No. 67 April 2023

STEEL CONSTRUCTIONTODAY & TOMORROW

https://www.jisf.or.jp/en/activity/sctt/index.html

Special Issue

Japanese Society of
Steel Construction
JSSC Commendations for Outstanding Achievements in 2022

• Outstanding Achievement
Awards1 Tokyo International Cruise
Terminal

2 Japan National Stadium
3 Ariake Garden-Theater,
Hotel, Mall & Spa

4 Base-isolation Seismic
Retrofitting of Nagoya
TV Tower• Thesis Awards

5 Cycling Properties of Concrete-filled Square Steel Tube

Beam-Columns under Constant Amplitude Cyclic Loading

6 Study on Fatigue Strength of Lean Duplex Stainless Steel Base Metal
7 Collapse Temperatures of Steel Plane Frames Considering Fire Spread
8 Flexural Shear Performance of Concrete-filled Box Section Column

Made of Ultra-high Strength Steel Assembled by Undermatched Welds

Special Topic

9 Current Tasks and Future Development of CIM and BIM Applications
Special Article: Stainless Steel

16 Concept of Landscaping the Sumida River Terrace Connecting Bridge
JSSC International Committee

18 Message from the Chairman
JSSC Events

19 8th China-Japan-Korea Tall Building Forum in 2022
Published Jointly by

The Japan Iron and Steel Federation
Japanese Society of Steel ConstructionJSSC Commendations for Outstanding Achievements in 2022-Outstanding

Tokyo International Cruise Terminal

Prize winners: Yasui Architects & Engineers, Inc., Penta-Ocean Construction Co., Ltd. and Toa Corporation
Integrated Architectural/Civil
Engineering Steel Structure Built
on the Sea
In the construction of the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, artificial
ground, a civil engineering structure,
was first constructed on the sea bottom
ground about 10 m under the sea levelby means of the jacket pier, on which
a 4-story building was then constructed. This construction of a large-scalebuilding on a civil engineering structure built on the sea is a project unprecedented in its kind in Japan.
As a structural type for the artificial ground, a steel structure was selected by taking into account the construction term, and a 4-story building
was planned with a steel-structure architecture because the steel structure
allows for the securement of freedom
in space design. As a method to join
this civil engineering-architectural
structure, a rigid joint was adopted,
for which a new joining method wasdeveloped that can securely transfer
the stress, and absorb the tolerance
occurring at the stage of construction of the civil engineering structure
preceding to that of architecture. The
practical application of the joining
method thus developed shows new
potential for steel-structure construction.

Compatibility between Space Deboundary section, due to the sudden
sign-induced Need and Seismicchange in stiffness.
Resistance (1st-floor ConcentraIn light of this, capitalizing on ation Damper)
structural characteristic in which the
The size of the cruise ships that arrive difference in stiffness between theand depart varies, and thus the space civil engineering and building strucused for CIQ (customs clearance, immi- tures is high, seismic energy is effecgration and quarantine) differs for each tively absorbed by concentratedly arship. Accordingly, the CIQ space is pre- ranging response-controlled dampers
pared for each ship by the use of mov- only at the 1st floor where the stiffable partitions and other facilities.
ness shows sudden change. The reIn order to meet diverse situations duction of responses thus attainedsuch as those mentioned above, spac- by means of 1st-floor concentration
es with less use of columns and braces dampers has not only led to the sucand high freedom in space construc- cessful securement of the freedom intion was required to be provided at the space construction but also allowed
terminal building. Meanwhile, a civil the construction of the building roof
engineering structure was constructed with a lightly surging configuration,
under the terminal building employing a notable characteristic in terms of
the jacket pier in which 4 jackets mea- appearance.
suring about 70 m in lengthand about 40 m in depth
were erected as an integrated structure, and therefore
this structure was composedof high-stiffness framing inwhich 800 mm-diameter braces were arranged over the entire structural plane. To that
end, at the terminal building
with the stiffness lower thanthat at the civil engineering
structure, the response in theevent of an earthquake is in- Full view of Tokyo International Cruise Terminal
creased at the 1st floor, a (Photo: Naoomi Kurozumi)

Perspective View of Entire Framing

Image of Steps for Joining Architecture and Civil
Engineering Structure

Steel frame (damping structure)
4 floors, 12 m × 12 m grid1st-floor concentration
damper
Sea level
AP+0.0 m

Set plate⇒Adjustment (horizontal)

Rib to receive
axial force

Adjustment (vertical)

Architecture

Sea bottomAP-8.6 m
Civilengineering
structure

Concretestopping
plate-hanging
structure
Concretestopping
plate

Jacket (48 m~72 m in length; Total: 4 jackets)
Jetty (252 m in length: 41 m in width; 12 m × 12 m grid)
Steel pipe: 2,000φ; Brace: 812.8φ
Step 1:
Set plate arrangement

1 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow April 2023

Step 2:
Column arrangement

Step 3:Concrete fillingAchievement Awards

Japan National Stadium

Prize winners: Joint Venture of Taisei Corporation, Azusa Sekkei Co., Ltd. and Kengo Kuma andAssociates; Taisei Corporation Tokyo BranchJapan National Stadium is a new national
stadium constructed with the concept of a
“Stadium in the Forest” in the historical andtraditional environment of the Outer Gardens of Meiji Jingu (Shinto Shrine) in Tokyo. With a structural plan of constructing a
stadium that is highly disaster-resistant andcan boast Japanese identity to the world, anerection plan was worked out in consideration of high construction efficiency.

of the efficiency of member fabricationand on-site construction work that accompany repetitive operations.
In order to enhance the disaster-prevention performance of the stadium and its
neighboring areas, the following measures
were adopted: The 2nd to 4th floors werecomposed of a brace structure with highstiffness, and further a rigid-frame structure employing high-strength steel (550kN/mm2 grade) was adopted for the B2 to
1st floors aimed at securing the strength.
On top of these, a “Soft-First-Story” response-control system covering 3 layers
was put into effect by arranging oil dampers in a well-balanced manner in a radial
direction and a circumferential direction.

Stand Structure
The steel structure was adopted as a basic structural type in the construction of
the stands, and a steel-reinforced concrete(SRC) composite structure was adopted for the oblique beams (Raker beams)
that support the spectator seating and the
peripheral columns that support the roof
truss. A simple framing structure was chosen in which identical frames are repeatedly arranged in the circumferential direction of the stands, and precast foundation
beams and peripheral SRC columns wereadopted as extensively as possible, bothof which contributed to the improvement

Roof Structure
For the roof, framing was adopted in which
cantilever space trusses with triangularcross sections were continuously arranged
in a circumferential direction. The cantilever truss was designed in ways that allow
free standing by single trusses at the erection
stage, and after the free standing of trusses,

Full view of Japan National Stadium

the temporary support columns were removed so that the construction of spectator
seating under the roof could be started.
A ring truss was provided to the end
and middle of the cantilever truss, throughwhich highly-stiff framing was realizedthat can resist wind and seismic force overthe entire roof structure. For the straightsection of the roof at the main side andback side for which the ring effect cannot
be demonstrated, the arch effect was added by slightly raising the roof height so thatthe deformation occurring at the roof end
can be controlled to an identical level.
For the roof truss, a hybrid structurecomposed of steel frames and Japaneselarch was arranged as the lower chordmember and a hybrid structure composed of steel frames and Japanese cedar was arranged as the lattice member,which led to the successful creation ofa stadium space where all athletes andspectators can feel the warmth peculiar
to the wood, while at the same time suppressing the deformation of the roof due
to earthquakes and strong winds.

