International Press-in Associationwww.press-in.org

I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE
1. Message (P1)from the President

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

Messagefrom the President

2. Special Contribution (P2)

Dr. Osamu Kusakabe

I - Construction
3. On-site interview (P12)
4. Report (P17)
JPA Activities
JPA - IPA
5. Serial Reports (P19)
Cambridge - GIKEN
6. Event Report (P22)
Kumamoto Workshop
7. Announcement (P23)
8. Event Diary (P24)
9. Corporate Members (P25)
10. Editorial Remarks (P27)

EDITORIAL BOARD
Osamu Kusakabe
Limin Zhang
Andrew McNamara
Yukihiro Ishihara
Kazuyoshi Ishii
Mutsumi Minami
Hongjuan He

The General Assembly of the year of 2017, held in June, adopted the majoramendment of the Constitution for the first time since IPA’s establishment in 2007.
The contents of By-laws and Regulations will be discussed at the first Board Meeting
to be held in July, 2017, specified in the Constitution. It will facilitate the efficiency
and productivity of IPA management.
The General Assembly also endorsed the change of the Board Members. The list
below gives the outgoing and the incoming members of IPA Board Members. Many
thanks go to the outgoing Board Members for their great contributions during theterms. Very warm welcome goes to the new Board Members.
Incoming Directors and Auditors
Michael Doubrovsky
Kenneth Gavin
Yukihiro Ishihara
Masayuki Koda
Jun Otani
Rodrigo Salgado
Hiroyuki Yasuoka
Nor Azizi Bin Yusoff

Stuart Haigh
Andrew McNamara
Jiro Takemura(11 Directors)

Yoshihisa Fujisaki( 2 Auditors)

Albert T. Yeung

Outgoing Directors, Auditors and Secretary General
Robert D. Holtz
Leo A. Hubert, Jr.
Hiroaki Tanouchi
A. Frits van Tol

Barry M. Lehane( 5 Directors)

Adrian F.L. Hyde( 2 Auditors)

Kazuyoshi Ishii

As was extensively reported in March issue, IPA seminar on Press-in Technology in
Singapore in March was a very successful event. The next IPA seminar of the similar
nature will be held in Malaysia in October in 2017. It is also planned to have thesimilar seminar in Thailand in 2018.
IPA will hold the first International Conference on Press-in Technology in Kochi,
Japan in September, 2018, which will be partially subsidized by International
Scientific Exchange Fund of Japan Society of Civil Engineers. One of the conference
themes will be the high productivity of construction industry using ITC and IoT,
where robotized construction machinery is expected to play an important role. Thisissue contains a special contribution on this topic prepared by Professor Kazuyoshi
Tateyama who is one of the leading figures in this area in Japan.

1Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

Special Contribution

A New Stage of Construction in Japan ― i-Construction
Kazuyoshi Tateyama
College of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University
E-mail: tateyama@se.ritsumei.ac.jp
The population projection for Japan suggests that the working-age population, ages 15 to 64, will drop to 70% or less ofwhat it is today by 2045. In the field of construction, such a rapid reduction in the working-age population will bring abouta severe loss in the number of engineers and workers as well as budget cuts for infrastructure investments due to thedecrease in tax revenues. At the same time, the infrastructure which has already been created, will soon be due formaintenance as its facilities and systems are approaching their renewal dates. In addition, disaster prevention measuresagainst active natural disasters, such as earthquakes, heavy rainfalls and volcanic activities, will need to be strengthened
and/or updated. Therefore, the task of providing a stable infrastructure for society on into the future will be more difficult
than ever. In the field of construction, more complex projects will have to be carried out with limited manpower andlimited budgets. This problem will be addressed not only by an extension of the existing means, but also by innovations
in construction technology. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism started a new system, referred toas “i-Construction”, in April 2016 to cope with this situation. ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is one of
the major measures in i-Construction; it is expected to play an important role in improving construction productivity.
The present article gives an overview of i-Construction and discusses the current conditions and future prospects for a
new construction model utilizing ICT in Japan.
Keywords: i-Construction, productivity, ICT, intelligent construction, construction robot, unmanned construction, GNSS,
production cost, environmental load
1. Sophistication of Construction - “i-Construction”

150

Nowadays, the subject of changes in demographics is very prominent
in terms of the future of Japan. Figure 1 shows a population projection
published by the Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs andCommunications [1]. The total population of Japan as of 2015 was
126,597,000, and the population between the ages of 15 and 64 (theworking-age population) was 76,818,000. This projection indicatesthat both the total population and the working-age population will
decrease in the future, and predicts that the working-age population
will fall to 69.7% of what it is today by 2045. If this prediction isaccurate, a working-age population of less than 70% of that of today
will have to support Japanese society 30 years from now.

Population (million)

1.1 Rapidly changing social conditions
Total population
100

Decrease of 30%

50

Working-age population
Real number Estimation

0
2000

2010

2020

2030

2040

2050

2060

Year

Figure 1 Population projection in JapanA reduction in the working-age population will have a great impact on the construction industry. There are concerns thatthe decrease in the number of construction engineers and workers will accelerate. At the same time, a drop in
construction investments will also be a problem. That is, tax revenues and infrastructure revenues will be reduced,
resulting in a forcible shrinking of budgets for public investment.
While it is predicted that the rate of new construction of the physical infrastructure will slacken as the total populationof Japan decreases, the number of construction projects required to maintain the infrastructure that supports theactivities and the lives of people will increase in the future. In addition, disaster prevention measures must be
strengthened and/or updated in response to active natural disasters, such as earthquakes, heavy rainfalls and volcanic
activities.
1.2 Current situation of construction industry in Japan
Figures 2 and 3 show comparisons of the average annual wages and the average annual working hours, respectively, byindustry [2]. The wage level in the construction industry is sluggish at only 79% of the all-industry average. People in theconstruction industry work for longer hours, by 16%, than the all-industry average. Figure 4 shows the number of deaths
while working [2]. It is seen that the total number of fatalities for occupational accidents in construction comprises up to2Volume 2, Issue 2 June 201734% of all industries. Although labor conditions have improved, in comparison with the past, the construction industry
can still not rid itself of this negative situation.

1,976

1
0.5

1,784
Construction

1.5

2,081

0

Figure 3 Comparisonof averageannual working hours by industry

Yen/(person x hour)6

All industries

Number of deaths while working

2

972

8

4

327

2

Construction

0
Figure 2 Comparison of averageannual wages by industry

16%

Manufacturing

1

4,327

2.5

All industries

2

4,614

Average annual working hours (1000hr)

3

21% lower

Construction

4

5,477

Manufacturing

5

All industries

Average annual wages (million yen)

It is noted that the downturn in labor productivity in the construction industry is one of the major reasons. Figure 5 shows
a comparison of the changes in labor productivity by industry [2]. While productivity in the manufacturing industry has
more than doubled, through the introduction of factory automation technologies, that of the construction industry has
continued to decline over the past twenty years. It cannot be said that the construction industry has enough potential toplay an important role in providing further infrastructure to Japanese society by an extension of the existing situation.
10
60
Figure 4 Number of deaths
while working

Manufacturing

All industries
Construction

Productivity=Real gross added value/(Number of employed persons x Total labor
hours per year)

