“It’s a fault of the system” because “in Turkey, building controls do not exist”, denounces a Turkish architect

“It’s a fault of the system” Turkish architect and urban planner Korhan Gümüş denounced Tuesday February 7 on franceinfo, while the latest provisional assessment of the earthquake which hit Turkey and Syria on Monday reported more than 5,000 dead on Turkish soil. According to him, buildings constructed in the country today are still not earthquake resistant despite the heavy antecedent of 1999.

>> Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: follow the evolution of the situation live

“After the 1999 earthquake, which killed more than 17,000 people, Turkey gave guarantees that the buildings constructed were earthquake-proof and controlled”he explains. “Except that this Monday, buildings built six months ago were demolished”.

“Architectural projects are not well done”he complains. “It’s not the fault of a single actor, it’s a fault of the system. We see that in Turkey the controls do not exist, alert the architect, We make decisions but there is no contact with the constructions”.

“If they were rural buildings, I would not say anything because they are not made with expertise and with experts. However, this disaster took place in an urbanized context, that is the problem”he concludes.