New Expert Report on Grand İsias Hotel Collapse Highlights Code Violations

The report emphasizes that the building did not comply with earthquake regulations. This third expert report was prepared by academics from Istanbul Technical University and Dokuz Eylul University.

Following objections from the parties involved, the court decided to form a new expert committee, which included seven academics who produced a 170-page report after conducting a three-day on-site examination.

The new report submitted to the court highlighted various issues, including the use of faulty aggregates in the production of the building's concrete and variable concrete compressive strength. It was noted that stirrups were not bent at 135 degrees, and there was inadequate compaction in the confinement regions. The report also pointed out that voids had formed in the hollow floors during the construction of two elevators and a service shaft as indicated in the architectural project approved in 2001.

The report stated that the static-reinforced concrete projects of the building were not designed according to earthquake regulations and indicated that additional floors had been illegally added to the building after the initial construction.

It was mentioned that none of the parameter information used in the seismic calculations was available in the documents. Furthermore, the static calculation report prepared by the detained construction engineer Halil Bağcı was deemed insufficient to assess the hotel's earthquake safety.

Lack of Soil Study

The report emphasized that soil studies had become mandatory in Adıyaman city center as of September 2, 1999, yet no such study was conducted on the parcel where the hotel is located.

It was pointed out that unauthorized additional floors were added to the building, which required obtaining a construction permit. The report included the following information:

“To obtain this permit, it is necessary to redo the building's static calculations to demonstrate its safety and prepare the required projects accordingly. Furthermore, a seismic performance analysis must be conducted in accordance with the applicable earthquake regulations, showing that the building is safe against earthquakes before a construction permit can be granted. Additionally, the construction should be completed under the supervision of appointed technical inspectors according to the attached permit projects. It has been determined that none of these procedures were followed during the construction of the illegal floors.”

Insufficient Concrete Quality

The report stated that the concrete quality was inadequate for the hotel, noting, "If the material properties, dimensions of the structural elements, reinforcement amounts, etc., had been determined during the process of obtaining the renovation construction permit in 2001, and the design had been carried out according to the 1998 Earthquake Regulation, the building would not have been expected to collapse in this earthquake."

It concluded that the building collapsed, resulting in a rubble heap, due to the loss of vertical load-bearing capacity and subsequent movement of the upper structure towards the ground. It also indicated that all defendants hold various responsibilities in the adverse conditions during the construction phase of the building.

Background of the Incident

In the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, 72 people, including athletes from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, lost their lives at the Grand İsias Hotel. The hotel owner and defendants Ahmet Bozkurt, his son Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt, and architect Erdem Yıldız are among those detained, while eight others face charges.

The indictment requests prison sentences ranging from 2 years and 8 months to 22 years and 6 months for the defendants, who are accused of causing the deaths and injuries of multiple individuals through negligence. The indictment cites the addition of an unauthorized floor to the hotel, originally built as a residence in 1993, in 2016, along with insufficient material quality and non-compliance with regulations.

The fifth hearing of the case will take place on December 3 at the Adıyaman 3rd High Criminal Court.