Contents■ Development of Technologies for Long-term Durability and Repair/Renewal of Urban-type Condominiums■ Report on the Symposium on “Creation of a Beautiful National Land”■ “Implementing Agreement on Research Cooperation in the field of Road Science and Technology” Renewed with Swedish Counterpart■Report on the Disaster of hand Slide, Flood and Fire■ The 11th Conference on Public Works Research and Development in Asia
■ TECHNICAL NOTE of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (July-September, 2002)■ “2002 Annual Report of NILIM” is now on our website

No.3
December 2002News Letter■ Development of Technologies for Long-term
Durability and Repair/Renewal of Urbantype Condominiums
Housing Planning Division, Housing Department

Background and Purpose of Research

As part of the Comprehensive Technological Development Projectof the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan(MLIT), the Housing Planning Division of the National Institute forLand and Infrastructure Management (NILIM) conducted researchfor developing various technologies for constructing sustainablecondominiums that will last for more than one hundred years andcan be easily renewed, repaired and rebuilt. This research wasconducted as a joint research project between NILIM and theBuilding Research Institute, an Independent AdministrativeInstitution (BRI-IAI), to counter the problem of poor durability ofcondominiums in Japan.
Research Contents

To achieve the goal of this research, three objectives wereestablished as shown in Figure 1.

ISSN 0389-4150

Research Results

With Objective 1 “Development of technologies for constructing
long-term durable condominiums,” a skeleton-infill (SI) condominium
plan (a plan for designing and constructing condominiums that canbe used for a long time by adapting to the changes of social
conditions, with which the skeleton (S) (the frame body of building
structures with high durability) and the infill (I) (the room layout andinterior finishing which can be flexibly varied) are clearly separated)
was proposed, based on which research and development wereconducted on how to build new condominiums that will last for morethan one hundred years.
① Technological standards for SI condominiums with long-term
durability: Technological standards were drawn up for specifying thecriteria for judging whether condominiums qualify as SI
condominiums.
② Arrangements of legal systems and compilation of a sales manualfor SI condominiums: Legal systems were improved for enhancing
the diffusion of long-term durable condominiums, and a manual of
two-phased sales of SI condominiums was drawn up.
Skeleton

Framework of the building structure
Durability of one hundred years

Newly constructed condominiums

Development of technologies for constructing
long-term durable condominiums

InfillExisting condominiums

Room layout and interior finishingFlexible adaptability to future changes

Diagnosis of the conditions of condominiums

Figure 2 Conceptual drawing of a skeleton/infill condominium

RepairWith Objective 2 “Development of technologies for prolonging thedurability of existing condominiums,” technologies for prolonging thedurability of existing condominiums were developed.
① Diagnostic manual for the frame body of existing condominiums:
A manual for assessing the state of deterioration of the frame bodyof existing condominiums was drawn up.
② Manual for repairing and renewing the existing condominiums: A

Reconstruction

Development of technologies forDevelopment of techniques forprolonging the durability offacilitating the reconstruction ofexisting condominiums

existing condominiums

Figure 1 Three objectives of the Comprehensive Technological
Development Project for condominiums

N I L I M

News LetterStage of formulating a plan for

Research results of the Comprehensive

Measures

Technological Development Project

reconstruction

Proposal of reconstruction

Law Concerning Smooth

Manual for Deciding Whether toCondominium Reconstruction

Reconstruct or Repair/Renew(Technological standards drawn

Condominiums

up by government)

Manual for Consensus Formation

Amendment of the Condominium
Apartment Ownership Law

Offer of technological information

Resolution of reconstruction
Granting of juridical-body status to condominium
Law Concerning SmoothStage of implementing

Condominium Reconstruction

reconstruction

ownersÕ associations which are working forreconstructing their condominiumsTransfer of relevant rights (hypothec, tenancy, etc.)
by legal procedures for transfer of rights, etc.

