●Special Features: Stock Management for Housing and Social Capital

Structural Diagnosis, Renovation/Repairs,

and Renewal Technologies

HASEGAWA Naoji
Head of the Housing Production Division, Housing Department
INUKAI Mizuo
Head of the Evaluation System Division, Research Center for Land and Construction Management

1. Introduction "no problem in practical terms." "Renovation" is to partially

In general, the functions and performance of structures rework construction sections (roofs, walls, beams, etc.) that
degrades over time from peaks at point of completion. have deteriorated over time from "current problem levels"
Apart from damage attributable to serious earthquakes, to the level where there is "no problem in practical use."
major typhoons, or fires during the structure's lifecycle, "Improvement" means to elevate functioning/performance
its functions, and performance gradually degrade as the to higher than levels at the time of initial completion. Raising
result of physical, chemical, or biological factors. This is performance levels more than mere "improvement" is called
called deterioration. Under conventional "scrap-and-build" "modernization," generally intended to strategically increase
practices, buildings deteriorated to where they are no longer the property value of building stock.
able to serve their purpose or to perform to standard are
demolished, discarded, and replaced with new structures. 3. Current Conditions and Problems with Diagnosis
However, this practice is gradually losing acceptance due Technology for Existing Structures
to its economic and social tolls. Emerging social factors Renovations and improvements sufficient to meet the
such as aging demographics and the falling birthrate will needs of the remaining lifecycle of the structure are essential
predictably result not merely in quantitative and qualitative to economically maintain satisfactory environments,
declines in construction workers but also in curtailments functions, and to prolong useful life span. For this, we
of new public works programs in the face of the nationwide need measures to ensure structures are kept in healthy
financial constraints that will appear as revenues peak and condition more than temporary expedients of renovations/
expenditures, such as those required by social programs, improvements. Testing/diagnosis technology is considered
rise. In addition, today's issues, e.g., the recognition of such a medium or measure, and various testing/diagnosing
resources as finite, need to curb construction waste, and devices are used for the quantitative measurement and
global environmental conservation are all putting a brake on evaluation of deterioration phenomena. However, these
the practices of mass scrapping/mass construction. devices have been only been applied to building testing/
diagnosis for about 40 years and still are in the experiment
2. From "Scrap & Build" to "Stock & Renovate" and development stages to enhance the level of diagnosis.
In treating structures and building stock as quality social Major deterioration phenomena of buildings and the current
capital stock, the issues of maintenance and conservation state and problems of diagnosis methods are summarized in
will surely become primary to all parties involved. At the Table 1.
same time, users and society at large are demanding
increasingly sophisticated, diverse functioning and 4. The Requisites for Str uctural Renovation/
performance of their structures, including greater user Improvement Technology
comfort, IT capabilities, better security and health, lasting Here, we cover the development and requirements of
external and interior beauty, with a focus on maintenance- renovation/improvement technology. Conventionally, the
free factors -- at levels beyond function and performance issues of renovation/improvement R&D have not been put
criteria met at the time of initial completion. Providing for in the limelight. When it comes to developments in building
basic functions and performance criteria such as preventing production technology, the focus has been on technology
the flaking of external finishings or rainwater leakages are development for new construction. Technology to manage or
prerequisite; however, even these basic capacities are not preserve completed structures or to prolong their lifecycles
exempt from deterioration over time and regardless of the has received scant attention. The same is true for education
structure's planned useful life. These must be diagnosed, in and laws related to architecture. As our paradigm shifts
repaired and improved with newer technology. Without from "scrap-and-build" to "stock-and-renovate," this is the
exaggeration, one issue is that the technology has not even area that needs immediate action if we are to requirements.
been systematized yet. Much must be done if we are to Generally, what is required for building improvement is:
move forward to "stock-and-renovate." (1) Methods to evaluate and select improvement measures,
Here, let us pause to clarify our terms. "Repair" means considering the state of deterioration of building frames; (2)
to restore deteriorated structure members or parts (fittings, Enhancing performance through selected improvements, (3)
tile, surface treatment or paint, etc.) to the point there's Evaluating the level of performance improvement materials

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 ●Special Features: Stock Management for Housing and Social Capital