Inner view of stands

Outline of Stadium Structure
Length of cantilever: About 60 m

Repeat thesame frame

Minimize the heightof the building

Middle of ring truss

Point ofring truss
Hybrid structure usingwood and steel

Oblique beam to support
spectator seat(i.e. Raker Beam)

Setback fromthe street
SRC column
50 m or less
Response
controlled
structurebyOildamper Soft-First-Story+ High systemstrength
Road level
steel
Steel
brace

Steel structure

Foundation

April 2023 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 2

-Outstanding Achievement Awards

Ariake Garden-Theater, Hotel, Mall & Spa

Prize winner: Takenaka Corporation
Outline of Ariake Garden
Ariake Garden is a complex facility plannedat Ariake facing the Port of Tokyo and is composed of a theater building, a hotel building
and a mall & spa building. The theater building is a music hall with a maximum capacityof 8,000 people, mainly for holding rock andother music concerts. The hotel building is ahigh-grade hotel with 800 guest rooms. The
mall & spa building is a commercial facility
with a hot bath facility on the top floor.
Structural Outline
A steel-frame structure was adopted thatfeatures a great deal of freedom in design and demonstrates excellent structural performance, through which a dynamic building configuration was realized.
Seismic resistance was enhanced by theuse of concrete-filled steel tube columns
and buckling-restraint braces.
Traveling & Lifting-up
Construction Method
A large-span truss framing measuring 63
m×72 m was adopted in the constructionof the roof of the theater building, forwhich the “traveling & lifting-up method” was developed. A major feature ofthis method lies in that part of the permanent truss framing is structured at thehall stage side, and this partial structureis used as the provisional gantry. Specifically, the divided truss framings were assembled on the provisional gantry, andafter repetitive traveling of these framings, the provisional gantry was finallylifted up to complete the roof framing.
The construction term of the theaterbuilding was drastically reduced due tothe simultaneous construction of the balcony structure in the arena section.
Large-scale Vibration-reduction
Floating Floor
When the audience performs rhythmic
movements along with the music played

at concerts, vibrations occur at the theater building. These vibrations are transmitted to the ground and shake the neighboring buildings, which could cause aproblem-impairment of habitability.
To remedy this situation, a large-scale
floating floor system was developed andinstalled for the arena floor of the theaterbuilding to sharply mitigate the occurrence of vibrations. The floating floor iscomposed of 1.2 m-thick concrete floors,large-size coil spring units and viscousdampers. In order to treat the natural frequency of rhythmic movements (2~3.5
Hz), that of the floating floor was set at
1 Hz in ways that avoid the occurrenceof resonance, leading to the realization ofdramatically improved vibration-reduction performance. 10% vibration damping was added to further mitigate the occurrence of vibrations.

Traveling & Lifting-up Construction Method

Advance installation(half PC slab, equipment machine, etc)
Lifting up (step 5)
Traveling (steps 1~4)

Suspension frame

Permanent truss(provisional gantry)

Appearance of theater and hotel buildings

Balcony structure(simultaneous construction)

Floating Floor System
Expansion joint

Jumping motion
RC slab (t=1.2 m)

Horizontal
restraint
stopper
Appearance of hotel and mall & spa buildings
3 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow April 2023

Coil spring unit-Outstanding Achievement Awards

Base-isolation Seismic Retrofitting of
Nagoya TV Tower

Prize winners: Nikken Sekkei Ltd. and Takenaka Corporation
The Nagoya TV Tower (currently Chubu
Electric MIRAI TOWER) is a steel tower with a maximum height of 180 m. It
was constructed as Japan’s first aggregated radio tower in Nagoya in central
Japan. In 2005, it was registered a national tangible cultural property. While
the tower had served as a radio tower for
many years, it ended its role following
the termination of terrestrial analog television broadcasting in 2011.
Tasks of Seismic Retrofitting andSolutions
Four major tasks involved in seismic retrofitting of Nagoya TV Tower and thesolutions proposed to cope with thesetasks are shown below:• Enhanced seismic resistance: Adoptionof base-isolation seismic retrofitting bycapitalizing on the “low center of gravity”
so as to reduce horizontal external force• Protection of the value as the culturalproperty: Proposal of the retrofitting
method (shallow-floor base-isolation
method) that does not affect the bustling space located under the first floor
connected to the park
• Observing the law: Addition of an EV
stair building for securing an evacuation route, acquisition of approval for
fire-protection coating• Higher operating income: Toward realization of the tower that can yield profits through optimum use of its hotel andother facilities

Approaches Conducive toDeveloping and Diffusing Steeland Steel/Concrete Composite
Structures
In the process of studying base-isolation seismic retrofitting, its planning,
analysis and verification were examined from the perspectives of not only
design but erection plan, the results ofwhich were incorporated into the seismic retrofitting plan. Among major approaches obtained in the examination
were:• Confirmation of member strength employing full-scale members• Design of the joints that can accommodate the inclination of existing steel
framings and errors in construction• Testing to confirm the adhesivenessbetween steel-frame column base and
SRC-structure arch
• Development of the intermittent stiffening method for steel shape compression members that is applicable in theerection even at heights• Development of the fire-protection coating legally applicable to the built-up
compression members• Development of wind-resistant stoppers and wind monitoring for confirming fatigue property• Development of a thrust transfer mechanism employing tension force control device
The “thrust-free base-isolation mechanism,” an essential part of seismic ret-

rofitting plan, was worked out throughintegrated use of the above-mentioned
approaches, and seismic retrofitting was
successfully achieved. The reformed
tower was registered a national important cultural property in December 2022.
It is hoped that the Chubu Electric MIRAI TOWER will continue to be affected as a landmark in the city of Nagoya in
the future as well.

Joint of column baseBase-isolation device installed for seismic
retrofitting

Photo: Koji Okumura, Forward Stroke inc.

Full view of Chubu Electric MIRAI TOWER

Photo: SS, Inc.

Bustling scenery at Chubu Electric MIRAI TOWER
April 2023 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 4

JSSC Commendations for Outstanding Achievements in 2022-Thesis Awards

Cycling Properties of Concrete-filled Square
Steel Tube Beam-Columns under Constant
Amplitude Cyclic Loading

Prize winners: Toshiyuki Fukumoto, Koji Morita, Keigo Tsuda, Masae Kido and Yasuo IchinoheToshiyuki Fukumoto(representative winner)
1979: Entered Kajima Corporation
1983: Assigned to Kajima
Technical ResearchInstitute
2005: General Manager at Kajima TechnicalResearch Institute2015: Executive Researcher at Kajima
Technical Research Institute2002: Received the Prize of Architectural
Institute of Japan Award (Papers)

Aim of Study
Since the Tokachi-oki Earthquake of
2003, the occurrence of long-period,
long-duration seismic motion (Fig.
1) is becoming apparent. These seismic motions are forecast to be multiple repetitively input into a building
with long natural periods like highrise buildings. In light of this, in the
structural design of high-rise buildings employing concrete-filled steel
tube (CFT) beam-columns, it is urgently required to establish a method
to assess the structural performanceof CFT beam-columns under multicyclic loadings in the event of longperiod seismic motions, in addition toassessment by means of conventional
seismic design.
Outline of Study
Targeting the square CFT beam-columns currently in wide use, this paper examined the number of cycles
for the limit state in constant amplitude cyclic loading under constant axial force, which is most basic in repetitive, variable amplitude cyclicloading in the plastic region (refer toFig. 2). Specifically, with the aim ofproposing a simple assessment formula applied in the structural design
and based on diverse kinds of previous flexural shear test results for CFT
beam-columns, an investigation wasmade of amplitude rotation angles,
axial force ratio and other factors that
affect the cycling properties of CFT
beam-columns.
5 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow April 2023

Based on the investigation thus far
It is understood that the calculation
made, authors proposed an assessment result employing the proposed formuformula for the number of cycles for la coincided well with the test results
the limit state, which was obtained (Fig. 3).
by using as the basic formula the relationship between the rotation angle
and the number of cycles for the limit state and based on a form of Coffin-Manson Formula
pertaining to the lowFig. 1 Long-period Earthquake Ground Motion
cycle fatigue curveof metallic materials,
and then by multiplyResonance ofing this basic formuhigh-rise building
la with the correction
magnification that depends on the specificResonance offactor of CFT beam- low-risebuildingcolumns. Further, examinations were madeof the assessment of
Short-period earthquake
Long-period earthquake
ground motion
ground motion
the number of cycles
for the limit state under variable ampli●Vibrate long and strongly
the high-rise building
tude cyclic loading byapplying the proposed
assessment formulafor the number of cycles for the limit state
it toaves transm
to the linear cumulaseismic w
d
o
ri
e
-p
g
●Lon
area
tive damage rule andthe remotebased on the test re- Reference: “Earthquakes and Tsunamis” of Japan Meteorologicalsults for incremental
Agency - Long-period Seismic Motions(https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/kishou/books/jishintsunami/
displacement-amplijp/jishintsunami_jp.pdf)
tude cyclic loading.
Fig. 2 Relation between Rotation
Angle (R) and Number of Cycles
for Limit State (N) in Constant
Amplitude Cyclic Loading
Tests

