The earthquake in Turkey and Syria has accelerated seismic inspections of about 40,000 public buildings that had been expected since 2001. Initially, the focus will be on schools and hospitals, and the goal is to complete the work within 3-4 years.

“OASP has been planning for several months to make up to now optional seismic control in public buildings, ”the K says about Are you happy Lekkas, president of the Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization. In fact, a specific schedule of checks has been discussed, which will be carried out a new committee that was formed by Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Christos Stylianides in cooperation To OASP and Hellenic Chamber of Tech. Details and specialization of the work of the committee will be announced on Wednesday (22.02.2022).

OUR Vasilis Lekidishis fellow researcher Institute of Technical Seismology and Antiseismic Structures and the president in Committee on Natural Disasters of the Hellenic Chamber of Tech, notes “K” that the seismic control of public buildings began in 2001. The responsibility for control was (and still is) the local technical services of municipalities and regions. “However, this process has progressed very slowly,” he says, adding: “So slowly that out of 80,000 public buildings have been checked about 20,000 in 21 years.”

This, according to Mr. lecca, happened because the majority of government agencies did not show readiness to start fighting the earthquake. But, according to him, the constant seismic activity in our country, combined with the large impact of E.laughter in neighboring Turkey, he again raised the issue of increased control, this time in an imperative form. OK good. Lekkas notes that even these approximately 16,000 publicly building who passed the test, it is very likely that they will be tested again, since even if they passed the test 20 years ago, this is not enough. The OASP president emphasizes that this time there will be strict standards that the building must meet. In an initial inspection, engineers look to see if there are any obvious problems with the building and perform a basic autopsy.

In the required number of buildings, secondary control will follow with the necessary subsequent strengthening and support. building. During a secondary inspection, engineers look at the architectural plans of the building and take a sample of the building, or rather its problem areas.

Some buildingthose with the most problems are expected to go through higher level controls. IN this scene, according to Mr. Lekkait will be decided whether the construction is worth it -from economic point of view – undergo extensive intervention or should be demolished. “Of course, in buildings with a historical footprint, the first solution will be preferable,” emphasizes experienced seismologist.

Anti-earthquake regulations in our country are constantly updated

Mister. Lekidis explains here that the history of earthquake prevention regulations in Greece dates back to 1959, when the first comprehensive urban planning regulations were adopted. As he describes: “then, Mr. earthquake this was a small option when completing construction through some controls that were not always guaranteed. Thanks to this regulation and compensation method, hundreds of thousands of buildings were built in Greece after the war.”

In 1985, the first Greek rules for earthquake protection appeared, which included a modern understanding of the “behavior” that buildings should conduct during an earthquake. one earthquake- and, more specifically, during the horizontal vibration that a building makes when it is hit by a seismic vibration. The reason for the new regulation was the strong earthquake in Thessaloniki in 1978 and the earthquake in Athens in 1982. The regulation was the first to include modern building construction concepts, according to which the earthquake-resistant reinforcement of the frame of the building is the most base the criterion for everything.

Since 1985, according to G. Lekidis, a systematic effort to continuously upgrade the safety valves of Greek buildings. In 1995 and after other major earthquakes such as Kalamata in 1986 and Edessa in 1990, new anti-seismic regulation NEAC. In 2000 he also came EAC -Greek anti-seismic Regulation-which was revised again in 2003.

At the same time very detailed Eurocodes earthquake protection (as they are called) that “run” parallel to the current regulation each European a country. The specific rules are often revised and supplemented by decisions taken by committees, which also include Greek experts. As explained by Mr. Lekidis: “New solutions have put Always – from the new rules for building bridges, to the quality of concrete, masonry etc.“.

“Seismic awareness” in Greece is high, but preliminary seismic checks are few.

However, good earthquake management “does not in itself lead to spring”, supports Mr. Lekidisaccording to which, “seismic consciousness” is one that makes Greece good when it comes to earthquakes, but not Turkey, as shown by the 7.8 Richter earthquake.

As he explains, “Seismic safety awareness in Greece moves from the contractor to the engineer and reaches owner factory, receiving taking into account the quality of building materials, the correct compaction of concrete, the correct molding of the frame, etc. That is, all these things that are not in Turkey.”

That is why, according to the researcher of the institute Seismic resistancein the highly seismic Ionian Sea, on islands such as Kefalonia, Lefkada and Zakynthos, buildings can now withstand earthquakes. “Scattered knots beam-columns buildings in Turkey, as we see them in the photographs, are hubs without irons inside. This does not happen in Greece,” Mr. Lekidis.

Anyway, that’s all according to from Lekka and also Mr. Lekidisalthough the quality of new buildings in Greece is very good, the control that we carry out in our oldest building stock, which is numerous, is incomplete, and in this part, immediate mobilization is necessary.V.

Mister. Lekidisnotes that many houses built before the mid-1980s must pass earthquake tests, Lekkaswith the latter stating that the new committee to deal with public buildings had also raised the issue. carpet- applied in one way, that is, by pre-earthquakes in houses, and also.

“Today we buy and transfer real estate, check for violations, and also ask for an energy passport, not an anti-seismic one,” emphasizes Mr. S. Lekidis and gives one example: “If someone wants to buy an old house or building in Thessaloniki, he receives a form from the competent agency indicating whether the building was marked red, green or yellow during the 1978 earthquake. But what about the property that was built later? In Arkalochori, they gave money for energy upgrades of buildings, and not for statics and seismic surveys, and we all saw the results,” he adds.

The monuments have also come under the committee’s microscope, for which OASP will work with the Ministry of Culture so that specifications for their earthquake resistance can also be established. “Now it’s a whole science,” says Mr. Lekidis and adds: “There are very successful examples of seismic amplification in Saint Mountain, in difficult monasteries, on the rocks. Crowds at monuments methods of strengthening internal bindings with reinforcement, injection ptin through masonry perforation, etc. Many such “operations” were carried out in the Rotunda.”