Table 1 Current Status and Issues of Diagnosis Methods

Factor Status Issue
⑴ Neutralization Established diagnosis technology allows viable ・Since this involves destructive testing, sampling numbers are limited due to
evaluations of neutralization thickness using constraints in testing areas and the need to renovate tested frames.
phenolphthalein agents. ・Two theories are widely used to predict the life of a structure: neutralization
theory and corrosion crack theory. The amount of investment is different
depending on which theory is employed.
⑵ Corrosion of Both non-destructive and destructive diagnosis ・Non-destructive testing can predict the possibility of corrosion, but the
reinforcing bars technology are now established. partial loss of area is hard to judge.
⑶ Cracking Cracks can be visually checked; measurement ・Time and money requirements to measure moving cracks are high, while
methods and evaluation criteria have been the precise identification of causes is difficult because new cracks may
established to a degree. appear near older cracks after renovation.
⑷ Water leakages Since no diagnosis technology is yet established, ・The problem is how to understand the movement of water in concrete. It
non-destructive testing is conducted according to the is sometimes difficult to detect leakage areas depending on construction
leakage area. methods, quality of finished work, and the deterioration of materials.
⑸ Strength degradation Diagnosis technology, including non-destructive and ・Strength is affected by the state, shape, and size of measurement surface,
destructive test methods, is established. and measurement values may vary depending on the skill levels of
engineers.
⑹ Serious deflection Diagnosis technology such as load and vibration ・Time and money are required to judge if defl ection, which is a creep
testing has been established. phenomenon, is due to loading or caused by structural defects (lack of
sectional areas, poor arrangement of reinforcing bars, etc.).
⑺ Surface deterioration Diagnosis technology using visual and machine tests ・Since deterioration appears on the surface, it is rather easily judged. Internal
is established. constitution must be examined to identify causes.
・Methods to evaluate dirt (e.g., esthetic scale) are needed.
⑻ Frost damage Test and evaluation methods have been established ・Heavily dependent on quality of concrete (mixing proportion, placing,
as diagnosis technology. curing, and the addition of water) and design elements.

and methods, and (4) clarifying where the responsibility for and durability. Among these, safety-related performance and
improvement work lies. waterproofing factors are essential "musts" for structures.
Considering the fact that renovation/improvement Durability is the lasting quality of safety, livability, and other
work may take place multiple times over the lifespan of performance aspects which tend to degrade over time.
a structure, it is vital to evaluate the durability of both Durability evaluation requires time-lapse prediction methods
materials and methods of renovation/improvement. At the for the major deterioration factors. Many deterioration
same time, it is important to always achieve the required problems can be rendered non-disruptive through adequate
performance basics such as waterproofing and flaking safety renovation, but some problems like concrete neutralization
since renovation and improvement methods are generally progresses inevitably and irreversibly take their toll, while
implemented for their functions of protecting structure renovation/improvement can only slow the speed. At the
frames. same time, some deterioration phenomena cannot be
For example, the renovation and improvement of the reversed unless the construction members involved are
external walls of structures must be considered based on replaced. As such, durability evaluations of deterioration
the outcomes of past durability research, along with efforts phenomena in actual environments require analysis on a
in the following fields: time-lapse basis.
(1) To provide correct evaluations of the durability of
materials and methods used in renovation/improvement. 5. Recycling Technology for Existing Piles
(2) To correlate finishing methods to building frames, Existing (working) piles are sometimes used in building
and to ascertain the effect of external wall improvement renovation. In this section, we will review some actual cases
work on the durability of building frames and the technology for the reuse of piles.
Traditionally, structures and fi nishing are separately There are essentially two types of working piles: one
viewed in terms of structural durability, which means that is cast-in-place piles for which the concrete was poured at
research has been separately conducted for building frames the construction sites, and piles that were prefabricated
and finishing methods, with differing views and diagnosis in plants. In the early 1900's, we saw the first use of plain
and renovation methods proposed for each respective area. pedestal piles but these came with limited bearing capacity.
However, when considering the external wall improvement Since then, the development of large diameter piles and
work on actual buildings, we should at least relate the piles with enlarged bases has helped to elevate the bearing
surface of building frames to external wall finishing methods capacity and has also helped to reduce noise and vibration
and deal with them in tandem. at construction sites (Figure 1). This resulted in broader use
Since we have raised the issue of external walls, let us of reinforced concrete foundation piles for mid- to high-rise
consider the performance required which generally consists buildings in cities.
of three aspects. These are safety, livability (waterproof), In terms of demolition work, which is expected to grow

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●Special Features: Stock Management for Housing and Social Capital

