Cause of Defects in Dongdaemun District Community Sports Center Remodeling Construction Revealed

Published 24 Apr.2023 19:45(KST)

2019 Remodeling Construction... Continuous Complaints from Center Users

Issues Found in Design, Construction, and Operation... Detailed Safety Inspection Planned to Resolve Problems

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) announced that a special audit on the overall ‘Dongdaemun-gu Citizen Sports Center Remodeling Construction and Facility Operation’ was conducted for 10 days from the 3rd to the 14th of this month, revealing deficiencies in design, construction, and operation.

The Dongdaemun-gu Citizen Sports Center completed remodeling construction in 2019 and reopened in 2020; however, repair works on the facilities have been ongoing, and post-management of defects has not been properly carried out, resulting in continuous inconvenience complaints from users.

Accordingly, to identify issues related to the construction and causes of defects, the district deployed additional experts in architecture and civil engineering alongside the existing audit personnel, conducting a thorough audit throughout the project process including design, construction, and supervision.

After comprehensively examining the building condition and facilities such as the swimming pool at the Dongdaemun-gu Citizen Sports Center, it was found that the capacity of the swimming pool’s ‘air handling unit’ was underestimated during design, and the ‘air handling unit inspection hatch’ was operated in an open state, causing poor ventilation in the swimming pool and resulting in significant condensation.

The interior of the fitness center at Dongdaemun-gu Community Sports Center is experiencing wall condensation and mold due to moisture infiltration from the swimming pool.

Additionally, ▲ during the calculation of the hot water load, the appropriate supply water temperature was incorrectly applied, leading to the hot water boiler being designed with fewer units than necessary, which was identified as the cause of insufficient hot water supply in the shower area.

Furthermore, due to design omissions during the expansion of the gym interior, insulation and vapor barrier layers were not installed, which, combined with excessive moisture coming from the underground swimming pool, caused condensation and mold on the gym walls.

Moreover, problems arising from construction such as rooftop leaks and leaks in front of the elevator on the second basement floor were not promptly identified or properly addressed, and incorrect operation of equipment like boilers and air handling units worsened the issues.

Currently, it is understood that the Dongdaemun-gu Citizen Sports Center requires a detailed structural safety inspection, as steel plates reinforcing the beams above the swimming pool are corroding.

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, “Although residents using the facility may experience inconvenience, the safety and health of users are our top priorities. Even if it means temporarily suspending facility operations, we will carefully examine the structural safety of the Citizen Sports Center through a detailed safety inspection due to leaks and condensation, then establish comprehensive repair, reinforcement plans, and operational measures to manage it safely.”