Karydis: “OAKA must remain closed for a year”

For his issue Olympic Stadium the professor of anti-seismic constructions spoke to ERT Panagiotis Karydis.

The professor initially reported that the OAKA should remain closed for a yearbut also to check the rest of the projects Calatrava.

“The problem is more general. In other words, the Calatrava studies all have a particularity. They are not ordinary projects, they are not ordinary metal structures. They have a particularity both in terms of design, conception and execution.

That is, all the nodes, connections, welds, bolts, all that make up the construction, were applied not only in this work, but were also applied in other similar works that Calatrava did not only in Athens but also elsewhere”first reported and continued:

“I recommend immediate and thorough checks on the other Calatrava projects, because they will have similar problems, whatever problems this building has shown they will also have similar problems. And let’s not wait afterwards for any pieces to fall from above, to unlock screws, to have cracks, to have rust, etc. So this is a prisoner.

Secondly, I think that the problem is very important and it does not extend only to the visible points that we see with the rust or with various, the cracks, possibly with the bolts that we said, but in the following two elements which in my opinion are equally important or more important I could say.

First, this building, as we see it over here, has permanent oscillations, which I had originally measured, and this whole building, especially the high points, is constantly vibrating. That is, if one goes to put his hand up, being still, or puts a machine, he will understand that this thing is constantly shaking, by the nature of the work, that is how it is.

But if there are various problems – and it is not the time to say what these problems are, we can understand it – they increase the range of vibrations, i.e. how much it shakes, it shakes more, more and more etc. These vibrations create the phenomenon of fatigue of the materials. It is known in engineering that fatigue of materials results in the material breaking.”

For the stands:

“It is an old issue which in my view is still pending. It hasn’t been solved. But now there is, in my opinion, a more basic issue, very important, perhaps this is the most important: of the static composition and assumptions that were taken into account during the initial study phase.

Possibly they do not meet the regulations that were taken into account. It is in a way black and white I could say which creates huge problems that are not easily solved”.

For the period that OAKA will remain closed:

“It will need to be closed for at least a year, at least. Here we are, I’m sorry to say, everyone has to take their measures, plan.”