VIVAnews - A construction expert from New Zealand Aid & Development Agency (NZAID), David Hopkin, is having a concern towards the construction of buildings in West Sumatra, most of which are not complying with the standards. Hopkin conducted a research for two months after Padang was hit by 7.9-magnitude earthquake in September 2009.
According to him, Padang actually has a lot of great buildings with unique and elegant structures which is a pride in architecture.
“However, increasing the quality of building structure seems really important,” Hopkin says in his published research outcome on Friday, February 19.
He also said this is a challenge to re-build West Sumatra after the quake by applying a better construction.
After examining several government buildings, Hopkin came up with a conclusion that the weak spot of the buildings exists in the joints. The main problem lies in concrete joints that do not apply the standards because the number of metal bones is often reduced. “As a result, the construction, especially the joints, is really troublesome,” he said.
In his research, Hopkin analyzes the governor’s office building, the Financial and Development Supervisory building, Ganting Great Mosque, the Archive Centre building, Social Trainings and Education Center building and the Padang City Hall.
Meanwhile, NZAID suggests increasing the conceptual design, radically improving the quality of concrete column details and securing parts of the buildings, especially steel walls, in the construction of buildings in earthquake-prone areas.
“Special education and trainings are required to show the constructors that they have to use metal or steel to make the bones. This is something that can’t be negotiated in a quake-prone region like Padang,” Hopkin said.
He also points out the wrong cost-saving technique in building development. “The creativity should be applied to the designs, not the main structures,” he said.
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Coverage by: Eri Naldi | Padang
Translated by: Nataya Ermanti
