Gunkiyon, "Decision on Allowing Demolition of Load-Bearing Walls in Remodeling May Be Made as Early as Next Month"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The decision on whether to allow the demolition of load-bearing walls, a key puzzle in the economic feasibility of remodeling projects for aging apartments, is expected as early as next month. Recently, as safety inspections have been strengthened and the reconstruction of aging apartments has become more difficult, remodeling projects have gained attention. However, if the demolition of load-bearing walls, which allows for diversified floor plans, is blocked, ensuring the profitability of the projects will be challenging.

On the 19th, Han Seung-heon, President of the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), stated at a press briefing with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) press corps in Sejong, "The experiments related to the (load-bearing wall demolition safety study) are scheduled to be completed between June and July." He added that after reporting to MOLIT, the related information will be disclosed.

KICT is currently responsible for safety inspections of aging apartments together with the Korea Facilities Safety Corporation. Additionally, it is conducting the "Safety Study on the Demolition of Load-Bearing Walls Between Units for Apartment Remodeling." In this way, it plays a gateway role in the maintenance of aging apartments.

The load-bearing wall demolition safety study was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of last year, but the completion has been delayed due to reasons such as the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Currently, KICT is building apartment models in the Chungbuk area and verifying to what extent safety can be ensured when load-bearing walls are demolished. President Han said, "When load-bearing walls are demolished, the underground piles bear more load, but some older apartments were not constructed according to the design." He added, "Without verification, no one knows the situation."

President Han also explained about safety inspections, one of KICT’s tasks. He said, "Although 200 million won is spent to prepare safety inspection documents according to scores, many documents differ from the actual site or contain errors." He added, "It is difficult to explain this to residents." He further emphasized, "The most important perspective of our institute is safety," and added, "(Regarding the load-bearing wall demolition study) we have to take a conservative approach to ensure safety in the event of earthquakes or unexpected situations."

Neural Network Sensor Concept Diagram (Provided by Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology)

President Han also expressed his views on current issues such as the 'Green New Deal' and 'Post-COVID.' Attending a briefing hosted by MOLIT in the morning titled "Changes in Road Traffic Policy Conditions and Policy Issues in the Post-COVID Era," he said, "I proposed launching the Korean New Deal project with 15 tasks across four areas: SOC digitalization, public safety and health, Green New Deal, and balanced national development."

As a specific plan for SOC digitalization, President Han introduced the 'neural network sensor.' Currently, sensors for functions such as vibration, temperature, and humidity must be installed separately to monitor the condition of bridges and tunnels, but by using neural network sensors embedded in concrete, all related information can be obtained at once. He noted, "Since signals need to be transmitted at 1-2 second intervals, 5G technology is necessary," and added that "an MOU has been signed with KT for this purpose."

Considering the possibility that the coronavirus may spread through air conditioning and other ventilation systems, President Han proposed an antiviral filter module using LED photocatalytic reactions as a key task in the public safety and health sector. He said, "Current air conditioners circulate viruses if they exist," and added, "By using technology that attaches a module to existing air conditioner filters, virus removal could be achieved at a cost of about 200,000 won per unit."

President Han also announced support plans for about 380 partner small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) facing a crisis due to the spread of COVID-19. He said, "We are considering using 7 billion won in surplus funds to directly support the R&D of SMEs or temporarily dispatch employees of these companies at risk of unemployment to participate in R&D projects."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.