Figure 5 Comparison of changes in labor productivity by industry
1.3 Three major strategies in i-Construction
Under such a situation, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport started a new policy of i-Construction [3], inwhich high wage levels, sufficient holidays and a safe labor environment can be realized through remarkable
improvements in productivity. The ministry established three major steps for such improvements, namely, the aggressive
use of ICT in construction, the standardization of the specifications used in construction to avoid the inefficiency causedby single-item production and the balancing of orders throughout the year regardless of the season. Among these steps,
advanced construction technology utilizing ICT is expected to play the most important role in realizing the final goal.
This report introduces the present situation and future prospects of ICT utilization in i-Construction.
2. Utilization of ICT in Earthwork
Earthwork is a generic name for the works in which soil and rock are moved for excavation, transportation, compaction
and so on in order to build earth structures, such as roads, fill-type dams and levees. Figure 6 shows the stages of theearthwork process, which consists of surveying, design and construction planning, construction, inspection andmaintenance.
DesignSurveying
Construction
Inspection
Maintenance
Planning
Figure 6 Stages of earthwork process3Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

In i-Construction, the configuration information of earth structures is grasped and treated as 3D data and various ICT
tools are effectively introduced at each stage of the earthwork process to deal with the 3D data, as follows.
2.1 ICT in surveying
The configuration data of earth structures are
grasped as 3D data through 3D laser scanner
surveying or aerial surveying with a UAV. UAV isthe abbreviation for unmanned aerial vehicle.
Figure 7(a) shows an example of a UAV. One typeof UAV, called a “drone”, is often employed to
examine structures, such as bridges, which are
difficult to approach due to being located at highelevations. Figure 7(b) shows aerial surveying witha UAV. The 3D configuration data of a landform are (a) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(b) Principle of photogrammetry
measured with the principle of photogrammetry
Figure 7 Aerial surveying with UAV
by overlapping photographic shots taken with
the UAV.
Figure 8 shows the 3D landform data for an
excavation site obtained by UAV aerial
surveying. A UAV can execute 3D surveying
from comparatively low-flying heights; andthus, it is able to accurately measure small
areas. Through the periodic measuring of a site,changes in the landform can be grasped and thevolume of soil to be excavated can berecalculated during the construction
progress.

(a) Landform of site(b) Quantification of landform

Figure 8 Aerial surveying of landform with UAV

Table 1 Effect of introduction of UAV in surveying（Kajima Co. Ltd.）
Methodology

Area

Time

Human works

Cost

UAV

2ha

1hour

1 man day

3D Laser scanner

2ha

1day

2 man day (2days)

4.0

Electro-opticalmeasurement

2ha

3day

10 man day（5days）

5.6

1

Table 1 shows a comparison of UAV surveying and other surveying methods. The case here involves the surveying of a2ha land area. It is seen that time, labor and costs can be remarkably reduced by UAV surveying.
2.2

ICT in design and planning

Figure 9 is the completed drawing of the interchange of ahighway．This figure is not a bird’s-eye-view, but a plan
made with the accurate coordinates of all the points.
The design and construction planning stage has been madewith 2D planar draughts of cardinal points. Although no
difficulties may be encountered in the case of a simple
straight alignment, the engineers have done the job byimaging 3D conceptual drawings from many 2D plans in thecase of a complicated structure, as seen in Figure 9. By using
Figure 9 Utilization of 3D data in design and planninga 3D data set, not only can the 3D conceptual drawing be（from web site of NPO Cooperation Green Earth）
directly obtained, but the 3D data can also be used for various
applications．For example, 3D images can be obtained precisely for each step of the construction. Through their use,
the steps of the construction can be confirmed in advance, and the design and construction planning stage can be made4

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

to be more exact by finding defects which are likely to occur at a certain stage of future construction and addressing them
beforehand. The images can also be used to explain the construction to people residing near the site, showing them thevisual 3D images of each step of the construction. These uses are the target of CIM（Construction Information Modeling）*; and thus, it is said that i-Construction is a system which includes the concept of CIM.
* CIM is referred to as BIM (Building Information Modeling) in many foreign countries.
2.2 ICT in construction
A typical example of the ICT introduction to construction is the sophisticationof machine control, which can be classified into MG and MC. MG is theacronym for Machine Guidance; it is the technology with which the ease ofmachine operation or the accuracy of the construction can be improved bysupplying the information on the construction to operators. MC is theacronym for Machine Control; it is the technology with which some parts ofmachines are automatically controlled.

Trench excavation
Figure 10 shows typical jobs that are done with a hydraulicshovel. In the laying of sewage pipes, for example, theworkers must confirm the depth and the inclination of thetrench through surveying and then give the shovel
operator the precise modifications for the excavation. In
completing the excavation of slopes, workers set thefinishing stakes to inform the operator of the working formof the slope.

Slope works
Figure 10 Typical works with hydraulic shovel

Figure 11 presents a hydraulic shovel with the MG function. This shovel is equipped with GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite
System) for grasping its accurate position in the field and sensors to measure the inclinations of the bucket, arm andboom. The accurate position and inclination of the bucket are displayed on a monitor in the cabin. The shovel is also
equipped with a computer into which the data with the working form of the structures are input; they are also shown on
the monitor. Therefore, the operator can control the machine by confirming the relative positions of the working form
and the bucket, which means that no additional surveying or finishing stakes are necessary at the construction site.
Figure 12 presents a bulldozer that has a function to control its blade by using RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic-GNSS).
This bulldozer has an in-vehicle PC that is inputted with data for the final finished surface of the site. The bulldozer also
has the MC function that measures the positions and the inclinations of the bulldozer and the blade, one of the bulldozer’s
working parts, using GNSS and a sensor, and controls the blade so that the final ground shape is automatically formed [4].
[GNSS box]
[Controller][Tilt sensor][Image on the monitor][GNSS antenna][GNSS antenna][Monitor]

From Topcon
Figure 11 Example of shovel equippedwith MG function[Tilt sensor][Control box]

Figure 12 Blade automatic control system in bulldozer

5Works for setting sticks
Works for soil spreading

52% decrease
46% decrease

Working

These types of machines not only bring about a
big improvement in efficiency, accuracy andworking time, but also a reduction in theenvironmental impact caused by the construction.
Figure 13 shows the results of a field experimentin which the working times for a soil-spreading
job were compared between manual control byan operator and an MC machine [5]. In theexperiment, the working times were measured
for a skilled operator and an unskilled one under
the same field conditions to discuss the effect ofthe difference in experience on the results.

time

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

Manual control
MC
Skilled operator

Manual control
MC
Unskilled operator

Figure 13 Comparison of working times in soil-spreading job
The results clearly show that the time for the spreading job is reduced by appropriately half in the case of the MC
bulldozer regardless of the skill of the operator. This experiment proves that even an unskilled operator can level theground with almost the same accuracy as a skilled operator.
It is seen that the productivity in construction can be remarkably improved by utilizing ICT from different viewpoints thanthose introduced above. In this report, the precise management of construction through the effective utilization of ICT
and the introduction of robot technologies to construction will be presented with some examples.
3. Enhanced Management in Construction

