Structural Steel Day Consera Founder Şimşek: One million modular steel houses in three years possible to produce
At the Turkish Structural Steel Association's "24th Structural Steel Day", steel structures were discussed in all aspects from earthquakes to sustainability. Speaking at the program, Melih Şimşek, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Structural Steel Association and Founder of Consera, reminded that 60 percent of the population is located in active earthquake areas and said, "When we change our routine and establish modular steel building industries, we will have earthquake-resistant structures without any additional investment. It is possible to produce one million modular steel houses in three years."
The 24th Structural Steel Day, organized by the Turkish Structural Steel Association on December 6-7 at Yeditepe University İnan Kıraç Conference Hall, focused on the themes of "Earthquake Resistant Structuring" and "Sustainability and Digitalization". Sector professionals came together at the event, which was attended by local and foreign speakers who are experts in their fields, and shared their knowledge and experiences.
Consera Founder and Vice Chairman of the Turkish Structural Steel Association Melih Şimşek In his speech titled "With Structural Steel and Modular Structures, It is Possible to Solve Our Country's Earthquake Resistant Housing Problem" on December 6, he reminded that nearly 60 percent of Turkey's population is located on active earthquake zones that can cause damage, and said: "The way to produce earthquake-safe and sustainable structures is through modular steel structures. Since steel structures are 7-8 times lighter than traditional structures, they take less earthquake load at this rate. They are less affected by earthquakes. Moreover, they are built at least twice as fast. In addition, steel structures are much more sustainable than traditional structures. They are environmentally friendly structures due to their recycling properties. They do not consume the resources of future generations today."
"We can be the country with the largest modular steel structure industry"
Stating that Turkey already has everything it needs to achieve earthquake-safe structures, Şimşek emphasized the following in his speech:
"In order to produce 500,000 houses in a year, 3.5 million tons of structural steel is required. The capacity in Turkey is 50 million tons. We need 120 thousand human resources. According to 2023 data, there are 3.5 million unemployed. We need to build 135 factories of 20 thousand square meters. This corresponds to the closed area of 10 TOGG factories. In summary, it is possible to produce one million modular steel houses in three years. When we change our routine and establish modular steel building industries, we will have earthquake-resistant structures without any additional investment, just by transforming our current preferences. We will have established a brand new exportable industry. We may not be the country that produces the most electric cars in the world, but there is nothing preventing us from becoming the country with the largest modular construction industry. Since earthquakes will continue in our geography, we have to develop fast construction methods. If we build structures that will not collapse in earthquakes, we will not lose lives and property. We will not experience great economic losses. Moreover, we will reduce our carbon emissions."
- The Structural Steel Day also hosted earthquake expert Yoshinori Moriwaki, a high architect and civil engineer, and held panel discussions moderated by anchorman Ali Kırca and high architect Kıvanç İlhan, producer and host of the "Structural Parity" program on EKOTÜRK TV. "Sector Awards" were presented to individuals and organizations that contributed to the development of the sector.