Fig. 3 Comparison between Test
Value and Calculated Value of
Number of Cycles for Limit
State in Constant Amplitude
Cyclic Loading Tests

Rotation angle R (×10 rad.)6.0▲ : More than 100 cycles
5.0○ : 2~100 cycles▼ : Less than 2 cycles
4.0

Test value/Calculated value
5.0▲ : More than 100 cycles○ : 2~100 cycles
4.0▼ : Less than 2 cycles
3.0

2

3.0

2.0

2.0
0.0

Average value: 1.24

1.0

1.0
1

10
100
1000
Number of cycles for limit state N

0.0
0.0

1.0

2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
2
Rotation angle R (×10 rad.)-Thesis Awards

Study on Fatigue Strength of Lean Duplex
Stainless Steel Base Metal

Prize winners: Eitaro Horisawa, Kunitomo Sugiura and Yasuo Kitane

2019: B. Eng., National Instituteof Technology, Nagaoka
College2021: M. Eng., Kyoto University2021-present:
Doctor program in Civil
Engineering, Kyoto
University

Introduction
Stainless steel is getting widely usedin civil structures due to its high corrosion resistance. One of the factors
essential to apply the material for
bridges is its fatigue behavior considering long-term service. However, inJapan, fatigue tests of stainless steel
and structures made of stainless steel
have rarely been conducted, and currently proposed design guidelines forstainless steel structures treats themas the material similar to mild carbon
steel without accumulating sufficient
test data.
In this study, fatigue tests of stainless steel base metals were carried out
as basic experiments to clarify its fatigue properties.

Fig.1 Stress-Strain Curves ofStainless Steels
800

Results
Fig. 3 shows the relationship between
stress range and fracture life (S-N diagram) for all specimens obtained in
the tests. It is obvious that the fatigue
strength of the stainless steel base metal is correlated with its static strengthand stress ratio. Comparing the test results with the fatigue design curves forthe general steel shown by solid lines in
the figure, the fatigue strength of stainless steel base metal is evaluated to be on
the safe side by grade C. Meanwhile thestrength is much larger than the fatigue
limit of the grade, and the slope of thetest data is gentler than the design curves.

Considering these unique characteristics of stainless steel, fatigue design
curves for lean duplex grade were proposed as the solid lines in Fig. 4 basedon regression analysis of the test results. These curves show that the fatigue
strength of the stainless steel is larger than the design curve by at least 100
MPa, and the slope is one-third of theone of the design curves.
SummaryThis study shows that the fatigue properties of stainless steel base metals tend todiffer from those of carbon steel, exhibiting higher strength and a gradual gradient. It is desirable to establish a rational
fatigue design method for stainless steel
structures by accumulating test data forvarious steel grades, joint types, stressconditions, and environmental conditions.

Fig. 3 S-N Diagram of Stainless Steel
Base Metals
800

400
SUS323L
SUS323L (R=0.3)
SUS821L1
SUS821L1 (R=0.3)
SUS304

200

600
500
300

SUS323L

200

SUS30400.05
Strain ε

C

105
106
Number of cycles (cycles)

800

0.1

Table 1 Mechanical Properties of Stainless Steels
Grade

104

A
B

107

Fig. 4 Fatigue Design Curves for Lean
Duplex Stainless SteelSUS821L1

100
0

100

Fig. 2 Nominal Dimensions of Fatigue
Specimens (unit: mm)

400

0.01% proof stress(MPa)

0.2% proof stress(MPa)

Tensile strength(MPa)

SUS323L

342

524

701

SUS821L1

313

484

693

SUS304

190

308

642

Stress range (MPa)Stress σ (MPa)700

Materials and Methods
High-cycle fatigue tests were conducted on
15 specimens for each of two lean duplex
grades (SUS323L and SUS821L1) and one
austenitic grade (SUS304), in addition tensile tests were also performed on the samematerials. Fig. 1 and Table 1 show thestress-strain curves and mechanical properties of the stainless steels, respectively.
It is obvious that the stainless steels haveno clear plastic plateau, and the lean duplex grades exhibit superior strength. The
test specimens which were cut from steel
sheets along the rolling direction shown in
Fig. 2, were prepared, and subjected to cyclic stressing at two different stress ratios of
0 and 0.3. All tests were carried out at room
temperature for up to two million cycles.

Stress range (MPa)

Eitaro Horisawa

Δσ2M=368 MPan=12 (for R=0)400

Δσ2M=311 MPan =12 (for R=0.3)
SUS323L
SUS323L (R=0.3)
SUS821L1
SUS821L1 (R=0.3)

200

100

104

106
105
Number of cycles (cycles)

107

April 2023 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 6

-Thesis Awards

Collapse Temperatures of Steel Plane Frames
Considering Fire Spread

Prize winners: Yukina Iwai and Fuminori Ozaki
Yukina Iwai

2021: Finished Graduate Schoolof Environmental Studies,
Nagoya University
2021: Entered Nihon Sekkei,
Inc.

Introduction
In the fire-resistant design of buildings, it is important to settle fire compartment so as to secure a route for
evacuation and fire fighting in theevent of fire. In the AIJ Recommendations for Fire Resistant Design of Steel
Structures published by the Architectural Institute of Japan, the assessment
method for the collapse temperature is
proposed in which redundancy in theevent of fire is taken into account. In
these AIJ Recommendations, it is expected that the frame has the capacity
to re-distribute the load to the ambient-temperature members located outside the fire compartment, and this ispremised on the fire separation beingsound. However, quantitative evaluation has not yet been established perFig. 1 Analytical Model

7 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow April 2023

taining to the relationship between thecollapse temperature and redundancy
in the event of fire when the fire compartment does not function to cause
the fire spread.
In this study, supposing a horizontal fire spread within an identical floor
and the fire spread to the upper floor
in a steel-structure building, nonlinear FEM analysis was conducted inways that parametrically change threefactors-the number of floors in thebuilding, loading condition, and member temperature within the fire compartment at the stage of fire spreadinitiation, through which the behavior
and the collapse temperature of steel
frames in the event of fire spread weremade clear.
Analytical Results
In the analytical model shown in Fig.
1, the load re-distribution capacity was
not demonstrated when a fire simultaneously occurred on an identical floor,
and when the inner span column buckled due to high temperature, the frame
exhibited the overall collapse. Fig. 2

shows the analytical results obtainedby setting the load re-distribution capacity of framing on the horizontal
axis and the collapse temperature on
the vertical axis. As shown in the figure, while the collapse temperature
was slightly lowered in the case when
the fire spread occurred at an earlier
stage of the fire, the load re-distribution capacity was demonstrated evenwhen the fire spread occurred in many
analytical results, and as a result theeffect of load re-distribution capacity
on the improvement of collapse temperature was confirmed.
Conclusion
It was learned from this study that theeffect of fire spread in the event offire on the load re-distribution capacity and the collapse temperature wasslight. Meanwhile, the main target offire-resistant design is to protect the
lives and assets of people, and thus
their protection by means of providing
fire compartment is very important.