Construction conditions

The infrastructure in Japan has been developed based on asystematized concept of structural design according to thoroughBadconstruction standards and manuals. Thanks to this concept,
Supposition
Flexible changes in the plan
Japan has efficiently accomplished infrastructure developmentin planningwith a uniquely high level of quality. This is undoubtedly abenefit of across-the-board controls using standards andmanuals. At the same time, however, across-the-board control
methods are problematic in terms of excess, resulting from theunavoidable unpredictability of uncontrollable factors, because
Real conditions
across-the-board controls must comprehend the effect ofindefinite factors, such as weather and geological conditions,the performance of the machines and so on. Therefore, plans
Time, PlaceGood
made through across-the-board control methods should offer
assurance that jobs can be completed even if the realconstruction conditions are not favorable. This means that a
Figure 14 Graphic image of flexible
margin of error must be built into the plans. However, evenresponses using information
when the construction conditions are not so unfavorable, it is
not unusual to pump in more materials, more machinery and/or more labor than is actually necessary, according to theoriginal plan. If the real on-site conditions can be grasped and the original plan can viewed with some flexibility, basedon the real conditions, the input of materials, machinery and labor can be reduced to the true level of necessity, as shownin Figure 14.
Today, there are increasing demands for the efficient use of limited resources, the mitigation of the environmental effects
from construction work and an improvement in the quality of structures. Across-the-board controls based on standards
and manuals are not enough to meet these demands. Following the standards and manuals is important, but relying too
much on them should be avoided. Flexibility is necessary for construction works to be as sophisticated as on-sitesituations demand. By using a variety of sensors and other ICT devices to grasp the specific situations at a site, intelligent
construction can induce work that conforms to each unique site. Summaries of some successful introductions ofintelligent construction tools at work sites are herein presented in accordance with this principle.
3.1 Introduction of intelligent construction into large-scale earthwork [6]The above-mentioned principle was introduced to a large-scale earthwork. Figure 15 shows an outline of the construction
process. At the site, a hill was excavated by blasting or by mechanical excavation using hydraulic shovels. The excavatedsoil was loaded on dump trucks with loaders or shovels and then carried to crushers. The rock masses, larger than 20 cm
in size, were crushed by the crushers and then carried to a pier for loading onto a ship by a conveyer belt. The soil was
loaded on barges and then transported to the construction site of an offshore airport. The size of the construction site
6

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

was 2 km in length by 1 km in width. The total field area was 149 hectares and the total volume of excavated soil was
50 million m3.
In general, the work efficiency at earthwork sites depends on
various factors, such as weather, geological conditions,geographical features and machine performance, and thesefactors can change in an unsteady manner with the progress ofthe construction work. To improve the work efficiency, it isnecessary to flexibly change the construction methods, such as
the arrangement of heavy machinery, the blasting method andso on, in accordance with the changes in the above factors.
Doing so requires the creation of a system that collects
information on the construction site conditions in real time andsupports the site engineers in making good decisions for
improving the construction method properly and flexibly,
corresponding to the changeable site conditions.
A great deal of information on the geologicalconditions, the geographical features, theworking performance of the machines andother construction conditions at the site was
precisely collected by the ICT tools equipped on
the construction machines or at the site, andthen commonly shared with a plural number ofoffices and site stands related to theconstruction after being unified and analyzed
by the construction management system
shown in Figure 16.
This system brought about quick decisions
regarding the improvement of the construction
process, and it produced good results in termsof improvements in construction efficiency anda reduction in the environmental impact
brought about by the earthwork.
Figure 17(a) shows the production volume
per day. The results are presented as acomparison of the intelligent construction
method to the conventional method
employed before implementing the new
system. It can be clearly seen in this figurethat the daily supply volume increased by
26%. In addition, as shown in Figure 17(b),there was a 26% reduction in environmental
impact (emission of CO2) through the efficient
operation of the construction machinery andby saving on the amount of explosives.
3.2 Introduction of intelligent technology
into tunnel construction

Excavation, Loading
Crushing
Stockyard

Carrying

Ship loading
Conveyer belt
Figure 15 Outline of construction process

GPS satellite

DGPS
Mining site

Intelligent Construction
Feedback to construction

DGPS

Japan Coast Guard beacon
stationGPS antenna
Information
for correcting
location

Hauling road
DGPSRadio control
terminal

CCD camera

Beacon receiver

Site office
Support systemfor engineers’
decision making
Monitors for CCD
camerasDatabase for mining
management
Databasefor

DGPS
Soil hopper
CCD camera

Crusher

LAN (optical cable)

Stockyard

Crusher

Information on construction

CCD camera
LAN (optical cable)

Belt-conveyor
Ship loading

Figure 16 Information and communication equipment introduced
into large-scale soil collection and construction work(a) Production volume per day(b) Environmental load due toconstruction work

Figure 17 Effect of introduction of intelligent construction

To maintain a proper working environment inside a tunnel that is under construction, ventilation is necessary. Ventilation isconducted with a large fan by circulating the air between the inside and the outside of the tunnel; the fan must work constantly.
However, the air quality, or the cleanliness, depends on the type of work being done, namely, blasting, shotcrete, mucking orother types of operations. Therefore, the air volume of the ventilation facility at a site needs to be adjusted according to thetype of work being done inside the tunnel, based on the measurement results for CO2, the dust volume, the oxygen
concentration, poisonous gas and so on (Figure 18). The electric energy consumed in a ventilation facility can be successfully
reduced by controlling the air volume at an output of 100% only when the tunnel air is dirty and at 70% when it is less dirty [7].
7Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

Case B: air is clean:
Electric power:70%

Case A: air is dirty:
Electric power:100%

Electric power (MWh)

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
6:00

8:00

10:00

12:00

14:00

16:00

18:00

Figure 18 Control of air volume in accordance with air environment inside tunnel （Shimizu Co. Ltd）
Other than that, a CO2 reduction was achieved at this site by introducing energy-saving awareness through thevisualization of various work situations, such as helping the dump truck operator understand how braking andacceleration impact energy efficiency [7].
Due to the introduction of intelligent construction, detailed control of the construction, based on the situation at the site,
generally promotes work efficiency and reduces the environmental load resulting from the construction. Significant costs
are usually incurred for general manufacturers to achieve energy savings. However, improvements in productivity andsavings in energy can occur simultaneously by introducing the idea of individual evaluation into across-the-board controls
in the field of civil engineering. Depending on the focus, there are many opportunities to utilize new technologies.
4. Introduction of Construction Robots
The introduction of robots in construction is said to lag behind that ofmanufacturing by 20 or 30 years due to the unpredictable situations inconstruction. Figure 19 shows the difference in working conditions between
manufacturing and construction.
In manufacturing, the form and the materials are clearly specified in the designof products and the working environment is stable because the work is doneindoors. Objects come to robots on a conveyer; and thus, robots do not need tomove around in the factory. In construction, on the other hand, the materials
are soil and rocks; and thus, their properties are not constant, but variable.
Machines must work outdoors, and the working conditions are very muchaffected by the weather. For example, machines cannot move smoothly acrossmuddy soil after a heavy rain. The working objects are mountains, rivers and soon; and thus, the machines arrive at them after traveling across a huge field.
Therefore, the robots in construction should have a function to determine theirown action flexibly and in accordance with the situation at each construction
site. This means that it is much more difficult to introduce robots to construction
than to manufacturing.
4.1 Progressing introduction of construction robots

Manufacturing

Construction

Figure 19 Difference in working conditions between
manufacturing and construction

In spite of the difficulties of introducing robot technology to construction, some robots have been practically used atconstruction sites. Figure 20 shows some examples of robots used in the field of maintenance. [a] and [b] are inspection
robots for drain and water supply pipes, respectively. [c] is a UAV used for checking the heights of the slabs of bridges, etc.
[d] is a robot that searches for any faults on the surface of a spherical gas tank, sticking and moving along it with suckers.
These robots are employed in cases where people cannot enter or approach the site for reasons of narrowness or danger.

