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From: "Architexturez." <admin-in@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 15:14:15 +0530
Architexturez. wrote:
| to continue:
| http://mail.architexturez.net/+/In-Enaction/archive/msg01371.shtml
| enter consultancies -- or Cons-II
Architect: Soken consulting firm suggested drastic cuts in building
materials
Sogo Keiei Kenkyujo (Soken), the consulting firm tied to 22 structurally
unsafe hotels, advised builders to reduce construction materials to
ridiculously low levels to remain competitive, an architect said.
Disgraced architect Hidetsugu Aneha said Wednesday his string of
falsified structural-strength reports started in 1998 when a
construction company official threatened to cut off his livelihood.
....
"I was told (by Shinozuka), 'If you don't reduce the amount of steel
reinforcement, we will not offer any jobs to you.' Because of that, I
was forced to falsify the data," Aneha said.
....
The former architect said he falsified the structural-strength report
for the building by slashing the index for measuring the building's
resistance to an earthquake from the standard of 1 to 0.4 to 0.5.
"Because my falsfication method was simple, I thought that a building
inspection company, which checks the structural-strength reports, would
easily find it," Aneha said.
That apparently never happened, and many condominium complexes and
hotels built on Aneha's fake reports were constructed. Residents have
been forced to move out and a number of hotels have suspended operations.
cont'd....
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200512140337.html