Fig. 2 Analytical Results

-Thesis Awards

Flexural Shear Performance of Concrete-filled
Box Section Column Made of Ultra-high Strength
Steel Assembled by Undermatched Welds

Prize winners: Shintaro Matsuo, Akihiko Kawano, Yasuo Ichinohe, Yukio Murakami and Hiroshi Ito
Shintaro Matsuo

2009: Graduated from Doctoral
Course of Graduate
School of Engineering,
Kyoto University
2009: Researcher, Nippon SteelCorporation
2010: Assistant Professor, Kyushu University
2014: Associate Professor, Kyushu University

Introduction
A prerequisite in the assembly of structural members currently in general use
is to adopt an overmatched weld (OMweld) that employs welding material
having strength equal to or higher thanthat of base metal. However, in assemblies employing ultra-high strength steel
members, strict restrictions are imposedon the welding conditions, thereby posing a problem-the lowering of fabrication efficiency in member manufacture.
On the other hand, if the undermatchedweld (UM weld) can be applied, restrictions on welding conditions can be eased
and the fabrication efficiency enhanced.
Targeting concrete-filled box-section
columns employing ultra-high strength
steel (H-SA700B) for use in high-risebuilding construction, this study aimed
the clarification of the structural perfor-

mance of concrete-filled box-section columns in the case of applying UM welds
to the corner joint and proposed its assessment method.
Experiment Outline and Performance Assessment
In order to survey the effect of diverse
experimental parameters, we conducteda test in which cyclic incremental amplitude loading was applied to a cantilever-type concrete-filled box-section column under constant axial force (Fig. 1).
Experimental parameters adopted in thetest were the strength of corner joints
employing UM and OM welds (Fig. 2),
width-to-thickness ratio B/t, axial force
ratio n, concrete strength Fc and loading
direction.
Fig. 3 shows the Q-R relationshipof typical UM and OM specimens (B/t=16.7, n=0.4, Fc=150). Respective
specimens showed elastic behavior up to

the rotation angle of nearly R=1.5~2%,
then local buckling occurred, and alongwith the deterioration of strength, theyreached the ultimate state due to the fracture of the corner joint weld and otherparts. While there were cases in which
UM specimens showed slightly earlier
development of local buckling and axial-direction contraction, most specimens
showed stable elasto-plastic behaviors
regardless of the weld strength.
Fig. 4 shows the comparison of experimental strength between UM and OM
welds. The UM weld showed strength
about 5~10% lower than that of OM
welds, but as a result of examination of
the strength calculation/experiment values for UM and OM welds (Fig. 5), it
was confirmed that the strength of UM
welds can be evaluated to the safe sideby the use of the current evaluation formula.

Fig. 3 Typical Q-R Relationships and Ultimate States of Specimens

Fig. 1 Loading
Condition

Fig. 4 Comparison of Strength of UM
and OM Welds

Fig. 5 Experiment and Calculation
Results

Fig. 2 Stress-Strain Curves of Materials

StrainApril 2023 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 8

Special Topic

Current Tasks and Future Developmentof CIM and BIM Applications

by Hitoshi Furuta and Azusa Aoki
Hitoshi Furuta: He is currently a specially-appointed professor, Osaka Metropolitan University, and Professor Emeritus of Kansai University. His main areasof expertise are structural reliability, structural optimization, life-cycle cost analysis and design of bridge structures, and applications of artificial intelligence.
He has chaired and organized several international structural engineering conferences. In 2009, he was the chair of ICOSSAR2009 held at Osaka and thechair of IALCCE 2014 held at Tokyo. He is the vice president of IALCEE. He
received several international awards, including Fuzler Khan Medal.

Azusa Aoki: Graduated from
Kansai University in 2016 andjoined Pacific Consultants
Co., Ltd. Currently working for
Osaka Head Office, Transportation Infrastructure Business
Department, Structures Office,Pacific Consultants

tion of CIM introduction system started
in FY2012, and in FY2016 the “guidelines on CIM introduction” (draft) was
worked out. Since then, revisions of theguidelines and the expansion of related
procedures have steadily been promoted. As a result, examples of the practical application of CIM in public works
projects has shown yearly increases,
and the accumulated number of practical applications by FY2021 has exceeded 1,500. In the future, the studyof the contract methods mainly using three-dimensional (3D) CIM models and the establishment of rules forthese contract methods will be promoted, and it is expected that these models
will be developed into 4D versions imparted with time information.
“i-Construction” is one of the productivity reforming projects being promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism andis a measure aimed at improving the
productivity of an entire construction
production system by capitalizing on
information and communication technology (ICT). In this i-Construction
project destined for the civil engineering works, systems and standards arebeing prepared in ways that allow theapplication of 3D CIM models not only in the field of earthworks but also
in the management of contract work

results and inspection procedures, thepreparation of 3D deliverable delivery
manuals and other operations in thefield of survey and inspections.
In addition, based on the premiseof using 3D models, the method for
CIM operation in the managementof contract work results in pavement
works and the preparation of key
points of delivery manuals (draft) in
the field of inspection of tunnel andbridge construction works is being
examined.

Recent Trends in Construction
Information Modeling (CIM) and
Building Information Modeling(BIM)
Recently, there has been increasing attention to the steady shift to contactlessand remote work styles as part of countermeasures against COVID-19 infection as well as the drastic enhancementof productivity and safety. In order tosecurely develop these trends, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport
and Tourism is strongly promoting digital transformation (DX) in the field of
infrastructure by capitalizing on 5thgeneration communications systems
and other core technologies.
As to CIM and BIM applications, theadministrative policy was formulated
in FY2019 for CIM and BIM to be introduced as a general rule in all public
works projects by FY2025. However,based on the DX promotion measures
mentioned above, there has been a renewed policy in which the target year
for CIM and BIM introduction is to beadvanced from FY2025 to FY2023.
Ongoing Efforts towards the
Application of CIM and BIM in
Japan
• CIM
At the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism, the examina-• BIM

A project to promote the introduction of BIM was set out in FY2010,
and in FY2014 the “guidelines on
BIM introduction” was worked out.
While the BIM thus delivered was
the 2D version, examinations are being made of how to improve efficiency in the preparation of building construction processes by introducing
BIM models.
In 2019, the “architectural BIM
promotion council” was established,
and currently examinations are being
promoted of the operation mainly of
the 3D model that assumes application into an entire building construction production process as with thecase of CIM.
CIM and BIM are increasingly
being applied as an effective
tool for enhancing the productivity and safety in construction operations (for detail, seepages 14~15).

9 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow April 2023

• Towards the Effective

Application of CIM and BIM
Until now, efforts have been made toward the institutionalization of CIM, targeting mainly social infrastructure facilities and as part of measures to promote
public works projects, as an initiative of
the national government. In public works
projects, a series of operations such as
preliminary design, detailed design,
member manufacture and erection are
separately divided for order placement
as often seen in steel bridge construction projects, and thus the companies incharge of these respective operations often differ.
For that reason, it has become important to secure the continuity (unificationof data) of 3D models that allows for collaborative application between different
contractors in charge. Efforts are underway to prescribe such 3D models in order specifications, and at the same time
to take into account its probable application eventually to maintenance.
Meanwhile, in the case of BIM, a
lot of companies with varied operating
scales are often involved in the structure,design and equipment of a single project
as seen in building construction projects.
Therefore, in order to share BIM and allow its joint application among many

companies with different scales, it has
become necessary to enable the visualization of the advantages of BIM introduction from the various standpoints ofparticipating companies. In light of this,noting mainly the enhanced operating efficiency, BIM is often worked on by pursuing the advantage obtained by meansof concurrent engineering that places importance on the concurrent and parallel
undertaking of diverse operations at thedesign stage such as for structures, aesthetics and equipment.
Purpose of CIM and BIM Applications“CIM and BIM models” that capitalize
on 3D models and are composed of attribute information allow the visualization of 3D figures and the unified management of information, thereby offering
diverse application methods peculiar tothese models. As a result, it is said thatsafety and productivity can be greatly
improved by the use of CIM and BIM
models. Specifically, interference checking, prevention of reworking and otheradvantages are available with the use of
CIM and BIM models. They are conducive not only to improving safety, quality and productivity but also to enhancing
the maintenance efficiency. (For details,

refer to Fig. 1)
For example, because bridges andother similar structures can be visualized three-dimensionally by means of
CIM models, common recognition canbe shared among related parties and consensus can rapidly be built with no reliance on their capability to read and understand drawings and reports. Further,
up-to-date information can be shared
among all related staff through the unified management of CIM models.
In the preparation of bridge member
manufacturing information, work duplication and reworking can be eliminated and preparation efficiency can be enhanced by the use of a CIM model, which
will not only lead to reduced construction term but allow the earlier detection of malfunctions by means of threedimensional interference checking. In
terms of on-site erection, work safety canbe enhanced and consensus with related administrative organizations and local residents can easily be built with thethree-dimensional visualization of on-site
erection conditions. In addition, efficientand comprehensive maintenance can be
carried out by accumulating CIM models
covering various kinds of bridge structures and preparing a database into whichthese CIM models are incorporated.