Figure 3 Outline of procedures for countering various problems regarding condominium reconstruction

guideline for selecting suitable methods for repairing and renewing
existing condominiums was drawn up.
With Objective 3 “Development of techniques for facilitating thereconstruction of existing condominiums,” research on solving
problems in reconstructing condominiums was conducted.
① Manual for Deciding Whether to Reconstruct or Repair/Renew
Condominiums: A guideline was drawn up for use by condominium
management associations when making a decision about whether
their condominiums should be reconstructed or repaired/renewed.
② Manual for Consensus Formation: Procedures for forming
consensus among owners about reconstructing condominiums,
various management know-how, and other relevant matters werecompiled into a manual.
These results were reflected in the “Law Concerning Smooth
Condominium Reconstruction” (enforced in December 2002), andthe above guideline and manuals were designated as the sources oftechnological information to support the enforcement of this law.

■ Report on the Symposium on ÒCreation of aBeautiful National LandÓKenji Ueshima, Director of Airport Terminal Division
Secretariat of ÒCreation of a Beautiful National LandÓ ProjectTeamNational Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

During the period of high economic growth in Japan, the national
land was developed uniformly throughout the nation in response toconstruct infrastructures rapidly in large quantities Although it is
now common practice to create beautiful infrastructures as theemphasis has shifted from mass production to the beautiful
production, there remains misunderstanding that it is sufficient tocreate infrastructures cosmetically. However, the key in the future isto construct a beautiful national land by comprehensively unifying
various factors such as disaster prevention, flood control, scenic
beauty, and the environment.
Unfortunately, measures for creating and handing down a beautiful
national land to future generations have not been sufficiently
clarified. The National Institute for Land and InfrastructureManagement (NILIM) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure andTransport (MLIT) has therefore decided to focus on this issue. First,
it was decided to hold a meeting for experts from various disciplines
to exchange opinions on how to create a beautiful national land, toprovide a direction for our research.
This materialized as the “Symposium on Creation of a Beautiful
National Land” held on September 18, 2002, in Tokyo. Following thespecial guest’s greeting by Vice Minister Toshiki Aoyama of MLIT,
Professor Heita Kawakatsu of the International Research Center forJapanese Studies gave a keynote lecture on the “Vision of Land
Design.” Subsequently, chaired by Professor Osamu Shinohara of
the University of Tokyo, a panel discussion titled “The Ideal National
Land to be Handed Down to Future Generations” was held by agroup of panelists organized by Executive Chairman Kazuo Tatsunoof the Japan Essayists’ Club, Professor Mikiko Ishikawa of Keio
University, Mr. Naoyuki Kuniyoshi of the director of the Urban
Design Office in Yokohama City, and Director General HaruhikoOkuno of NILIM (Photo 1).
Major comments given at the symposium that are considered
important in creating a beautiful national land for the future aresummarized below.
○ Paradigm of a beautiful national land creation
・The reason why the paradigm of a beautiful national land creationin Japan has not been clearly established is because urbanization
has focused on catching up Western civilization since the MeijiPeriod, in which beautiful rural areas in the early modern ages wereneglected. Although infrastructures are designed in high quality
during the pre-war period, they don't maintain the level in the postwar period because of materialism.
・Important items in each region should be found and conserved.
・Soil, water, greenery, serenity, winds, rice fields, and streams
should be restored in urban areas.
○ Individual awareness・As the creation of a beautiful national land takes time and energy,
each individual must have a strong will and profound insight.
○ Participation of residents
・Through frank exchanges of opinions between local residents andgovernment officers, a concept particular to the region will emerge,
and the designs for materializing the concept will gradually become
sophisticated.
・Creation of a beautiful national land will eventually help revitalize
the regional community.
○ New study fields
・New intellectual structures, such as national land studies andregional studies, need to be established, aside from Western studies
that were necessary when Japan was trying to catch up Westerncountries.
Based on the opinions presented at the symposium as statedabove, NILIM will construct a framework for research, conductvarious investigations, and publish information on the creation of abeautiful national land.