both in scope and number of cases, removing existing but surface areas become neutral over time due to carbon
piles raises both costs and the environmental load, and gases. Neutralization allows the reinforcing bars buried in
also creates cavities, which can lead to the deformation of concrete to easily rust. We measure the thickness of the
the surrounding ground. Since it is reasonable to assume neutralized concrete. Usually, concrete samples from piles
that some of the working piles are in good condition with are used for testing, but concrete powder produced by the
high levels of durability remaining, reuse of such piles is an drilling of the pile surface can also serve as test samples.
economically advantageous and environmentally friendly ② Soundness test methods
choice. Table 2 shows some methods for testing the soundness
of working piles. Factors that are tested include the length
⑴ Study of the reuse of existing buried structural members and diameter of piles and the location of damage.
In numerous cases, when plans call for the replacement 1) Visual examination
of a building, the foundation work for the new construction In visual examinations, if digging can expose the pile
is conducted while keeping the existing piles intact head, the position of the pile center and the diameter is
and/or by removing only those piles which might hamper measured with a scale. Additionally, measurements are
installation of new ones. made of the bar arrangement of the pile heads and minimum
A study of the reuse of existing reinforced concrete piles coverage thickness. Visual examination has proven more
in foundation work for new construction confirmed six such reliable and objective than other test methods.
cases since 1990. 2) Integrity testing
Developed to manage pile quality during construction,
⑵ Performance examination technology of existing piles integrity testing is used to examine various structural
If we are to re-use existing piles, we must check their elements such as pile length. These tests can also be used
performance capabilities. To do this properly, we must to examine the extent of damage to piles from earthquakes.
examine design policies at time of construction, construction Tapping the pile head with a small hammer causes an elastic
methods, and deterioration history following construction. wave traveling through the pile material to be reflected at a
The first two factors are fairly easily obtained so long as the damage point or deformed area. This reflection is measured
design drawings and specifications, structural calculations, using a sensor placed on the pile head to identify damage
and construction records are preserved. Although there are and deformations.
difficulties in assessing the post-construction deterioration Since the accuracy of such testing can be heightened
of piles that are underground, the following methods can be by limiting the travel distance of the waves generated by
applied to examine performance parameters. tapping the pile head by the hammer, the pile head is usually
① Durability test methods cut off from the footing or superstructure.
To test the pile durability, the following methods are 3) Acoustic Emission (AE) method
available to test the strength and deterioration of concrete In the AE method, an acoustic emission sensor is used
and strength and corrosion of reinforcing bars. to measure the elastic waves generated by cracks that might
1) Visual inspections be growing or migrating under the effects of external stress.
The corrosion of reinforcing bars and covering depth are Damage can be also detected by the use of multiple sensors.
examined after removing the concrete cover. 4) Damage inspections using a borehole camera
2) Strength testing In damage inspection using a borehole camera, a boring
Concrete samples taken using core boring are subjected machine is used to make a hole in the pile into which a CCD
to compression testing, and samples of reinforcing bar camera is inserted. The images taken by the camera are
pieces are subjected to strength test. Non-destructive examined for types of damage such as cracking along the
Schmidt hammer tests of concrete are also effective. borehole walls.
3) Neutralization tests ③ Load testing
Concrete is strongly alkaline when poured and cured, Using load testing can be used to examine the vertical

Year
Pile construction method Present
Pedestal
Caisson type
All casing
Enlarged
Earth drill base
Enlarged
Reverse base

Figure 1 Development history of cast-in-place concrete pile construction methods

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 ●Special Features: Stock Management for Housing and Social Capital

Table 2 Major soundness tests

Test method Visual examination Integrity Borehole camera AE

Test item Pile arrangement, diameter, Pile length and damage Location and signifi cance of Location of damage and
etc. locations damage construction defects
Test method Visual examination of the Requires hammer impact on Requires insertion of a CCD Requires insertion of sensors
exposed portion of the pile the pile and use of a sensor to camera into a hole bored around or inside the pile and
head. measure the refl ected waves into the pile, to allow internal measures of ultrasonic wave
to determine the extent of inspection for damage. propagation velocity.
damage.
Test condition Up to the pile section which Exposure of pile head desirable Borehole inside the pile Boreholes around or inside the
can be excavated (the travel range of waves pile
generated by the hammer
should be limited).

bearing capacity, horizontal strength, and the settlement requirements, technology to narrow the difference between
stiffness of existing piles. Various test methods have been the requirements and the status quo, and the enhancement
developed in accord with the different test items. Since the and systematization of the technology.
reuse of piles is sometimes undertaken in narrow areas,
some are excellent cases for the use of rapid load testing.
⑶ Examination procedures and items for reusing piles Preparatory examination
If piles are to be reused, they must be examined to see if
they have sufficient strength to support new construction as
well as for their performance parameters. The figure below Design with reused piles
is a listing a primary examination points, showing the flow
of procedures. If existing piles are not to be reused, we must
also consider the consequences of keeping them in place or Recycling is
possible
removing them.
To examine whether piles can be reused, it is the most
important to be able to understand what kind of piles are Request of confirmation
installed in the ground. For the most part, pile type, the
key elements, properties, etc., can be obtained if design
drawings and specifications at construction completion are Conformity
available along with certificates of inspection. Therefore,
the flow of procedures for examinations shown in Figure 2
Construction
is based on the assumption that the design drawings and
specifications and certificates of inspection of piles were
properly archived. Conformity to design
Design change
drawings and specifications

6. Conclusion
The call of our era to "stock-and-renovate" requires Completion of construction Design without pile re-use
in turn, evaluations of the status quo of building stock
through examinations and diagnoses, clear identification of Figure 2 Flow of existing pile reuse

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