Fig. 1 Advantages by the Use of CIM and BIM Models
Application Advantages
Explanation toresidents

Building ofconsensus
Making the safety
well-known

3D drawing

Three-dimensional
understanding

Erection simulation

Improvementof safety

Gravitycalculation
Sharing of
information

CIM and BIM Models

Unified managementof information
Prevention of
malfunctions

Quantity
calculation

Attribute
information

Visualization

Visual checking
Improved
accuracyInterference
checking

Management oflatest information

Optimization

Improvementof quality

Accumulationof dataTransfer oftechnologies
Improvementof productivity

Reduction ofmaterial loss

Prevention of reworking
Improved efficiency
in deliberation

Reduction of cost
Reduction of term

Higher efficiency
in maintenance

April 2023 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 10

A typical example of a CIM application in bridge construction is explained
above. Meanwhile, with the continued
sophistication of information technology, it is considered that CIM will have agreat potential to expand its fields of application.
Taking into account the current situation surrounding CIM and BIM mentioned above, explanations are given
below as to the advantages of CIM andBIM applications and tasks for promoting their application, as well as how totackle productivity innovation by maximizing the use of CIM and BIM:
Advantages Brought about by
CIM and BIM Applications• CIM
In order to specify the advantages brought about by the application ofCIM, operations involved in the entire steel-structure construction process
were classified into the following fivephases-preliminary design, detailed
design, member manufacture, erection
and maintenance, and then more than
90 papers available in Japan were surveyed. As a result, the keywords relating to application advantages were extracted as shown below:• Building of consensus• Selection of optimum design• Unified management• Interference checking• Automated calculation of the amount ofmaterials required• Automated preparation of drawings• Rapid collation and deliberation• Prevention/exclusion of reworking• Improved accuracy in member manufacture• Reduction of material loss
• Elimination of dependency on individual skills• Application of manufacturing robots• Visualization• Improvement of work safety• Prevention of errors• Advancement of construction technologies• Accumulation of data
• Introduction of robotic operations• Reform of the construction industry
It was confirmed from these keywords that CIM has many application
advantages, which are shown in Table 1.

• BIM

For the advantages of BIM application,
operations involved in the entire building
construction process were classified in-

11 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow April 2023

to the following six phases-basic plan,
basic design, detailed design, member
manufacture, erection and maintenance,
and the same papers used for CIM weresurveyed to extract the keywords relating
to BIM application advantages, which
are shown below:• Front loading• Building of consensus• Optimization of project costs• Quality in design, member manufactureand erection• Simultaneous execution of multiple tasks• Mutual tie-up• Reduction of construction term
• Safety training• Utilization of information• Nurturing of human resources
It was learned from these keyworks
that BIM has application advantages asshown in Table 2.

Table 1 Advantages by the Use of CIM
Operating phase

CIM application advantage

Preliminary design

Efficiency in building the consensus and selecting optimum
design pertaining to civil engineering projects can beenhanced

Detailed design

Occurrence of design errors and reworking can be prevented
by means of interference checking; Efficiency in quantity
calculation can be enhanced

Member manufacture

Conducive to enhancing the productivity through eliminationof reworking and improvement of member manufacturing
accuracy and to advancing the construction technology suchas introduction of manufacturing robots

Erection

Conducive to improving the safety and reducing theconstruction term and cost and to advancing the construction
technology such as introduction of VR technology

MaintenanceInspection efficiency can be enhanced; Effective
maintenance can be implemented by accumulating andsharing data

Entire phase

Entire construction process can be optimized by incorporating
robot introduction and AI technology and by renovating theoperating structure

Table 2 Advantages by the Use of BIM
Operating phase

BIM application advantage

Basic plan

Design concept that takes into account the businessfeasibility of project owner is prepared by capitalizing on theexperience of all related parties and the proposal of new
development

Basic design

Requirement specifications of project owner are arranged,
and basic design model (basic design drawing) is prepared

Detailed design

Detailed design model (detailed design drawing) is preparedin ways that transfer the requirement specifications
prepared in basic design to the contractor so as to obtain
the approval of project owner

Member manufacture

Design quality prepared in detailed design is converted into
the information that can be understood by manufacturing
staff and applied to member manufacture employing
fabricating machines

Erection

Information used for combining manufactured members isarranged and the information about products is connectedwith the information about people so as to smoothly
manufacture the end products

MaintenancePrepared information is retroactively is applied to improve
maintenance operations

Entire phase

Satisfaction from all stakeholders is obtained through mutual
understanding of operations in every phase so as to link tonext development

Tasks in Applying CIM and BIM
While it has been accepted from theabove that CIM and BIM have various application advantages in every
construction-related operation phase,
it was also clear from the result of thesurvey of more than 300 papers that
there are several tasks for promoting
their application in the following respects:• “Content of definition” of a model thatcan make the most of CIM and BIM
applications in every operation phase• “Functions” that the model should possess in realizing the “content of definition”• “Data delivery” that allows the transmission of necessary model between
respective operation phases• “Data management (interface)” required
for exchanges on the model that interfaces with the user in respective phases
In addition, it was noticed that thefollowing three tasks exist for the entire operation flow, and it was learned
that these three tasks work as factorsthat impede the wide-spread use of
CIM and BIM.
• Task of “systems” or the mechanisms
required to accomplish operations suchas adding methods/standards and delivery methods• Task of “human resources” required
for training the technological capability of users and improving their technological capability• Task of “equipment” relating to theenvironment for operating hardware/
software equipment

Measures to be Tackled for the
Promotion of CIM and BIM• Quantification of Advantages of
CIM and BIM Applications
The accumulated application results
clearly show that CIM and BIM havegreat advantages in application. However, any measures to convert theseapplication advantages to the cost are
currently unavailable, and thus the validity of CIM and BIM applications is
not widely shared. In the civil engineering structure industry in particular,
because the design phase and the member manufacture/erection phase are divided at the stage of order placementby the project owner, it is difficult toassess the optimization of CIM andBIM applications throughout the entire
process of a project by means of frontloading.
In addition, in order to improve theoperation efficiency of an entire construction process by means of CIM
and BIM applications, it is necessary
to promote CIM and BIM applications
not only by the main contractor butwith concerted efforts among all related companies.
A regrettable fact is that, because
most related companies have beenable to successfully implement projects by the use of conventional systems, the need for CIM and BIM applications has not yet filtered down tothem. In light of this, if the advantages
brought by the use of CIM and BIM applications vs the conventional operating frame could be quantified, it is expected that CIM and BIM applications
would be further promoted to the construction industry as a whole.

