Earthquake, unfortunately, is one of the constant agendas of our country. While the 1999 earthquake has not fully healed, we have been faced with very large earthquakes that have affected our 10 cities these days, we sought criminals, we rebelled, and we invited experts in their fields to television programs.

After all, we clearly saw that our country is still not prepared for an earthquake, so how can we be prepared for an earthquake? Even if it is not possible to prevent an earthquake, is it
possible to prevent loss of life or to minimize the number of collapsed buildings?

95% of our country’s population lives on earthquake zones. However, we saw that we were not where we wanted to build safe, healthy and quality buildings, so what is missing? The earthquake, of course, is primarily related to the ground, ground survey, fault lines clearly
show us the places where settlement should or should not be made.

After that, it is necessary to bring together the components of architect, engineer knowledge, the right product and the right workmanship. Static calculations must be made according to earthquake risks, but it is not enough on its own, it is necessary to fully
protect the safety of the building throughout the economic life of the building.

Earthquake and Corrosion

More than 85% of the buildings in our country are concrete structures. Again, according to the researches made in recent years, one third of our 20 million housing stock is in risky status in terms of earthquakes.

Concrete parts carry the compressive load in buildings, earthquakes that occur give horizontal load to the building and create a moment effect, concrete has no resistance (tensile strength) to this, if iron is not placed in the concrete or if it is placed less than necessary, the concrete will break with the effect of this load. Similar results occur if the iron placed in the concrete rusts.

Although it is not well known, one of the biggest causes of destruction caused by earthquakes is corrosion. After the 17 August 1999 earthquake, it was determined
that 55.561 houses and workplaces, which were examined, contained 64% corrosion damage.

Corrosion occurs during the chemical formation process of concrete, with water entering through settlements and capillary cracks, and iron and oxygen gas in the environment. The section loss of iron reinforcement in concrete due to corrosion is that the reinforcement
loses 66% of its initial bearing capacity after a period of 10 years.

It is only possible to prevent corrosion caused by water leaking into the building by any means, with waterproofing. While the urban transformation process initiated throughout Turkey could be a great opportunity for waterproofing applications, situations such as
deficiencies in inspections and applications that are not made in accordance with the standards prevented this opportunity.

Correct Waterproofing

According to the regulation that entered into force on July 3, 2017; “It is obligatory to make heat and water insulation against external influences in all basement floors based on soil.” No matter how strong the buildings are, major destructions can be inevitable if waterproofing is not done.

Somehow, the water leaking into the building enters the concrete and causes rust, that
is, corrosion. Considering the total cost of the building, waterproofing does not bring a high additional cost, it has a share of % 2-3 for the total building cost. Liquid waterproofing is one of the last developing waterproofing methods.

The waterproofing materials obtained from products such as semi-fluid membranes
are applied with the smear method and set on the surface to form a waterproof structure. This method is the name of an application method rather than a product variant.

Similarly, new generation proof membranes, which adhere to the poured concrete at every point and form a waterproof bond, can be safely used in raft foundation and curtain insulation applications. In addition to traditional products in waterproofing, it will provide both the right insulation and a total cost advantage by saving labor and time with the developing technology.

In approximately 30% of the buildings, flexible liquid waterproofing material is used on the
basement walls and foundations, as the concrete fills the voids and there is no need for protection. Making liquid insulation on the basement floor walls ensures easy repair of the damaged area in case of damage during use.

However, the same cannot be said for foundations It becomes impossible to repair the parts under the structure during use. For this reason, the use of insulation covers that do not flex and break under building loads for waterproofing purposes under the foundations gives more favorable results.

Liquid applied insulation materials; they do not provide sufficient resistance under the pressure effect of water, therefore it is necessary to use special products reinforced with
carriers. Liquid-based bituminous liquid membranes are flexible and do not crack or break by moving with the ground and building movements.

In addition, being resistant to chemicals on the floor, making it easy to insulate around uneven foundation sockets and not having joints that may cause water leakage are among
the other selection criteria.

We know that bituminous membrane covers are the most suitable and reliable material that will increase the durability of the building against earthquakes. However, when we want to insulate our house or workplace, we encounter many options.

At this point, many criteria come into play, from the area of the project to the slope of the roof, which can make it difficult to choose the right material. As ODE Yalıtım, we started
from here and developed an innovative service, ODE Select.

ODE Select, the online system selection tool, which is the first in Turkey and one of the few examples in the world, brings together the most suitable solutions and technical documents for construction projects in minutes.

With the application, insulation solutions for roofs, foundations and curtains, systems
suitable for project criteria, 3D details, specifications and technical documents can be downloaded in a single file and completely free of charge. The system also allows getting a quote or technical support from experts if needed.

In this way, we aim to prevent information pollution in the sector while establishing a strong information network between project makers and producer expertise.

We can list the things that need to be done together with urban transformation for earthquake preparedness and quality buildings as follows:

• The zoning regulation should definitely be handled from the beginning, consultancy support from expert companies and scientists should be sought, new buildings should be built and all old buildings should be examined. If necessary, using earthquake isolators should be made absolutely mandatory.

• In building construction, ground survey, foundation, static project and on-site inspection should be done in the most accurate way.

• Universities should be equipped with up-to-date information, especially by engineering faculty students and leading companies in the sector, and initiatives and incentives should be created for studies in this field.

• Cooperation between the private sector and public institutions should be strengthened and accelerated in every sense.

• Building inspection companies should be given an autonomous structure, and the relationship between the service provider and the user should be brought to a structure that will make it neutral as soon as possible.

• In the public sector, before creating the technical infrastructure for all projects, factors that will prevent waste of resources should be avoided.

• It should be considered to create alternative structures such as vertical architecture, horizontal architecture and steel structures for earthquake zones.

• NGOs should organize informative trainings on earthquake, especially on waterproofing, especially in universities, public institutions and organizations. Public service announcements should be created to increase public awareness.

Timur Ergün
Product Manager (Building Insulation)
ODE Yalıtım