[a] Drain pipe inspection[c] UAV for height inspection8Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017[d] Gas tank inspection

Robot inspecting the inside ofwater pipe without suspensionof water supply
CCD Camera
CCD Camera

Highly bright LED[b] Water supply pipe inspection
Figure 20 Robots used in field of maintenance of infrastructure
Figure 21 shows robots used at the recovery construction site of a natural disaster. In the case of a slope failure due to an
earthquake or heavy rain, etc. or in the case of an area being covered by ashes or earth and sand due to a volcanic
eruption, the ashes or earth and sand must be removed immediately for lifesaving or retrieval purposes. However, if thesituation continues to be dangerous after the occurrence of a disaster, no one will be allowed to enter the site in orderto prevent a secondary disaster. In such a case, an unmanned construction system is often employed. The heavymachinery applied for such work is operated from a control room, located at a distance from the site, using visual
information transmitted from the site and displayed on monitors. These kinds of unmanned construction systems havebecome popular and reports of their track records have increased. It is said that these systems comprise indispensable
technology for Japan where various natural disasters often occur all over the country.
GPS satellite
Compaction management

GPS satellite
Camera vehicle

Spreading management
Check dam
Blade control

Forming work

Dump truck guidanceDebris exclude

Unmanned survey
Construction roadPHSantenna
Control radio 429MHz
Image radio 50GHz
Data transmitter radio
1.9GHZ

Wireless station

Control room

Figure 21 Robots used in the recovery works from natural disaster

9

4.0

3.3

Construction0

All industries
average

12.

Pharmacy

Rate (%)

Figure 22 shows a comparison of the rate of the budget for research and 14
development to gross sales by industry. The pharmaceutical industry
spends more than 12%, while the manufacturing industry spends about 4% 12of their gross sales for the research and development of new products. On
the other hand, the construction industry spends just 0.4% of its gross 10
sales for the development of new technologies. In spite of the small
budget for research and development, various advancements have8
been made in construction, as shown in Figures 20 and 21.
In the construction industry, the development of new technologies has
6
often been tackled during actual construction projects with theirbudget. Therefore, the technologies developed here must certainly
4serve the projects well and lead to the development of extremely practicaltechnologies rather than the development of highly sophisticated 2
technologies. This is the reason that most construction robots can be0effectively used in actual construction projects.

Manufacturing

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

0.4

Figure 22 Comparison of rate of budget for researchand development to gross sales by industry.
4.2 Recovery project from volcanic disaster in Mt. Unzen Fugen
When the development of unmanned construction systems is discussed, the recovery project from the volcanic disaster at
Mt. Unzen Fugen should not be excluded.
In November 1990, Mt. Unzen Fugen suddenly erupted. In the aftermath of thisConstruction site
eruption, many researchers and mass media personnel came to investigate thevolcano. Unfortunately, due to a second eruption in 1991, 43 of these people either
lost their lives or went missing. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
made a plan for sediment control work in which a check dam would be constructedat the foot of the mountain to protect the neighboring villages from the ensuingdebris flow. However, the dangerous situation continued due to the potential for asudden succeeding pyroclastic flow and people were prohibited from entering theControl roomsite. Thus, it was requested that a construction method be developed whereby a dam
could be built at the site while keeping people out of the area. The development of
the unmanned construction system, explained in
Figure 21, was started in 1993. It has been
Sabo works at Mt.Unzen Fugen
continued for more than 23 years and has led to
Heisei new mountainPossibility of debris flow or large
scale slope failure
improvements in technologies which have been
Lava dome
applied to actual construction jobs at dam sites.
These efforts have made this system quite
Restricted areapractical, and its usefulness was clearly provenafter the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power
Check damplant due to the tsunami disaster following theGreat East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The
unmanned construction system was introduced tothe site just after the accident and it worked
smoothly to remove debris and to demolish a
Separation levee
Check dam
Check dam
damaged house, as shown in Figure 24. It is said
Monitoring stationthat the system’s technologies had been refined
Check dam
while being used in an actual construction project;
Check dam
Blue line: Form of check dams
and thus, it could be used quite smoothly as anextension of the existing technologies. This meansthat the technologies generally used as common Figure 23 Recovery project from volcanic disaster at Mt. Unzen Fugen.
methods are really effective in emergency
situations; and therefore, efforts should be madeto refine all technologies even in the usual works.

10

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

Control room
Tip mount camera

Optical fiber cable

Remotely controlled
demolition machine

Remotely controlled
demolition machine

Fixed position
cameraRemoving debris

Fixed position
cameraStaging

Staging
Reactor building
Remotely
controlled crane

Relay vehicle

Control room

Optical fiber cable

Figure 24 Unmanned construction system employed in accident of Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Conclusion
In the promotion of the i-Construction policy, it is worthy of special mention to state that the criteria and manuals for thispolicy have been largely modified. Although intelligent construction was introduced more than 10 years ago, it has not
sufficiently prevailed because these criteria and manuals had not been modified. It has been impossible to adequately
demonstrate the high ability of ICT under the conventional criteria and manuals. The new criteria and manuals havebeen introduced by assuming the utilization of ICT; and thus, the potential of ICT can now be demonstrated sufficiently.
However, both ICT tools themselves and the way in which they are to be used have not yet been established. In the near
future, however, they will be established for practical construction sites. It is highly anticipated that technologicaldevelopment in this area will soon gather momentum at construction sites.
References[1] Web site of Statistic Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
[2] Japan Federation of Construction Contractors: Handbook for Construction Industry 2016.
[3] Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: Committee Report on i-Construction, 2016.
[4] The Japan Geotechnical Society: Technologies for Environmental Conservation in Construction, Chapter 8, 2009.
[5] Sagara, Y., Obitsu, M., and Fujishima, T.: JCMA Report-Effect of utilization of informatics construction, Journal of
JCMA, Vol. 67, No. 8, pp. 105-109, 2015.8. (in Japanese)[6] Tateyama, K. and Omae, N.: Precision Construction in Japan, -Utilization of Information and Communication
Technology–, Proceedings of the International Workshop on ICT-Geo Engineering, 31-40, 2012.
[7] Nikkei Construction，pp. 41～44，No. 522, 2011 (Jun 27).

◆A brief CV of Dr. Kazuyoshi Tateyama
Dr. Kazuyoshi Tateyama is a professor in the college of science and engineering and an executive
trustee of Ritsumeikan University, Japan. He graduated from Kyoto University with Bachelor in Civil
Engineering and took the Doctoral Degree in Kyoto University in 1988. He has taken on the researchand development on the rationalization of construction for many years and engaged in a lot ofcommittees of governments and academic societies. He is now the chairperson of the committee forconstruction robotics in Japan Society of Civil Engineers and Council for Construction Robot Research.

