JSCE Newsletter No.14, March 2004

Japan Society of Civil Engineers
International Activities Committee

NewsletterNo. 15 June 2004

Interview with New President, Prof. MORICHI

JSCE President Shigeru MORICHII believe that my foremost task as thenew President of JSCE is to continue to implement
the reform plans of JSCE 2005. However, on top of
this task, I have set two specific missions during myterm, which are to maintain and develop civilengineering technologies and to improve the social
recognition / evaluation of civil engineers.
Today, there is a growing concern thatthe diminishing number of public works projects,
reduction in research and development funds andpublic investment in the civil engineering field, as
well as the phenomenon of diminishing populationand the decreasing number of civil engineering
students in universities might lead to the decline in
the civil engineering technologies. This might inturn lead to difficulty in passing on the legacy of
civil engineering technologies to future generations.
Although these concerns have been pointed out fora long time, today, we are called upon to clarify
which technologies are in decline and to discuss
what should be done for those endangered
technologies. Moreover, from my own experience
working with JICA on Japanese ODA projects, I
realize that Japanese civil engineering technologies
developed in overseas are not passed on to theyounger generations. There is a lack of involvementof young civil engineers in such overseas projects.

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Therefore, I believe that the accumulation andtransmission of technological know-how in thisarea is important as well.
As for the second task of improving thesocial recognition of civil engineers, it does not
suffice to merely communicate the importance ofbuilding road or river facilities or earthquakeresistant structures because such appeals might beinterpreted cynically as self-seeking on the part ofcivil engineers. Instead, the best way tocommunicate the importance of civil engineering
technologies is to be involved in projects that areconsidered important by local or regional
communities while keeping in mind that we areworking for the pursuit of the happiness of thecitizens as the name “civil engineer” reminds us. I
believe that such grass root efforts on solving local
or regional issues and providing answers that local
residents seek would eventually lead to theimprovement of the civil engineers’ socialrecognition.
Another important issue in our age is thedisaster countermeasures. However, despite theabundance of information in the society, it is hard
to believe that the individuals are given the accurate
information about disaster countermeasures. The
individual awareness of this issue is declining aswell. Therefore, I have in mind a system of disastereducation for elementary, middle school and highschool students. It is my hope to create teachingmaterials such as DVDs, which will be used in pilot
programs in certain cities, before nation-widediffusion. The first step in this initiative would be to
set up an operational system within JSCE.
Profile:Professor Shigeru MORICHI was appointed the92nd JSCE President on May 28th 2004.
Having graduated from the Civil Engineering
Department of the University of Tokyo, Professor
Morichi has taught in the Civil Engineering
Departments at the Tokyo Institute of Technology
and at the University of Tokyo. He was also avisiting fellow at the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology, U.S.A. and has also taught as avisiting professor at the University of Philippines.
Prof. Morichi currently teaches at the National
Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, while serving
as the director of the Institute for Transportation
Policy Studies.
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JSCE Newsletter No.14,March 2004

3rd CECAR (3rd Civil Engineering
Conference in the Asian Region) will
be Held in Korea Soon

The detailed information on the 3rd
CECAR including technical visits and optional
tours are on the website: http://www.3rdcecar.com/.
By Kenichi Horikoshi (Taisei Corporation)

