 Outline
of the division |
| The Structural Standards Division performs studies that are related
to standards (ordinances and notifications) concerning the structures
of buildings and houses (superstructures, foundations, and the ground)
under the Building Standard Law and the Housing Quality Assurance Law.
The division is in charge of: 1) Understanding the needs of new standards and modification of standards based on social demands and technological progress, 2) Preparing drafts for new standards and modifications, and 3) Accumulating fundamental studies and collecting information about advanced technologies as the basis for formulating standards. |
| Study
themes |
| Development
of timber-based hybrid building structure technologies |
| Wood is friendly to the environment and effective for preventing global warming. To increase the use of wood, the division is developing technologies for constructing buildings of four to five stories, which accommodate offices, schools, and apartments, using new wood materials combined with steel, concrete, FRP and other materials and for evaluating the performances of such buildings. |
 Overview of the study entitled "Development of timber-based hybrid building structure technologies" |
| Study
on the trend of new technologies and future images of building structure
standards |
| A number of new technologies are being introduced for building structures. New materials and new structural styles need new methods for evaluating the performance of the structures. The division is monitoring the trends of new technologies and is investigating the future image of structure standards to deploy safe and economical building structures. |
 Overview of the study entitled "Study on the trend of new technologies and future images of building structure standards" |
| US-Japan
Cooperative Reserch Program on Auto-adaptive Media (Smart Structural Systems) |
| Smart structural systems are defined as systems that are autonomous relying on their three functions of system, sensor, and effector. These three functions correspond to the brain, nerves, and muscles of a person, and enable the building to respond to the change of external disturbances. This study aims to develop such autonomous smart structural systems that responds to disturbances. |
 Overview of US-Japan Cooperative Reserch Program on Auto-adaptive Media (Smart Structural Systems) |
| Members |
| Head |
Tatuya Azuhata | Vibration Controlled System, Base Isolation structure |
| Senior
research officer |
Masashi Miyamura | Wooden Materials Components, Wooden structure |
| Senior
research officer |
Hiroshi Arai | Building Foundation and Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering |
| Research
officer |
Kumiko Ono | Building Production, Execution |
| Others |
|
The Structural Standards Division, which is on the fourth floor of the Tatehara Building, is investigating various topics concerning structures in the field of buildings. Building structures are seldom noticed, except for ultra-tall buildings and super-long span structures, but are indispensable for ensuring the safety of people inside buildings during earthquakes, typhoons, and other natural disasters. The division is conducting studies and researches to support such unnoticed but important structures. The study results are integrated to propose and formulate new and modified standards so that all people may feel safe and comfortable within buildings. |