11

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

Interview

On-Site Interview
Ms. Hongjuan HeIPA Secretariat
I interviewed Mr. Matsuzawa (Sato Jyuki Kensetsu Co., Ltd.) and Mr. Asano (Kajikawa Construction Co., LTD) who are
engaged in the Press-in project named “Aseismic reinforcement work to embankment on Turumi – Shinkoyasu line”, On
March 3rd 2017, at Yokohama city, Kanagawa prefecture. I thank them for giving us valuable insights during this interview.
Satojuki construction Co., Ltd is responsible to manage the entire project and conduct the Press-in operation on inboundline (for Tokyo). Kajikawa Construction Co., Ltd conduct the Press-in operation on outbound line.
Profile of Mr. Kazuyuki Matsuzawa, Sato Jyuki Kensetsu Co., Ltd.
Mr. Matsuzawa has experienced in construction industry for 28 years. He has joined Sato Jyuki
Kensetsu Co., Ltd. in 2013 with his career of construction management in piling. He is responsible forconstruction planning, management and quality control in welding work as the construction manager
in this project. He has qualifications of the First-class Civil Engineering Works Execution Managing
Engineer, the Second-class Welding Engineer, the licenses for various cranes and construction
vehicles and etc.

Profile of Mr. Yoshikazu Asano, Kajikawa Construction Co., Ltd
Mr. Asano has joined Kajikawa Construction Co., Ltd. in 2009 with 8 years of the field experiences on
the “Hard Ground Press-in method” and other application of the Press-in method. He was engaged
as a main operator for this project. He has qualifications of the Second-class Press-in Operation,
Supervisor for safety program in charge and so on.

Q1. Can you explain the background, overview and features of this project?
Mr. Matsuzawa: As everyone knows that the Great East Japan Earthquake happened in 2011 and brought a severe damage
to Japan. Therefore, Japanese government has committed the aseismic reinforcement projects of therailway embankment to minimize damages due to an inland earthquake in Tokyo area. The project isordered to press-in 120 pieces of U shaped steel sheet piles (L=16.5m) to the both side of inbound andoutbound lines then the top of parallel steel sheet piles are connected with tie rods.
Mr. Asano:

The significant characteristic of the project is to conduct press-in operation on the very steep and narrowslope adjacent to the railroad during day time. As shown in the Picture1, the workable construction spaceis limited in 4.5m to 10m width for inbound line and 2.5m to 3.5m width for outbound line for 60m lengthon each line. Vibration was strictly limited during the operation since the distance from the safety guard
fence along the railway was only 1.6m away as shown in Picture2. It was required to pay very carefulattention particularly for material hoisting process since trains are passing by every 5 minutes in morningand evening commute.

12

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

60m

60m

Picture1: Construction overview
Red frame: Construction for inbound line
Yellow frame: Construction for outbound line

1.6ｍ

Picture2: Non-staging system (outbound line)

Picture3: Side-view

Q2. What are the significant points for the Press-in Method to overcome constraint conditions on the
project?
Mr. Matuszawa: It is impossible to utilize the conventional methods which require to place the necessary machines andequipment side by side on the narrow and steep slope. We introduced the Non-staging system, as shownin Picture 2, that the system only enables all the piling machineries for the Press-in operation to walkon the previously installed sheet piles by itself (self-walking).

13

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017
Q3. Has the construction been carried out on time? Can you tell us about difficulties or concerns that you
have faced on the project?
Mr. Asano:Yes, the construction has been carried out smoothly so far and we predict that the
project will be completed earlier than planned schedule. The Press-in operation
has completed on the outbound line yesterday and the self-walking backward
operation has just commenced today, and it is projected to complete in two days.
We have judged that the ground condition will be relatively easy to deal withbased on the given soil boring log, but we found obstacles in 14m depth as shownin Picture 4, unfortunately. We have continued the operation since the Crush Piler
enables to penetrate those obstacles. I reaffirmed that the Press-in method is
versatile and applicable to deal with varieties of ground conditions, applicable tohard ground again through this project.

Picture4 obstacle

Mr. Matuszawa: The progresses was made generally on time but have experienced difficulty to carry-in the machines andsheet piles to the construction space. We introduced 200 tons all terrain crane to carry the equipment
and materials over the railways because the large vehicle is unable to access to the construction yard,
then we divided the Crush Piler into two segments to hoist them in with the crane. Electric supply is cutoff only for 2.5 hours between 1:00am to 3:30am and we are required to safely carry in the equipment
and materials during the limited time period. We carefully made the plan that all necessary equipment
and materials are kept in the temporary stock yard just outside of the railways then hoist them over tothe construction yard during 2.5 hours. However, we could not execute it in the winter season
occasionally because trains need to be run in the mid night to prevent the rails to freeze. We havelearned that the construction plan need to be carefully examined to absorb those unpredictable
incidents.

Picture5 carry-in the equipment

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Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017
Q4. Were there any specific requirements from project clients?
Mr. Matsuzawa: Safety is the most important issue than anything else. The first priority is to assure the safe train operation.
If accidents do happen due to rush of construction, it will cause enormous effects on the train operationand passengers, though it is important for us to complete our construction soonest possible. Since weare dealing with sheet piles, we extremely care to prevent scattering of metallic noise with anti-noise
sheets around the construction area.

Q5. Please share with us your toughest operational experience.
Mr. Asano:I experienced difficulties to dear with underground obstacles where I conducted the Press-in work with
the Zero-clearance Crush Piler in Gifu prefecture two years ago. I was aware that the gravel layer was
existing 6m below the ground surface according to the soil boring log, which the Crush Piler should nothave any problems for penetration. I observed the Press-in operation became difficult though and I felt
very rushed due to lack of my experience, then I asked for my seniors’ advice for problem solving. With
having their advice, I have learned that even though the soil boring log is important but the predictionof problems by hearing the sound during augering process and making an appropriate judgement is very
important on the job site. The advice is still useful in this construction.

Mr. Matsuzawa: I also experienced difficulties at project of aseismic reinforcement to embankment at Takadanobaba,
Tokyo three years ago. The project was ordered as the steel sheet piles Press-in with Crush Piler inaccordance with the specifications but some H shaped steel piles were left in the ground. We tried to
extract H shaped steel piles (12 m in length!) with Crush Piler and its successfully done, otherwise wemight have to divert the press-in line from the initial plan. The extra efforts ended up with adjustments
to construction schedule with re-arrangement of manpower and machines. Through this experience, I
become keenly aware of the importance of the on-site inspection to identify the existing condition
before the commencement of the work.

Q6. Please share your prediction with us about the future of the Press-in Technology.
Mr. Matsuzawa: GRB system (Non-staging System) is the system that enables all the piling machineries necessary for thePress-in operation to move by itself (self-walking) on the previously installed sheet piles. It hasenormous advantage compared to other methods which require other construction machineries to
occupy large area besides piling machine. Especially, Japan has a large amount of earthquake. We
believe GRB system (Non-staging System) is effective method for expeditious restoration works at
disaster area cause by earthquake and/or tsunami.
Mr. Asano:

I fully agree with what Mr. Matsuzawa said. I often use GRB system on construction site. I hope we could
use GRB system without using heavy machineries such as rough terrain crane. Also, I will make more
effort to become much better by utilizing the Press-in System so I could contribute myself more througha lot of construction sites.