■ Report on the Disaster of hand Slide,
Flood and Fire
Research Center

for Disaster Risk Management
Urban Planning Department

Debris Flow Disaster in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture

At around 7:00 a.m. on July 11, 2002, a slope failure occurred
near the headwaters of Matsubara-no-sawa in the Kasshi Riverbasin (located at 1-chome, Matsubara-cho, Kamaishi City, IwatePrefecture, with the river basin area of 0.03 km2) the collapsed
sediment developed into a debris flow and surged into a residential
area located downstream. This disaster resulted in the death of twopeople and destruction of three houses, two of which werecompletely destroyed except for their foundations (photo 3).
Photo 1 View of the panel discussion at the symposium■ ÒImplementing Agreement on ResearchCooperation in the field of Road Scienceand TechnologyÓ Renewed with Swedish
Counterpart
Advanced Road Design and Safety Division

A signing ceremony of the Implementing Arrangement (IA) between
the Swedish National Road Administration (SNRA) of the Ministry ofIndustry of Sweden and the National Institute for Land andInfrastructure Management (NILIM) of the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport of Japan concerning researchcooperation in the field of road science and technology was held on
October 4, 2002 at NILIM in Tsukuba, Japan. Representing SNRA,
Director Dick Jonsson of the National Road Management
Department brought with him two copies of IA, both of which had
been already signed by Mr. Ingemar Skogö Director General ofSNRA. After giving a greeting address, Mr. Haruhiko Okuno, Director
General of NILIM signed both copies of the IA.
This IA was first concluded between SNRA and the former PWRI inOctober 1999. However, the IA was handed over to NILIM, whenNILIM was inaugurated in April 2001 as part of the administrativereforms of the Japanese government, and so the IA needed to berenewed. Contents of the IA were also reviewed as follows: 1) Road
Technology in Snowy and Cold Regions; 2) Bridge Technology; 3)Intelligent Transport Systems; 4) Road and Traffic Management; and
5) Procurement Methods.
As part of the bilateral research cooperation, two workshops havebeen held so far: the 1st Workshop was held under the jointauspices of the former PWRI and SNRA in December 2000 at
Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) in
Linköing, Sweden; and the 2nd Workshop was held under the joint
auspices of NILIM and SNRA in February 2002 in Tsukuba, Japan.

Photo 3 View of the destroyed houses (July 12, 2002)

Field Survey of Flood Damage with Ringed-Levee

We investigated the flood damage in OGAKI City, GIFU Prefecture,on July, 2002. It has many ringed-levees for a long time, and has
been protected from flood damage. In this flood damage, agriculturalland and urban area were inundated by floodwater from the OTANIRiver of the KISO River system, but the damage was restrained inminimum by the ringed-levee.
We conducted a field observation of the flood-marks andestimatedthe areas and depths of inundation (Figure 4).
The results of this survey will be used for validating flood analysis
models and for drawing up countermeasures for inundation in theareas where urbanization is progressing.

I

Photo 2 Participants in the signing ceremony

Figure 4 A map of the inundated area(OGAKI City).

Investigation of a City Fire in Wakkanai

On June 29, 2002, a fire broke out in a densely wooden built-up
area in the downtown of Wakkanai City, Hokkaido Prefecture (Photo4). Fanned by strong winds in the area, large amount of fire brands
and large blazes were produced in the fire and 25 houses andbuildings of 9,000 m2 floor area were burnt down. As this fireshowed, many densely wooden built-up areas which are vulnerable
to fires still remain in the center of urban areas. The Urban Disaster
Mitigation Division investigated the fire by conducting a field survey,including collecting materials and documents from institutions,interviewing those affected and witnesses, inspecting the state ofdamage to houses and buildings, and clarifying how the fire brandsscattered.
These results will be used for the ongoing research project"Development of Assessment and Countermeasure Technology for
Disaster Prevention in Town Planning".