• Enhanced Efficiency in CIM andBIM Model Preparation
The amount of information on CIM andBIM models is vast and thus the preparation of these models requires a heavy
burden, which has resulted in hindering their wide-spread application. Fig.
2 shows an image of the measures thatare taken to ease the burden required toprepare CIM and BIM models. Setting
the burden required to prepare CIM
and BIM models at the vertical axis
and the time thus required at the horizontal axis, the workload at each phasein the project promotion is expressedin term of area in the figure.
In CIM, the data linkage between
related companies that differ in eachphase is being explored in the project
promotion phase (refer to Fig. 2-a).
This approach aims to reduce the work
loss occurring in the business type inwhich the contract is made for eachphase.
In BIM, on condition that the data
linkage between phases is already put
into practical use, a measure for frontloading is being used in which the model involved in the downstream phase isprepared in the upstream phase (Fig.
2-b). While a greater burden is borneby the upstream phase, this approachaims at reducing the reworking loadby solving in advance any problems
involved in the downstream phase.
This approach is based on reducing theoverall workload of the project.
The final goal of these approaches is
to further enhance the overall efficiency of projects by optimizing the use of
the peculiar feature of CIM and BIM
models-that the unified managementof these models is feasible.
• Delivery of Data between Phases
While effective application is being
promoted for CIM and BIM models
in every phase covering from design,
member manufacture and erection tomaintenance, there is a case in whichacross-the-board application over respective phases is not sufficient. Currently, the tool for use for the preparation of 3D models in the design phasediffers from that in the member manufacture and erection phases and at
the same time the tools even in identical phases differ depending on thosein charge of preparation, requiring thetime necessary to establish data exchange systems.
However, the early launch of measures to improve the productivity of
CIM and BIM models is consideredfeasible through the standardization of
the item of commonly applicable attribute information, the 3D model structure or the level-of-detail in the CIM
and BIM models. In addition, it is considered that the following measures
can be put into practical use early so as
to treat the task of the delivery of data
between phases.
-Interference checking in thedesign phase
Interference checking in the designphase leads to the front loading thatprevents reworking in the erection
phase.
April 2023 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 12

application and diffusion as a communication tool will be promoted, it is exUnit treatment by phase
pected that a new age will emerge inwhich the content of design, erection
Sharing dataand other operations can be understoodby the use of 3D models and entire
construction operations can be similarly managed.
Work amountCurrently, a great amount of labor isexpensed for the preparation of operating results produced by the combinedTime
use of 2D and 3D models and the delivery and modification of the data required for the execution of projects.
But in order to achieve the reform of(Phase) operating structures at an earlier stage,
it is desirable to develop and dissemi(a) Sharing data between phases (CIM)
nate tools that allow the mutual reflection of communications only using 3D
Front loading
models.
On top of these, the ideal desired byTimely processing of data
theconstruction industry is for labor(sharing data)saving over the entire construction process through not only the integration ofdrafting tools and design tools employWork amounting 3D models but also through the automation of such operations as designTimecalculation, model preparation, quantity calculation, project cost calculation
and attribute information assignment
similarly employing 3D models.
On the other hand, regarding the(Phase)transfer of building construction and(b) Front loading (BIM)
civil engineering technologies, which
has so far been handled by the socalled apprentice system, there aresome concerns that the transfer initiative itself would be weeded out in the-Transfer of attribute information to take the following measures: the ap- surge of ongoing business reform. Givconcerning maintenanceplication of three-dimensional survey- en this situation, how to transfer basic
In the span from construction period to ing at the surveying stage prior to the building construction/civil engineering
in-service period of structures, most of design stage, the obtainment of point technologies may be a future task to be
the span is accounted for by the period cloud data and then transferring this solved, and it will therefore be necesrequired for maintenance, and accord- data to subsequent processes.
sary to tackle this transfer issue in paringly it is possible not only to enhance
Point cloud data can not only be ap- allel with the issue of technology inmaintenance efficiency and to imple- plied in the design phase but also in heritance.
ment advanced maintenance but also working out the construction plan andto reduce the life-cycle cost of main- the plan for allocating heavy machintenance by organizing and providing ery in the erection phase, thereby leadmaintenance information in the design ing to front loading.
and erection phases.
-Effective utilization of• CIM and BIM for Use as
three-dimensional surveys
Communication Tools
The content of surveys in convention- Currently, the operating structure ofal use covers the plane surveying, lon- the construction industry is undergogitudinal surveying, and cross-section- ing a large-scale transition from being
al surveying of typical sections, and for based on conventional two-dimensionsites not subject to plane surveying and al drawings to being centered on threeprofile leveling, it has been impossible dimensional drawings. Given this, into grasp detailed height information. cases when the 3D model will be filTo remedy this situation, it is effective tered in the operating structure and its
Detailed
designMembermanufacture

Erection

Maintenance

Detailed
designMembermanufacture

Erection

Maintenance

Basic design

Basic plan

Work burden

Preliminary
designWork burden

Fig. 2 Enhanced Efficiency in Preparation of CIM and BIM Models

13 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow April 2023

Examples of the Practical Application of CIM and BIM
The measures to be addressed for thewider application of CIM and BIM arequite wide-ranging, and the scope andpriority of application differ dependingon the standpoint of various CIM andBIM users.
Given this, the solutions for efforts addressed at their practical application anddissemination are explained in the following with examples of CIM and BIM
that have already been put into practicaluse. It is expected that these examples
will serve as a help to promote the examination of future applications and the dissemination of CIM and BIM.

• Application Example 1:

Reconstruction of a Bridge Following River Improvement
The figures show examples of 3D CIM model of the bridge the construction step with the time axis and further preventcompletion prepared for use for deliberation with related or- ing the complicated crossing of vertical and horizontal arganizations and the CIM models prepared aimed at drawing rangements of the reinforcing bars from occurring.
Three-dimensional Model of Bridge Completion

Arrangement of Reinforcing Bars in Pier Structure(Interference Checking)Transverse
prestressingof floorslab

Erection steel
member (web)

Erection steel member(upper floor slab)

Outer cable

Temporary-fixing
vertical steel bar

Drawing of Erection Steps

April 2023 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 14

• Application Example 2:

Erection of a Bridge in a City Area
Making the most of point cloud data and 3D models, theCIM model was prepared with the aim of solving various isRestoration of Existing Facilities by Means ofThree-dimensional Surveying

sues arising from bridge construction in the city area. Specifically, the 3D model prepared for new bridge construction
was superimposed on the existing bridge restored by meansof three-dimensional surveying to share the points of attention for the new bridge construction.

Superimposing of New Bridge Three-dimensional
Model on Existing Bridge

Renovation of Operating Processes in the Construction
Industry
The Japanese Government has recently released the “future society Japan
should aim for”-Society 5.0 that goesbeyond the Society 3.0 (industrial society) and Society 4.0 (information society). In light of this, various kindsof technologies conducive to realizing
Society 5.0 are steadily being developed and improved.
In the construction industry, it is accepted that the effective application of
CIM and BIM will be adapted to thisinitiative for realizing the future society shown above. Meanwhile, the key
issue cited for promoting their effective application is the timing of the input and output of information and also
the sharing of information.
Further, the following is expected
to demonstrate a greater effect on theireffective application: the simultaneous
tackling by related parties of the re15 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow April 2023

spective phases from planning to maintenance.
When taking into account ongoingsituations such as the shift to the newsociety, the key issues required for theeffective application of CIM and BIM
and maximizing the effectiveness of
CIM and BIM applications, what theconstruction industry should work onin the future is to work out the mechanism that can maximize the benefitsof CIM and BIM applications and tochange the current mechanisms of CIM
and BIM applications. For example, inorder to make front loading effective
for productivity improvement, it is important to promote an approach that reexamines the current ordering system
in which design and construction are
separated.
Towards Further Improvement of
Productivity
The construction industry too is experiencing the hardship of the movetowards the digitalization of its operations, and DX (digital transformation) is raised as an urgent issue evenin construction operations. In order tosteadily get on board with these emerging trends, it is important how the newtools represented by CIM and BIM will
smartly be applied.
Currently the construction industry
is not able to get over these hardships.
Given this, it is desirable to build a
new work flow by doing the best of all
related parties right now, and to attainthis goal, it will be necessary for allparties such as project owners, designers and contractors to make every possible effort.
From now on, it is expected that industry, government and academia will
work together to solve these emerging
tasks without being restricted by conventional rules and accepted concepts
and to make the most of new knowledge to attain the final goal: the dramatic improvement of productivity.