★Comments:
For this interview, I went to the site where Press-in machine was in operation and was so surprised that I knew that thePress-in Method could use under the restricted circumstances such as narrow space and limited construction time innight. It was very impressed that the trains I watched at construction site were felt much larger than what I see them indaily life. When those train are passing by, the site staff ceased their work, giving the train driver hand signal to assure
safety with facing to huge train. I was so impressive by their attitude towards safety issue. Moreover, I found it amazinglythat no claim has been received from the neighbors because of trust relationship between them and the site staff being
well developed, though the construction site is surrounded by family houses. Through this interview, I strongly felt thatthey are proud of not only the Press-in Method but themselves, which they have experienced a lot through having hardtime to deal with difficult situations.
I believe that the Press-in application adjacent to railway will be a very useful case-example internationally so that I would
like to continue to introduce similar topics in our Newsletter.

15

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017
I would like to express my sincere appreciation toward Mr. Matsuzawa, Mr. Asano and all who areconcerned in this interview. Thank you so much.

Picture 6: Interviewing with Mr. Matsuzawa and Mr. Asano

Picture7 Mr. Matsuzawa is checking
lateral joints on the site

Picture8 Mr. Asano is operating the system ofself-waling backward

We welcome the on-site operators who are able to accept the interview. If you have any questions, pleasecontact to IPA Secretariat address to Ms. Hongjuan He (ipa.ka@press-in.org). We are waiting for you!

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Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

ReportActivities of Japan Press-in Association (JPA)
Mr. Mamoru Kawabe
Japan Press-in Association◆ About JPA● The Japan Press-in Association (JPA) is an incorporated body established in 1979,
currently over 200 members, for facilitating and improving press-in pilingtechniques and operations related to construction of piles and retaining
structures, with the objectives of promoting the press-in method and soundly developing the press-in pilingindustry. JPA has the headquarters in Tokyo with three branches (Miyagi, Osaka and Fukuoka Prefecture).

◆ Activities of JPA
1. Dissemination activities of Press-in method and supports of Press-in Industry● JPA offers seminars and on-site visits related to the press-in method in various places for project clients,
design consultants, construction companies and so on.
● Over 1000 engineers participate the seminars and on-site visits every year, through which JPA is disseminating
advantageous features of the press-in method over other piling methods.
● JPA provides technical supports when the JPA members prepare bidding and making construction plans anddesign of pile and retaining structures using the press-in method.
● As an example of JPA’s contribution to society, JPA signed an agreement with Kochi Prefecture called“Restoration Support Activities for Large-scale Disaster Agreement“ in 2015.
2. Collaboration with IPA (International Press-in Association)● JPA makes full use of IPA publications in the seminars such as “Design and construction manual ofsteel tubular pile earth retaining walls by Gyropress Method (Rotary cutting Press-in ) published in 2014
and “Design and construction manual of press-in method” published in 2015. The numbers of theparticipants to the seminars have amount to 342 and 375, respectively.
● JPA sells these IPA publications for the convenience to construction engineers.
3. Contribution to society by human resource development● JPA offers the special training program about how to operate press-in machines designated by Japanese laws.
● JPA has a qualification system for press-in operators for improving and recognizing their press-in operation
skills. Those who are successful in the examination given by JPA are called “Registered Press-in Operator”.
4. Mission● JPA continues to contribute to society as well as to the development of construction industry by promoting
the press-in method.

17

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

ReportCollaboration between JPA and IPA
Mr. Tatsuro Sakai
Japan Press-in Association

1. Purpose
International Press-in Association (IPA) and Japan Press-in Association (JPA) share common missions, in which both
Associations will dedicate to prevention and mitigation of disaster, and contribute to expand industries related to thePress-in technology, through developing and disseminating the Press-in technology. To achieve our common goals, further
collaborations between the two Associations are of vital importance. The two Associations will continue to strengthen
the collaboration.

2. Policy(1) Short term vision◆The website of IPA includes case histories appeared in the website of JPA with JPA permission.
◆The research committee of IPA and the technical committee of JPA share technical themes to study together.
◆JPA disseminates the Press-in method by making full use of the IPA publications.
◆IPA distributes IPA Newsletter to JPA members.
◆IPA members can attend the on-site visits which JPA organizes.
◆JPA encourages IPA members to participate the JPA technical seminars.
(2) Long term vision◆JPA will submit case histories on IPA Newsletter.
◆JPA will contribute the report on “Awarding construction case for Press-in technology”to IPA Newsletter.
◆IPA and JPA will continue to collaborate in studying on the technical subjects with it’s research methodology, which
both Associations share their interests, regarding to Press-in Technology.

Photo 1 On-site visit held by JPA (in Osaka)

Photo 2 On-site visit held by JPA (in Itami)

18

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

Serial Report
History of Cambridge – GIKEN collaboration research
Yukihiro Ishihara, GIKEN LTD.
Stuart Haigh, University of Cambridge
The Cambridge – GIKEN collaboration research started in 1994, based on the strong awareness of Mr. Akio Kitamura,President of GIKEN LTD., of issues relating to construction. Every summer two students visit Kochi, Japan, to carry out
field and model tests using the press-in machines and other facilities of GIKEN, in order to learn this technology byexperience. In some cases, they also conduct model tests or numerical analyses in their own laboratories on their return
to Cambridge. In this report, research related to the tests carried out in Kochi from 1994 to 2003 are presented.
■ [1995-1996]
Project title
Outline of tests in Kochi::

Main students
Related publications::■ [1997-1998]
Project title
Outline of tests in Kochi::

Main students:

Related publications:■ [1998-1999]
Project title
Outline of tests in Kochi::

Main students
Related publications::

Effect of water jetting
Field tests were conducted using a press-in machine to investigate the effect of water
jetting on reducing press-in time in dense sand. U-shaped sheet piles with a width of
400mm (SP-III) were used. The size of the water-jetting nozzle was varied between 6.5
and 8.5mm, with a flowrate of about 320ℓ/min. Two different nozzle shapes (directionsof jetting) were also examined. The effect of these parameters on press-in time wasanalyzed, and the mechanisms were discussed qualitatively.
Matthew Carter, Fiona Gooch
None

Investigation into pressure bulbs
The resistance on the base of the
sheet pile during press-in was
obtained by measuring the strain
due to the hoop stress around theholes in the base of the sheet pile,
as shown in Picture 1. The unit baseresistance in dense sand wasapproximately constant at 35MPa,
beyond a penetration depth of 3m,of the same order of magnitude as
the crushing strength of coarse
sand.
Picture 1
David White, Peter Kirkham, Naomi
Lyons
White, D. J., 1998. Deep penetration in sand. M.Eng. Project Report, Cambridge University
Department of Engineering, 51p.