Tsukuba, and closed in Okinawa.
Attendees included officials from overseas government agencies
responsible for implementing public works research anddevelopment policies. Participating countries were India, Indonesia,Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka,
Thailand and Japan.
The subject of Common Interest for this conference was "Water
Resources and River Management for Sustainable Development". In
this conference, presentations and discussions were based on
country reports on the subject of common interest prepared by theparticipants. Through the active discussions, each participant
achieved a better understanding of the circumstances faced by eachcountry and mutually learned from the experiences of othercountries. The conference reached the conclusion: “Water problems
such as shortage of water resources, floods and sediment flows areserious concerns for Asian countries. Water Resources and RiverManagement are core policy issues which should be considered byeach and every country in Asia.”
Finally, all participants expressed their wish that the conference
be continued for the progress of research and development on civilengineering technology in Asia. The conference was thus concluded
with great success.

Photo 4 Burnt Area (Courtesy of Wakkanai City Municipal Office)■ The 11th Conference on Public Works
Research and Development in Asia

The 11th Conference on Public Works Research and Developmentin Asia convened from October 15 to 24, 2002. It opened at NILIM,
Photo 5 Symposium in Okinawa, October 2002

■ TECHNICAL NOTE of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (July-September, 2002)
No Title of Paper

31

Cooperative Research on Nondestructive Inspection for
Welded Joints of Steel Highway Bridges -Round Robin
Tests for Evaluation of Automatic Ultrasonic Testing
Machines- -Automatic Ultrasonic Testing Manual for
Welded Joints of Steel Highway Bridges[DRAFT]-Names of Divisions

No Title of Paper

Bridge Division

Study of the Policy Evaluation Index for Research Coordinator for
38AAirports
Development from User Side View Advanced Airport Technology
Rehabilitation of Airport Asphalt

39 Pavements with Cement Treated Asphalt

Influence of Sediment Transport on32 Topography and Bed Material Change at
River Mouth EstuaryRiver Division

Study of Force Support Systems of33 Particulate Media using Discrete Element
MethodCoastal Disaster Prevention
Division

Development of Numerical Wind Wave

Study on Estimation of Future

44 Maintenance and Rehabilitation
A Development of the International

45 Maritime Container Flow Model in East

Port Systems Division

Asian Region

Summary of the Lecture in

46 “AIRPORT VISTA 21” for Aviation Network

36 Study on Perceptual Properties of Coastal

Coastal Zone SystemsDivision

47 “The Civilization and Infrastructure ofon Fort #2 in Tokyo Bay as
37 Study
Landscape Heritage

Coastal Zone SystemsDivision

2002 “Evaluation of the results of research and50 FY
development activities in FY 2001 and the course inLandscapePort Planning Division

Costs in Japanese Ports

Coastal Zone SystemsDivision

Completely Conservation Algorithm-

Airport Facilities Division

Mixturesof S-wave Velocity Structure by Coastal Disaster Prevention
34 Estimation
Use of the Microtremor Array Observation Divisionusing Scheme to Solve Gas and35 Tank
Liquid Mixing Flow Field -Construction ofNames of Divisions

and Airport Development

Interview with Dr.Tadao UMESAOJapan”

Report of the 1st Evaluation Committee of NILIM inthe future”

Research Coordinator forAdvanced Airport TechnologyConstruction Economics
Division
Research Administration andInternational Cooperation
Division■ "2002 Annual Report of NILIM" is now on our website
We publish "2002 Annual Report of NILIM" to show our research activities and accomplishments, and you can see allof its contents on our website, www.nilim.go.jp.

National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

No.3

December 2002

Asahi 1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0804, Japan(Tachihara) Tachihara 1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0802, Japan(Yokosuka) Nagase 3-1-1, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 239-0826, JapanTEL:+81-29-864-7896

FAX:+81-29-864-4432

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