The lining is as dangerous as the urban amnesty

Structure Tekin Saraçoğlu, founding president of the Association of Audit Institutions, warned that the cladding hides the risks of rotten buildings and causes a false perception of building safety. Stating that the risks from cladding have become more important with the earthquake, Saraçoğlu said that a law should be enacted urgently to prevent cladding of unstable buildings and make cladding conditional on reports and licences.

DURABILITY REPORT

Speaking with SÖZCÜ, Saraçoğlu noted that jacketing is important in terms of energy savings, but in practice, very dangerous mistakes are made that can lead to loss of life and property. Stating that cladding an unsafe building is as dangerous as a zoning amnesty, Saraçoğlu said: “As a result of the examination, cladding is applied to buildings that are in good condition or have been reinforced with the proper technique. Unfortunately, unsafe buildings and even rotten buildings are being resurfaced in our country. The building is then occupied as if it were new, sold or rented to others. However, the building is kept in its old form in a risky way,” he said.

Saraçoğlu said that engineers should first examine the buildings, reinforce if necessary, and cladding should be done after receiving the sound report. Suggesting that the jacketing durability report should be made mandatory with a law to be enacted urgently, Saraçoğlu said, “The report should also be linked to a license and municipal control should be put into practice. Otherwise, we will experience new pains in those risky buildings that look beautiful.”

Example of a holiday hotel

Tekin Saraçoğlu gave the example of the Bayram Hotel, which was destroyed in the Van earthquake, in case the rotten building was covered. Recalling that the Bayram Hotel, which was clad just a year before the earthquake, collapsed in 2011 after failing to withstand the 5.6 earthquake, Saraçoğlu said, “That hotel was beautiful and safe with the clad. But 24 people turned into graves, ”he said. At the Bayram Hotel, whose foundation was laid in 1964, $1 million was spent in 2010 on cladding and renovation.