Mr. Thinh assessed that the recent phenomena of apartment buildings in Hanoi and Quang Ninh during storms showed that the connection of the frame to the enclosing structure or the connection to the load-bearing system was very poor. Mr. Thinh stated that it is necessary to clearly define the responsibilities of the subjects from investors, design contractors, construction contractors to supervision contractors.
“Doors and glass walls in construction are called enclosing structures and play a very important role. Here, it is necessary to distinguish between architectural design units and structural design units. For the installation of doors/glass walls, the architectural design unit has the task of dividing the glass panes/sections beautifully and aesthetically. The structural design unit is responsible for the entire structural design of the door/glass wall system. However, currently, in most structural design drawings, the structural design of this door/glass wall system is ignored,” said Mr. Thinh, emphasizing that whether it is a building or a work, there must be a load-bearing structure and an enclosing structure. The enclosing structure is very important, but if it is forgotten or miscalculated, it can be very dangerous.
Wall cracked next to a glass door in a Hanoi apartment building during the recent storm.
“The structural design unit must calculate the pressure of the wind on the glass, determining the thickness, number of layers, and composition of the glass; especially, the wall or door frame must be connected to the load-bearing structure and surrounding enclosure. These are issues that the structural design unit must calculate and choose for the construction contractor to implement,” Mr. Thinh said.
However, there is a very lazy situation in structural design, leaving the construction contractor to choose, leading to poor quality. After manufacturing and installing the doors/glass walls, the construction contractor can make as-built drawings and legalize them by giving these drawings to the design contractor for signing,” Mr. Thinh said.
After the work is accepted and handed over, the units must hand over to the investor the operation/use procedure to guide the household owners (residents) on how to use the doors/glass walls in normal cases as well as when there is a storm.
According to Mr. Thinh, here, it is also necessary to consider the responsibility of the unit that supervises and accepts the work when these phenomena occur.
“All regulations and procedures are available; it’s just a matter of how people implement them. If the above procedures are followed correctly, the quality of the work is guaranteed. Storm No. 3 is a warning that there are many issues with the quality of construction today. To reduce damage to works during storms, owners must fulfill their responsibilities, from design to material selection, construction, supervision, and strict acceptance,” emphasized Mr. Thinh.
Many apartment glass doors were splashed with water.
In addition, maintenance is very important during operation and use. If inspection and maintenance are carried out periodically and regularly, unfortunate cases can be avoided. Before the storm, checking and reinforcing will also help reduce damage.
Also talking to Tien Phong PV, Mr. Vu Ngoc Anh – Head of the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment, Ministry of Construction – informed that all construction works, including apartments, must comply with QC 02/BXD National Technical Regulation on Natural Condition Data in Construction.
Accordingly, works must comply with the design, including storm and earthquake resistance, taking into account different regions. However, Mr. Anh raised the issue that although there are regulations, whether the design, construction, and acceptance are correct or not. When designing a work, it is necessary to comply with the relevant standards and norms.
Mr. Anh said that every five years, the regulations are reviewed to re-measure the wind speed and update it.
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