Press-in force and pile type / Press-in speed
The press-in force during press-in was compared using U-shaped sheet piles, H-shaped
sheet piles and open ended tubular piles. Two press-in rates were adopted. An attempt
to estimate the press-in force based on CPT data was discussed, and the necessity ofconsidering the effect of soil plug in the pan of the sheet pile was pointed out.
Peter Kirkham, Haramrita Sidhu
None

19

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017
■ [1999-2000]
Project title
Outline of tests in Kochi::

Main students
Related publications::■ [2000-2001]
Project title
Outline of tests in Kochi::

Main students
Related publications::■ [2001-2002]
Project title
Outline of tests in Kochi::

Main students
Related publications::■ [2002-2003]
Project title
Outline of tests in Kochi::

Measurement of soil plug strength
The phenomenon of plugging was investigated using
a split tubular pile. The pile was pressed-in,
extracted and separated into two, as shown in
Picture 2, so that the inner soil column could bedirectly observed. The creation, dissolution and recreation of the soil plug during press-in was
confirmed, and the mechanism of the creation ofsoil plug was discussed.
Haramrita Sidhu, Timothy Finlay
White, D. J., Sidhu, H. K., Finlay, C. R., Bolton, M. D.
and Nagayama, T., 2000. Press-in piling: theinfluence of plugging on driveability. 8thInternational Conference of the Deep Foundations
Institute, New York, pp. 299-310.

Picture 2

Friction cutter / Strain measurement
A double-walled tubular pile,
shown in Picture 3, was pressed-in
to investigate the horizontal earthpressure on the internal surface ofthe pile. Piles with and without
friction cutters on their base werealso pressed-in, to investigate theireffect on reducing the press-in
force. The friction cutter reduced
the shaft resistance but had little
effect on the base resistance during
press-in.
Timothy Finlay, Yueyang Zhao
Picture 3
Finlay, T. C. R., 2001. Press-in piling:noise, vibration and the relief ofhard driving. M.Eng. Project Report, Cambridge University Department of Engineering,
49p.
Finlay, T. C. R., White, D. J., Bolton, M. D. and Nagayama, T., 2001. Press-in piling: theinstallation of instrumented steel tubular piles with and without driving shoes. 5thInternational Conference on Deep Foundation Practice, Singapore, 1, pp. 199-208.

Press-in force and bearing capacity
A double-tubed tubular pile was pressed-in. The static vertical load test was conducted
and its bearing capacity was measured.
Yueyang Zhao, Gulin Yetginer
Zhao, Y., 2002. Pile set-up in sand. M.Eng. Project Report, Cambridge University
Department of Engineering, 48p.
Zhao, Y. & White, D. J., 2006. A model-scale investigation into ‘set-up’ of displacement
piles in sand. Physical Modelling in Geotechnics - 6th ICPMG, pp. 889-894.

Features of pressed-in group piles / Vibration measurement / Time effectOpen-ended tubular piles with an outer diameter of 101.6mm were pressed-in as a cellfoundation in a square or a circular manner. A static vertical load test was conducted as20

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

Main students:

Related publications:■ [2003-2004]
Project title
Outline of tests in Kochi::

Main students
Related publications::

shown in Picture 4, and the groupeffect on the press-in force andthe bearing capacity of thesepressed-in piles was investigated.
The press-in force increased withthe progress of the constructionof the cell foundation. The group
efficiency in terms of the bearing
capacity, if the capacity of thesingle pile was taken as the pressin force of the first pile in thegroup, was slightly greater thanbut almost equal to unity.
David Rockhill, Gulin Yetginer,
Andrew Deeks
Picture 4
White, D. J., Finlay, T. C. R., Bolton,
M. D. and Bears, G., 2002. Press-in piling: ground vibration and noise during pile
installation. Proceedings of the International Deep Foundations Congress, Orlando, USA,ASCE Special Publication 116, pp. 363-371.
Yetginer, A. G., 2003. Press-in piling. M.Eng. Project Report, Cambridge University
Department of Engineering, 50p.
Rockhill, D., 2003. Ground vibrations due to construction operations. M.Eng. Project
Report, Cambridge University Department of Engineering, 46p.
Rockhill, D. J., Bolton, M. D. and White, D. J., 2003. Ground-borne vibrations due to pressin piling operations. BGA International Conference on Foundations: Innovations,Observations, Design and Practice.
Yetginer, A. G., White, D. J. and Bolton, M. D., 2003. Press-in piling: field testing of cellfoundations. BGA International Conference on Foundations: Innovations, Observations,
Design and Practice.
Yetginer, A. G., White, D. J., Bolton, M. D., 2006. Field measurements of the stiffness ofjacked piles and pile groups. Geotechnique 56, No. 5, pp. 349-354.

Load test on groups of pressed-in piles
Open-ended tubular piles with an outer diameter of 101.6mm were pressed-in in acircular manner. Two circular groups of piles were constructed, one with a constantembedment depth (Figure 1 (a)) and the other with two different embedment depths foreach pile (Figure 1 (b)). The bearing capacity of these groups were comparable, eventhough the embedment depth of some piles in group (b) was smaller than the other piles.
The group efficiency in terms of the bearing capacity, if the capacity of the single pile wastaken as the press-in force of the first pile in the group and the capacity of the pile group
was taken as the plunging load, was approximately equal to unity. On the other hand, thestiffness of the group decreased with the increasing number of piles in the group.
Andrew Deeks, Melvin Hibberd
Deeks, A. D., 2004. An investigation into the strength and stiffness of jacked, driven andbored piles. M.Eng. Project Report, Cambridge University Department of Engineering,
51p.
Deeks, A. D., White, D. J. and Bolton, M. D., 2006. A comparison of jacked, driven andbored piles in sand. The 16th
International Conference on
Soil
Mechanics
andba
GeotechnicalEngineering,Osaka, Japan, pp. 1685-1688.

Figure 1 (Deeks (2004))
21

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

ReportInternational Workshop on the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake
Prof. Hemanta Hazarika
Department of Civil Engineering
Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
An International Workshop on the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake was held at Inamori Center, Kyushu University, Fukuoka,
Japan on March 6, 2017. It was held under the auspices of J-RAPID Project team, which is a team formed by a group of
researchers from Japan and the USA. J-RAPID is a project on the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake funded by Japan Scienceand Technology agency (JST). The workshop was co-organized by Kyushu University, National Disaster Research Councilof Japan, National Disaster Information Center of Western Japan of Kyushu University, International Press-in Association,
and Center for Reducing Disaster Risk of Kumamoto University. The workshop was supported by the Japan Science andTechnology Agency and Japan Foundation Engineering Co., Ltd., Japan. The workshop was also the Japan-USA joint
workshop on the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake.More than 60 participants not only from Japan and the USA, but also fromother Asian and African countries attended the workshop. (Photo 1)
Four Keynote lectures and one
Special lecture were presented in
the workshop as what follows;

Photo 1

Keynote lectures:
 Analysis of a fast-moving
landslide during an earthquake inJapan by Prof. K. Ishihara (Chuo
University, Tokyo, Japan)
 Geotechnical extreme-event
reconnaissance (GEER) mission to
the 2016 Mw 6.0, Mw 6.2, and Mw
7.0 Kumamoto Japan earthquakes
by Prof. R. Kayen (University ofCalifornia Los Angeles, USA) Slope failures during recent
earthquakes
and
their
interpretations in terms of energy by
Prof. T. Kokusho (Prof. Emeritus,
Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan)
 Damaged
situationofresidential area of Mashiki-town by
Mr. M. Tajiri (Tajiri Engineering Office,Kumamoto, Japan)

Special lecture:
 Horizontal sliding of Uchinomaki hot spring area during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake: Insight from satellitedata, field observations and direct borehole measurement by Prof. T. Tsuji (Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan).
The workshop program came to an end with the closing address delivered by Prof. Osamu Kusakabe (President,International Press-in Association), and the vote of thanks by Prof. Hemanta Hazarika (Chairman of the Workshop).
The workshop was financially supported by Tokyo Head Office of Japan Foundation Engineering Co., Ltd., Japan andKyushu Branch office of Japan Foundation Engineering Co., Ltd., Japan. The organizing committee expresses the heartfelt
gratitude for this financial support.
The papers presented in the workshop
will1 be published in special issues on “Kumamoto Earthquake and Disaster” in
PictureLowland Technology International (LTI) journal, an international journal published by the International Association for
Lowland Technology.