Special Article: Stainless Steel

Concept of Landscaping the Sumida River
Terrace Connecting Bridge-Beautiful Duplex Stainless Steel Bridge That Evicts the Memoryof Edo, the City of the Waterby Kumiko Itagaki
CEO, Greenery Technology and Landscape Planning
Outline of the Landscaping
Project
The Sumida River is a river that flows
through central Tokyo. The Japanesesong “Hana” that sings of nostalgic
scenes of the Sumida River is a popularsong for schoolchildren. The river not
only served as a pivotal route for water transport in the Edo period (around1600~1867) but was also known as anoted place in Edo (currently Tokyo)that thronged with people until late atnight.
Then, the way of life of people
showed radical changes, and in the period of high economic growth (middle of the 1980s to beginning of the
1990s), the so-called “razor embankment” (embankment constructed using
concrete and having a narrow widthand a steep slope surface) had been
prepared, which led to the isolation ofpeople’s lives from the waterside. As
time has passed, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has recently started
the construction of high-spec embankments that take into account enhanced
water affinity with two aims: improvement of the seismic resistance of embankments and the preparation of theSumida River Terrace (a promenadealong the Sumida River) provided tofunction as a promenade.
Given this, the Tokyo Metropolitan
Government is currently implementing seismic retrofitting of floodgateson the Sumida River and subsequentlandscaping of these floodgates, and at
the same time connection of the Sumida River Terrace that was divided into parts by the tributary. In connection
with this project, two connecting bridges spanning each of the Tsukishimagawa floodgate and the Oshimagawa
floodgate were constructed in April
2020. In the construction of these twoconnecting bridges, resource-saving
duplex stainless steel (SUS821L1) wasapplied as the main structural material.

Concept of Designing the Floodgate and Connecting Bridge
While the main theme to be treated inthis article is the connecting bridge employing duplex stainless steel, the starting point of the bridge construction
project was the landscaping design offloodgates, and thus its design concept
is first introduced.
In the proposal of the “landscaping
basic design for the seismic retrofittingof floodgates and other facilities” heldby the Bureau of Construction, Tokyo
Metropolitan Government in 2013, ourcompany was designated to take chargeof landscaping basic design. In the proposal, our company proposed the connection of the Sumida River Terracethat had been divided into parts by thefloodgates and furthering the design ofthe connecting bridge to be constructed as a link to the floodgate landscaping design.
The target discussed in the proposal of landscaping the floodgate and other facilities covered 10 facilities such as
the Tsukishimagawa, Sumiyoshi, Oshimagawa, Shin-onagigawa, Tatekawa,
Genmorikawa and other floodgates andthe Kiyosumi drainage facility. While
their scale and location differ one byone, we proposed a unified landscaping
design. Incidentally, our proposal was
officially commended with the Awardof the Chief of the Bureau of Construction of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
The design concept of the floodgatesand connecting bridge are as shown in
the following:

Under the concept in which the“products” invoke a memory of a place
and with the design theme that recalls
the streets in old-time Edo, we haveproceeded with the design of floodgates
and the connecting bridge with the design motif of Japanese traditional products such as lattices, bamboo blinds andpaper-shaded lamps. Regarding the coloring design, black was chosen as a basic color from among the traditional
colors used in Edo, and the other colorsof the rainbow were arranged as accentcolors. The rainbow colors thus adopted
acquired a high-level assessment fromthe Landscape Deliberation Council of
Koto City in Tokyo, and it is fresh in ourmemory that a council member desired
to have a sample of the rainbow colors.
Specifically, continuously-arranged
windows were installed on the entire
wall surface of the floodgate shed, anda lattice was arranged on the exteriorwall and the window. Further, in orderto prepare the lighting window on theentire window surface, a line illumination apparatus was provided inside of
the floodgate shed. The exterior wall of
the shed was finished with dense greycolor, and the metallic structural section
was finished with a grey color denser than that used for the exterior wall,and the rainbow colors as accent colors
were applied to the handrail. The nameof the floodgate was expressed on thepaper-shaded lamp signs using the lettering found at the Japanese storyteller’s theater. (See Photo 1)

Realization of HistoricCharacteristics peculiar to the
Sumida River• The Sumida River and its ranging
waterways are the important remnants ofEdo, the city of the water.
• Image of ﬂoodgates and bridges is expressedin the design as products or events
that invoke Edo, the city of the water.

Photo 1 Landscaping design of the Oshimagawa
floodgate (with a lattice motif)
April 2023 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 16

Basic Design of Connecting Bridge• Design Concept

In response to the above-mentioned
floodgate landscaping design, ourcompany took charge of the basic design of the Sumida River Terrace connecting bridge project in 2014. The
design target covered the five floodgates at Oshimagawa, Tsukishimagawa, Sumiyoshi, Katagawa and Genmorigawa. Of these five floodgates,
the Oshimagawa and Tsukishimagawa floodgates were subjected to landscaping design prior to the other threefloodgates.
The landscaping design concept ofthese two floodgates was worked out
based the “streets of Edo” that havetaken root in the memory of Edo, andthe connecting bridge was designedwith a motif of yakatabune (traditional roofed pleasure boats sailingon the Sumida River) in conformity
with the “streets of Edo” mentioned
above.
The landscaping design proceeded
placing importance on the relationship between “the look” and “being
looked at” pertaining to the Sumida River, floodgate and connecting
bridge. At the same time, two typesof landscaping designs for the connecting bridge and floodgate thatshow the lapse of time were prepared- landscaping design for daytime light and nighttime light. (SeePhotos 2 and 3)• Configuration

In the design of the configuration of
the connecting bridge superstructure,a “plane” was provided in front of thehandrail to impart a sense of safety
to pedestrians by avoiding pedestrians looking at the water surface of theSumida River just beneath the handrail. In addition, the design was madein ways that allow well harmonization
between the bridge superstructure andthe floodgate in the background andmake the floodgate stand out. (SeePhoto 4)In the plane direction, the “plane”
expands at the pedestrian’s feet toward the plane center to bring about
the depth of the floor surface. In theelevation direction, the height of the“plane” is lowered toward the plane
center to make an open visual fieldso that pedestrians can see the water
surface on the Sumida River and obtain a sense of unity with the water.
As the pedestrian walks, the “plane”
becomes lowered and their sense of
openness becomes stronger.
The bridge configuration was designed so that, when looking up at thebridge from boats passing along the river, the bridge seems like a yakatabune
due to the expanded “plane.” Also, theviews of the connecting bridge consecutively change-from the bridge
floor slab to the walking space, andthen to the Sumida River.

Photo 2 Design of the connecting bridge at the
Tsukishimagawa floodgate-Daytime(floodgate: designed with a bamboo
blind motif)

Photo 3 Design of the connecting bridge at the
Tsukishimagawa floodgate-Nighttime

17 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow April 2023

Photo 4 Model used to design the connecting
bridgeIn addition to the passage width, a“staying space” produced by inflating
the plane center section was provided.
Pedestrians can see the water surface of
the Sumida River in the space surrounded by a handrail and “plane” to allow forthem to obtain a sense of the unity withwater.

• Structural Type

A simple girder bridge was selected as astructural type for the connecting bridge
superstructure.
The girder bridge has been adopted
for a long time and is familiar to people,
and further, it is a bridge type that is highin terms of landscaping effect because it
is unassertive, which led to the adoptionof the girder bridge type.

• Structural Material

Duplex stainless steel was selected as thematerial for the main structural membersof the bridge superstructure.
Stainless steel features high corrosion
resistance, which is conducive to realizing an infrastructure with long service
life. In particular, resource saving-type
duplex stainless steel (SUS821L1) ishigh in both corrosion resistance andstrength, which allows the lightweight
construction of structures. Further, thisis accepted as a rational material that allows the reduction of initial costs.
In terms of decorativeness, the surface finish (white, satin) peculiar to duplex stainless steel is beautiful and thus
is most suitable as a material for use in
the landscaping design of the connecting
bridge.
Among other reasons attributable tothe selection of resource saving-type duplex stainless steel are as follows: Because the bridge location site is in acoastal area, it was required to preventthe occurrence of corrosion due to flying air-borne salt. The bridge is always
seen by people, and thus it was required
to keep the occurrence of spot rusting
as small as possible. Because the undergirder clearance is narrow and it is difficult to install scaffolding for use for the
repainting of the bridge superstructure, it
was necessary to adopt a structural material that needs no repainting.
Meanwhile, for the floodgate door
subjected to seismic retrofitting, duplex
stainless steel has been applied from theviewpoint of maintenance. As a result,matched seismic resistance and maintenance were secured for both connecting
bridges and floodgates, further achieving