The 3rd CECAR (Civil Engineering
Conference in the Asian Region), organized by the
Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council,ACECC, will be held in Seoul, Korea from August
16th to 19th, 2004.
ACECC was established in 1999 with theobjectives to promote and advance the science andpractice of civil engineering and related professions
for sustainable development in the Asian region, as
well as to improve, extend, and enhance activities
such as infrastructure construction and management,
preservation of the precious environment andnatural disaster prevention.
ACECC now consists of 7 active societies
and institutions, which are ASCE (AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers), CICHE (Chinese
Institute of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering),
Institution of Engineers- Australia, JSCE, KSCE(Korean Society of Civil Engineers), PICE(Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers), andVFCEA (Vietnam Federation of Civil EngineeringAssociations). So far, two CECARs have been heldin Manila, 1998, and in Tokyo, 2001respectively. It
was a memorable event for JSCE that the 2nd
CECAR in Tokyo attracted as many as 730
attendants from 14 countries and ended in a
successful note.
The next 3rd CECAR will open with the main themeof ‘Moving Asia into the Future’. The technicalprogram is divided into the following 10 related
themes of Infrastructure, Human Resources,Natural Disasters, Professional Issues, ProjectManagement, Contracting Practice, Research andDevelopment, Mega Projects, Inter-regionalCooperation, and Future of Engineering.
Among 138 papers presented during theparallel sessions, as many as 53 are from JSCE
including those for poster sessions. The papers fromindustries, governments, and academics are wellbalanced, and the fruitful discussion andinformation exchange is expected.
In the beginning of the conference
following the keynote address, Prof. Yutaka
Takahasi, emeritus of the University of Tokyo will
give a special lecture on The Suggestion of the Civil
Practical Education by ‘The Civil Picture Book
Series’, which will surely be another topic ofinterest for the participants.
Two special forums and one TC workshop
are also scheduled during the conference. Specialforums will deal with the topics of the ‘Great
Mekong Sub-region (GMS)’ and ‘New Trends in
the Construction Industry’.
The role of JSCE in the infrastructuredevelopment in the Asian region has been growing
increasing important. We believe that the number ofparticipants from our society will be a key to thesuccess of the 3rd CECAR.

“Special Roundtable Discussion on
Women Civil Engineers’ Issues withthe President of ASCE”

2ASCE President Ms. Galloway
On Tuesday, June 1st, 2004, a special
roundtable discussion on issues surrounding women
working in the civil engineering sector was held at
the JSCE headquarters. For this event, entitled“Women Civil Engineers’ Mission: How toContribute to the Realization of a Better World,”
we have invited Ms. Patricia D. Galloway, thePresident of ASCE, and five other panellists fromvarious civil engineering sectors such asuniversities, research institutions and a privatecompany. The event was attended by almost 30
observers, many of them, female civil engineering
students and young women working in the civilengineering sector.
During the first half of the event presidedby Prof. Komatsu from Saitama University, thepanellists presented their presentations. The firstpresenter, Dr. Kuwano from PWRI gave a briefing
on the current working condition of Japanese
female engineers. It was followed by a presentationof a survey on female graduates from civilengineering department by Dr. Okamura fromYamanashi University. Dr. Mayorca from theUniversity of Tokyo made an interesting
comparison of Japanese and Peruvian situations in
her presentation. Ms. Galloway described various
activities by the Committee on Diversity and
Women in Civil Engineering of ASCE, for example,
its effort to promote civil engineering to girls at
early stages of their education and to mentor young
female civil engineers.
During the Q&A session, many
participants voiced their wish to create a forum forthe communication among female civil engineers,
where they can continue the discussion of the topics
raised during this roundtable.

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JSCE Newsletter No.14,March 2004

Taipei 101 Skyscraper- Tallest Building in the World-

Taipei 101 under construction
At present, considered as the highest
skyscraper (508 m in its total height) in the world,
the construction of the Taipei Financial Center
located near the eastern boundary of the Taipei City
limit, was began in June 1999, and is now
scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
However, the first stage construction, including thewhole basement, annexed podium and partialbuilding spaces below 6th floor was completed andformally inaugurated for use as a shopping mall in
the late last year.
The building has 5-story basement and 101
stories above the ground with a total floor area of412,500 m2. Annexed to the building is a podium,
which also has 5-story basement, and has 7 floors
above the ground. The basement of both the mainbuilding and the podium will be entirely used asparking lots, and all other floor spaces, including
those of the podium, which was completed at theend of 2003 has been used as a shopping mall as
mentioned before. Upon completion, the rest of thefloor spaces of the main building above 6th floor
will feature banks, stock exchange, financial-related
business, restaurants, clubs, and fitness centersamong other facilities.
The entire main building is founded on 3.5
m thick RC (Reinforced Concrete) slab mat, which
is supported by long friction piles constructed byreversed circulating method with their pile tips
penetrating into foundation bedrock as deep as 20
m. The basement of the building is constructed withSRC (Steel Reinforced Concrete), and the mainbuilding structural members above the ground,totally with steel members, which are filled with
10,000 psi concrete tubular for columns, andapplied with shotcrete for the girders and beams.
The working volumes and materials used forconstruction are; 55 m deep foundation excavation
with a total excavated volume as much as 540,000m3; structural steel 97,000 tons; concrete 350,000m3; and steel bar 28,000 tons. For meeting
requirements for structural stability, security,
operation and maintenance of the building, a tuned
mass dumper, fire-fighting facilities, power and gas
supply systems, elevators, water supply andAlso available on web: www.jsce.or.jp

