The Independent: Architects’ warnings Türkiye hasn’t heeded after the earthquake

The Independent published a report by Borzo Daragahi, in which he spoke with urban and engineering experts, who warned of deficiencies in the construction market in Türkiye, which made the earthquake a major disaster that befell the country.

These experts, Burroughs says, knew this day would come.

They warned against lax application of building codes, haphazard urban planning, and suspicious building standards.

Türkiye today is emerging from the ruins of a great earthquake, which killed 40,000 people in Türkiye and 6,000 in Syria on its borders.

The disaster left the country in a maelstrom of grief and grief.

Türkiye is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, and has suffered high loss of life for 24 years.

After that earthquake, which was centered on the city of Izmit in the northwest of the country, 1999, the Turkish authorities raised building standards, tightened laws related to urbanization, and approved compulsory insurance.

It ordered the reinforcement of constructions that suddenly appeared on the outskirts of large cities, or their complete removal.

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was a vocal critic of the government’s handling of the earthquakes.

His ruling party AKP led a wave of anger over the disaster and the economy, which enabled him to win the 2002 elections.

Despite the commitment to developing earthquake-resistant construction in the country, those familiar with the sector say that a group of influential real estate promotion companies has become more influential since 1999.

Then the search for outrageous profit prevailed over public safety concerns.

Promotion companies were able to purchase building permits that comply with the law, without it being so, so illegal construction became legal, according to some experts, and constructions became unmonitored.

The architects drew up plans with the characteristics of earthquake-resistant construction, but this doesn’t mean that those in charge of the project were using the correct materials. It’s naturally cheaper to use concrete that has less iron, or poor-quality building materials.

The engineers are shocked when they see permits to add new floors above the buildings, or to add elevators, so that the company can sell more apartments, at the expense of safety.

But the biggest shock was on the ground floor, which is usually reserved for shops, so the owners decided to remove columns in the structure of the building in order to obtain a larger commercial space.

This is what makes the buildings vulnerable to falling, as they become like trees without roots that pull them to the ground.

The architect designs a building with all the required conditions and standards, and with the characteristics of earthquake resistance, then the owner of the shop comes on the ground floor and removes the main columns, as these actions caused many tragedies, according to the architects.

Experts believe that adherence to the controls and standards would have reduced the number of victims.