampling was introduced.
The institute and association also recommended that “production resumes” for concrete used for buildings be compiled and publicized, as well as amendments made to the Building Act (建築法) to clarify responsibility for supervision and quality control of construction projects.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The