drainage systems, tele-communication system,
security-control system are all equipped or installed
to become an intelligent building.
The construction work has been divided
into about 10 packages for execution with a total
contracted cost close to 600 million US dollars. Theowner of the building is “Taipei Financial CenterCorporation”, which is formed by the joint ventureof 14 large public utilities and private enterprises in
Taiwan. The building is now becoming a highly
impressive landmark of Taipei City, with a popular
nickname of “Taipei 101”, to attract many people
and tourists everyday. This brings big business
opportunities and prosperity to the vicinity of thebuilding. With other big building complex within
the vicinity, such as Convention Center, Taipei
Hyatt Hotel, and several other famous department
stores, this area is believed to become one of thedowntown areas of Taipei City in a near future.
By Chi-Shou Hsieh (JSCE TaiwanSection)

2004 JSCE Annual Meeting
During the three days from September 8th
until 10 2004, JSCE Annual Meeting will be heldin Aichi Institute of Technology in Toyota City
near Nagoya, in the central part of Japan. The
program includes Scientific Lecture, which is anoccasion for JSCE members to present theirresearch as well as Special Lecture, Special Panel
Discussion, and Banquet among others.
As in previous years, we have invited
overseas organizations with which JSCE has signed
the Agreement of Cooperation. We are planning
events with international character such as theRoundtable Meeting with the attendance of JSCE
President, as well as Panel Discussion in English,
English Common Session and the Welcome
Reception to which international students attending
this Meeting could participate. We truly lookforward to your participation. Following is thetentative program of events:
1. Special Lecture by JSCE President (inJapanese), Sep. 9th (PM), Toyota Stadium
2. Special Panel Discussion (in Japanese), Sep.
9th (PM), Toyota Stadium
3. Banquet, Sep. 9th (Evening), Toyota StadiumInternational Events
4. Roundtable Meeting (Invited Guests Only)
Sep. 8th (PM), Aichi Institute of Technology.
5. English Research Panel Discussion: New
Paradigm of Civil engineering and Mission ofCivil engineers Sep. 8th (PM), A.I.T
6. Welcome Reception （ For Invited Guests ）Sept. 8th (Evening), venue TBA
7. English Common Session:
Sustainable
Development in Asia - Environmental
Protection, Natural Disaster Mitigation andProject Management -” Sep. 9th (Morning),A.I.T
Please visit JSCE website (http://www.jsce.or.jp）
for more information.
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JSCE Newsletter No.14,March 2004