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Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

Announcement

10th IPA Press-in Seminar in Kochi 2017
IPA Secretariat
International Press-in Association (IPA) will hold the 10th IPA Press-in Seminar on 20th July, 2017 in Kochi City, Japan.
There will be 4 lectures in this seminar. The topics include Press-in construction examples in overseas and the applicationof sheet piles to permanent structures. From this seminar, you can experience the state-of-the-art Press-in technology,
communicate with kinds of people from various fields and get hints for your researches and projects.
We are sure that you will have a memorable and productive seminar. We are looking forward to your attendance to theseminar.
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Address:
Program:

20 July 2017, Thursday
13：30 - 16：45
Sunpia Chres, 3rd floor, Rainbow Hall
155 Takasusunachi, Kochi-shi, Kochi 781-8101, Tel. 088-866-7000
13:00 - 13:30
13:30 - 13:40
13:40 - 14:20
14:20 - 15:00
15:15 - 15:55
15:55 - 16:35
16:35 - 16:45

Organizer:
Supporters:

Registration
Opening Address
Lecture-1
Title: Singapore experiences in Press-in
Lecturer: Prof. Leung Chun Fai
Lecture-2
Title: Press-in Method application in Bangladesh
Lecturer: Mr. Tsunenobu Nozaki / GIKEN LTD.
Lecture-3
Title: Behavior of Partially Floating Sheet Pile
Lecturer: Prof. Jun Otani / Kumamoto University
Lecture-4
Title: Development and Construction Examples of Sheet Pile Foundations
Lecturer: Dr. Hidetoshi Nishioka / Railway Technical Research InstituteClosing Address

IPA Research Committee○ Kochi Prefecture○ Kochi City
○ Japan Press-in Association○ Kochi Industrial Association○ Kochi Institute of Invention and Innovation○ Kochi Engineers Corporation○ Kochi University of Technology○ Kochi National College of Technology○ The Shikoku Bank, Ltd.
○ THE BANK OF KOCHI, LTD.
○ The Kochi Shimbun○ GIKEN LTD.

Registration fee: Free (lecture documents will be sold on 20th July at cost)
Registration:
Please download the registration form from IPA website:
http://www.press-in.org/events/seminar10/outline/en
CPD Points:
This seminar is qualified for “3.0 CPD points” by The Japan Civil engineering Consultants Association(Registration No.201705180002)

23

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

Event Diary■ IPA Events
http://www.press-in.org/events/calendar/en
IPA Board Meeting
July 20, 2017/ Kochi, Japan
10th IPA Press-in Engineering Seminar in Kochi 2017
July 20, 2017/ Kochi, Japan,
IPA Malaysia Seminar
October, 2017 / Malaysia
International Conference on Press-in Engineering (ICPE)
2018, Kochi
September 19-21, 2018/ Kochi, Japan■ International Society for Soil Mechanics
and Geotechnical Engineering
http://www.issmge.org/events
2nd International Symposium on Coastal and Offshore
Geotechnics (ISCOG 2017) & 2nd International Conference on
Geo-Energy and Geo-Environment (GeGe2017)
July 5-7, 2017/ Hangzhou, China
GeoMEast 2017
July 15-19, 2017/ Sharm EL-Sheikh, Egypt
PBD-III Vancouver 2017 - The 3rd International Conference
on Performance Based Design in Earthquake GeotechnicalEngineering
July 16-19, 2017/ Vancouver, Canada
19th International Conference on Soil Mechanics andGeotechnical Engineering
September 17-22, 2017/ Seoul, Korea■ Deep Foundations Institutehttp://www.dfi.org/dfievents.asp
SuperPile '17
June 14-15, 2017/ Coronado Bay, CA
Design and Installation of Helical Piles and Tiebacks for
New Construction and Rehabilitation
September TBD, 2017/ QC, Canada

DFI-India 2017: 7th Conference on Deep Foundation
Technologies for Infrastructure Development in India
October 5-7, 2017/ Chennai, India■ Construction Machinery Events
Plantworx 2017
June 6-8, 2017/ Lutterworth, UK
http://www.plantworx.co.uk/
Buildexpo Rwanda 2017
July 12-14, 2017/ Kigari, Rwanda
http://expogr.com/rwanda/buildexpo/index.php
Buildexpo Tanzania 2017
August 10-13, 2017/ Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
http://www.expogr.com/tanzania/buildexpo/
The Big 5 Construct India 2017
September 14-16, 2017/ Mumbai, India
https://www.thebig5constructindia.com/
14th Beijing International Construction Machinery
Exhibition & Seminar (BICES) 2017
September 20-23, 2017/ Beijing, China
http://www.e-bices.org/engdefault.aspx■ Others
Pile 2017“International Conference on “Advancement of Pile
Technologies and Case Histories”
September 25-27, 2017/ Bali, Indonesia
https://www.pile2017.com/
International Tsunami Symposium (ITS) 2017
August 21-25, 2017/ Bali, Indonesia
http://itsbali2017.com/meetingsite
International Disaster and Risk Conference (IDRC)
2017
November 25-27, 2017/Sendai. Japan
https://idrc.info/2017/24

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 201725

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 201726

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2017

Editorial Remarks
The Editorial Board is pleased to publish Volume 2, Issue 2 on schedule. This issue highlights the special contribution on
the hottest issue of i-construction written by a well –known professor in this field, Dr. K. Tateyama of Ritsumeikan
University. Thanks to the rapid development of information technology and intelligent robotics technology, constructionindustry is shifting from a labor intensive industry to a high productivity industry with unmanned construction machinery.
This issue also includes the articles of Cambridge – Giken research collaboration program, and of On-Site Interview andmore. The report of ‘Activities of Japan Press-in Association’ may interest those who are in the industry.
Please feel free to contact the Editorial board members below with email address or IPA Secretariat (tokyo@press-in.org)
for your clarifications and/or suggestions.
Editorial Board:
Dr. Osamu Kusakabe (ipa.kusakabe@press-in.org)
Prof. Limin Zhang (cezhangl@ust.hk)
Dr. Andrew McNamara (A.McNamara@city.ac.uk)
Mr. Yukihiro Ishihara (ipa.ishihara@press-in.org)
Mr. Kazuyoshi Ishii (ipa.ishii@press-in.org)
Ms. Mutsumi Minami (tokyo @press-in.org)
Ms. Hongjuan He (ipa.ka@press-in.org)

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