landscaping integrity between them.
While there have only been two cases of bridges in Japan in which duplex
stainless steel has been applied for themain structural members, the connecting
bridge at the Sumida River Terrace is thefirst of its kind as a bridge having lengthsof 40 m to 50 m.
Enhanced Comfort of the Sumida
River Terrace
The Sumida River Terrace was constructed with the effective use of a foundation
consolidation structure for the tide embankment. It is a promenade that is comfortable and high in water affinity.
In the construction of the two connecting bridges spanning each of the
Tsukishimagawa floodgate and the Oshimagawa floodgate, the Sumida River
Terrace that was divided into parts wasconnected at the confluence section of
the tributaries where the floodgates arelocated, thereby enhancing the accessand migration performance for pedestrians. Because such connection bridge
projects are scheduled to be promoted in
the future too, walks on the Sumida River Terrace will be even more enjoyable.
Concurrent with the construction of
the connecting bridge, lighting is also be-

ing installed at the Sumida River Terrace,
for which our company took charge ofthe design. Specifically, with the “streetsof Edo” as a design concept, the lighting
was designed so that warm lights gently expand along the Sumida River. For
the design of the lighting, duplex stainless steel was also applied as the structural members. (See Photo 5)
The memory of “Edo, the City of theWater” is still alive at the Sumida River, and on the Sumida River Terrace, newlandscapes depicting the floodgate, connecting with the bridge, and illumination

designed with a motif of the inheritanceof these memories of Edo are appearing.
It was an unexpected pleasure for ourcompany to be able to be continuously
involved in the landscaping design. In
these landscapes, stainless steel appears
as a high-performance structural member and in varied forms of application.
Capitalizing on the infinite high application potential offered by stainless steel,we wish to exert our design endeavors
toward the creation of more comfortableurban spaces.

Photo 5 Lighting at the Sumida River Terrace

JSSC International Committee

Message from the Chairman

by Hiroshi Katsuchi, Chairman, International Committee(Professor, Yokohama National University)
The Japanese Societyof Steel Construction(JSSC) has conducted
a wide range of activities pertaining to steel
construction-surveys
and research, technological development and the dissemination of steel construction for Japan andoverseas. It has also promoted tie-ups withrelated overseas organizations. Aimed at
spreading Japan’s steel construction technologies and developing overseas markets, the JSSC’s International Committee
took charge of editing Issue No. 67.
Issue No. 67 features Special Topic:
Current Tasks and Future Developmentof CIM and BIM Applications. In Japan,
plans call for the application of CIM andBIM in all public works project by 2023.

Major discussions in this special topic are
the advantages of their application, tasks
for future dissemination, practical examples of application and productivity improvements in the construction industry bycapitalizing on CIM and BIM. In the Special Article: Stainless Steel, the landscapedesign concept for the Sumida River Terrace Connecting Bridge is introduced. The
bridge has connected the Sumida River Terrace, a promenade along the Sumida River in Tokyo, which was divided into
parts by the tributary. The bridge was constructed using duplex stainless steel as themain structural material. It is the longest
of its kind in Japan and has also proved
to be useful in creating a new waterfront
cityscape.
In addition, this issue introduces the
JSSC Commendations for Outstanding

Achievements in 2022 in the field of steel
construction (four projects) and thesis(four papers).
On the JSSC Events page, a report isgiven of the 8th China-Japan-Korea Tall
Building Forum held in Korea on August
26, 2022, which was held by video conference. This Forum is one of the operationsof CTBUH.
In 2022 as well, due to the impact ofcoronavirus infection, JSSC’s global activities were held by means of remotetools. As efforts towards carbon neutrality
are being called for internationally, JSSC
plans to set up a research group and to start
discussions in cooperation with related organizations. We would like for everyone
to understand the activities of JSSC and at
the same time we would like to hear youropinions at any time.
April 2023 Steel Construction Today & Tomorrow 18

JSSC Events

8th China-Japan-Korea Tall Building
Forum in 2022

by Dr. Masayoshi Nakai, Director of CTBUH Japan Structures Committee;
International Committee of Japanese Society of Steel Construction
A hybrid conference based at Seoul
was proposed in the same way as lastyear due to the continuing pandemic of
the COVID-19. In the afternoon of Friday, August 26, 2022, the 8th forum washeld, using the videoconference system“Zoom” for Japanese and Chinese participants.
At the beginning of the forum, Prof.
Myung Sik Lee from Dongguk University gave opening addresses as the representative of Korean Council on Tall
Buildings and Urban Habitat, followed
by Dr. Masayoshi Nakai from Takenaka
Corporation on behalf of CTBUH Japan
Structures Committee and Dr.Yushu Liufrom Tongji University, China.
At the forum, Korea delivered four
lectures related to high-rise buildings on
construction using AI technology, structural health monitoring and evacuation
safety systems in case of fire. Amongthem, it is reported that so-called smart
technologies such as GPS measurement,
BIM, and 3D scanning have been widely used for quality and safety controls in
the construction of high-rise buildings,
which are producing good results.
Three lectures were given by China on
vibration control technologies to improve
the seismic performance and habitability, structural design and various issues
in the construction related to high-risebuildings. With regard to “Raffles City
Chongqing (Photo 1)” that consists of 8
skyscrapers with heights of 250 to 350
m in Chongqing, the structural design inwhich the tops of the 4 buildings are connected by a skybridge was introduced,
including the characteristic changes ofwhole structure depending on the connection conditions, and the arrangementof dampers and sliding bearings. “Wuhan
In addition to the onsite participantsCenter Tower” which is a 443 m tall sky- in Seoul, the number of online particiscraper in Wuhan was introduced and the pants was about 100 at its peak, which
design concepts of embedded steel plates contains more than 50 from Japan, andin shear walls and joint methods of outrig- there were active questions and discusgers were explained while stating that im- sions, including the use of the Zoom chatproving workability was the most impor- function.
tant issue in its structural design.
At the closing, Dr. Kwangryang
There were three presentations from Chung from Dongyang Structural EnJapan. Professor Hiroyasu Sakata from gineers Group on behalf of Korean CTTokyo Institute of Technology gave a BUH expressed his appreciation for thelecture on the current status and future active discussions with many participants
challenges of high-rise wooden build- about all presentations from three counings in earthquake-prone country, Japan. tries, which unfortunately took place onDr. Hiroto Kataoka from Obayashi Cor- line due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
poration made a presentation on the con- Finally, the conference concluded sucventional applications of computational cessfully with hopes that the next year’s
fluid dynamics, CFD in the early stages forum will be held in one place (Photo 2).
of planning forhigh-rise buildings and recent
applications suchas snow sticking to the materials of building
façade. In addition, Mr. Hiroki
Mukai from Ni- Photo 1 Raffles City Chongqing (© Yukio Tamura)hon Sekkei Inc.
introduced thestructural design
including
PBSD of the latest
high-rise building, “Toranomon
Azabudai Project, Block A”
which will be thetallest building inJapan at 325 mwhen completed
in 2023.
Photo 2 PC screen right after the online meeting

STEEL CONSTRUCTION TODAY & TOMORROW
Published jointly by

The Japan Iron and Steel Federation
3-2-10, Nihonbashi Kayabacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0025, Japan
Phone: 81-3-3669-4815 Fax: 81-3-3667-0245
URL https://www.jisf.or.jp/en/index.html
Japanese Society of Steel Construction
3F Aminosan Kaikan Building, 3-15-8 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0027, Japan
Phone: 81-3-3516-2151 Fax: 81-3-3516-2152
URL http://www.jssc.or.jp/english/index.html

19© 2023 The Japan Iron and Steel Federation/Japanese Society of Steel Construction
Edited byCommittee on Overseas Market Promotion, The Japan Iron and Steel Federation
Chairman (Editor): Keiji AndoP u b l i s h e d t h r e e t i m e s p e r y e a r, S T E E L C O N S T R U C T I O N TO D AY &TOMORROW is circulated to interested persons, companies and publicorganizations to promote a better understanding of steel products and theirapplication in the construction industry. Any part of this publication may be
reproduced with our permission. To download content (PDF format), please go
our website at: https://www.jisf.or.jp/en/activity/sctt/index.html. We welcome yourcomments about the publication and ask that you contact us at: sunpou@jisf.or.jp.