"From Djurjura to Fujiyama:
A story of my life"
TAREK MERABTENE
Special Researcher
Secretariat for Preparatory
Activities of UNESCO-PWRI
Center, PWRI
I was born on a snowy day of December
23, 1963 in a small village called Ait-Yacoub,located in the mountainous region of the Larger
Kabylias also known as Djurdjura in the northeastern Algeria, about 200 km from the capital cityof Algiers. The people of my region are calledBerbers, and the spoken language is called Kabyle.
Up to the age of 6, it was the only language that I
knew how to speak. In fact, as Muslims, my people
and members of my family, who have lived underFrench rule for 130 years, only learned Arabic as amean to understand the divine teaching of Islam.
Later at school, I learned Arabic and French as thetwo concurrent languages of education. Nothing
special has marked my childhood beside the factthat my mother taught me to grow strong and bekind at heart, especially towards my two brothers
and my sister after the death of our father. Although
I have grown up in poverty, I have learned, asJapanese friends say, to always keep a smile on myface.
After obtaining my Master’s degree in1990, I worked as Assistant Professor at Ecole
Nationale Polytechnique (ENP). It was in spring
1995 that my brother-in-law visited the Embassy ofJapan to Algeria with my resume in his hand to ask
for a scholarship. Few months later, the dream of
my wife since when she was 6 years old came true
and we were called to get ready to depart to the“end of the earth” as it was named in her dream.
Today, nine years have passed since I firstlanded in Fukuoka Airport on a very beautiful
autumn day.
The day after our arrival, a group ofJapanese volunteers took us for a tour in the city.
The first advice I received was to be diligent atstudying Japanese. However, under the direction ofProfessor Kenji Jinno at the Institute ofEnvironmental Systems in Kyushu University, I did
not feel the necessity of using Japanese for mydoctoral research in water resources and droughtrisk management. But if you live in Japan, you willquickly realize that the only way to build friendshipis to master the language. One year later, theAssociate Professor, Akira Kawamura, who has
returned from his sabbatical year in New Zealandadded new touches to my research program. It wasto come out with a fully integrated decision support
system for the drought risk management of
Fukuoka City. Prof. Jinno and I have introduced ourconcept at many occasions, but despite the clump,the notion of risk was still new and it was not yet afamous approach for water hazard management. Inthe year 2000, after one year as research assistant at4Kyushu University, I started my job as the engineer
at CTI (Construction Technique InstituteEngineering: Kensetsu Gijutsu Kenkyujyo). The
beginning was difficult but the work with delightful
team was very pleasant. Apart from the professional
aspect of my work, I have not only improved myJapanese language skills but I have also enjoyedspeaking French with Mr. Fujikawa, head of mydepartment. In 2001, I moved from the Departmentof Water Resources in Kyushu Branch to the 3rd
Water Forum Preparatory Activities Division in theTokyo Headquarters. President Mr. Ishi and theDivision Head, Mr. Nobukazu Koreeda have givenme the opportunity to acquire a new international
experience and meet water scientists form allaround the globe. Since 2003, I have started mynew job as the specialist researcher at theSecretariat for Preparatory Activities of PWRIUNESCO Centre for Water Hazards and Risk
Management at the Public Works Research Institutein Tsukuba City.
Since the very first day of my arrival, I
have been fascinated by the water scenes in theJapanese mountains. Japanese gardens are anotherpiece of art that touched my heart, wishing to have
one for myself. In my work, I have acquired a great
experience, but differences in traditions andconcepts of life have created difficult moments too.
I realize that my life would be easier if I could
further master Japanese and better understand thepeople around me. My wife would be happier if I
had the choice to choose a different educational
system for my children.
Reference:
My web page: http://www.geocities.jp/merabtene1/Publications
ARTICLES (From March. 2004 to May. 2004)
Structural Engineering/Earthquake Engineering,
Vol.21 No.1, JSCE, May 2004, Pages 95, Price:
JPY2,039.-, ISSN0289-8063
Structural Engineering Series 15, Practical Methods
for Impact Test and Analysis, JSCE, April 2004,Pages 403 with CD-ROM, Price: JPY6,615.-,
ISBN4-81-6-0412-8
Bridges in Japan 2002-2003 (in Japanese), JSCE,March 2004, Pages 151, Price: JPY9,000.-, ISBN48106-0448-9
For all orders, contact:
MARUZEN Co. Ltd., Export Department
P.O. Box 5050 Tokyo 100-3199 Japan
Fax: +81-3-3278-9256
E-mail: t_kaneko@maruzen.co.jp
Send your comments, suggestions and contributions
to: iad@jsce.or.jp
JSCE Website: http://www.jsce.or.jp
Editorial Board:
Public Relations Subcommittee,
International Activities Committee, JSCE
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