Development of basic technologies to support new structures

There are three ways to build an airport on the sea: reclaiming land, using a pier, or using a floating structure like a ship. When Kansai Airport was planned about 30 years ago, there were hopes that the floating structure would be realized for the first time, but in reality, it was built on reclaimed land. This time, although only a part of it, it is the first airport that does not rely on reclaimed land.

As Japan is an island nation, it is necessary to build various structures from the coastal areas toward the sea, and various research and development efforts have been conducted since ancient times to overcome this challenge. About 40 years ago, when I was in the steel structure laboratory of the Department of Architecture, fatigue tests of welded steel pipe joints were repeated every day. The experiment predicted that marine structures would require large, lightweight, and highly rigid steel pipe structures, and confirmed the safety of such structures when subjected to repeated loads. The results of various technological developments were used in the construction of this runway to prevent the formation of rust, which is a weakness of iron. In addition, construction techniques for building large structures on the sea were also developed, leading to the completion of Runway D.

Will this kind of basic technological development for the future that has been carried out so far continue to proceed smoothly in the future? Until now, research and development has been carried out by companies, universities, or public institutions. Companies begin research with an idea of actual demand, assuming that the objectives and results will lead to rough business investment. However, research and development also has a scientific aspect of pursuing the truth, and control is becoming more difficult. In this environment, it will likely become more difficult to invest in research and development in large, heavy industries, whose operations are shrinking. Furthermore, with universities placing more emphasis on management, it appears that funds and efforts are no longer being allocated to long-term research and development. The country is relying on them to become a science and technology-based nation, but with limited financial leeway, it is becoming more difficult to fund research whose effects are unclear.

In this situation, it is corporations such as foundations, associations, and NPOs that are expected to play a key role. I believe that an important role of such corporations is to collect and distribute funds to people and organizations that are motivated to develop. Currently, reforms to the public interest corporation system are being made, but I would like to see the significance of the activities of corporations that support R&D grants be fully respected.

The underwater world beneath Runway D, which uses a jacket structure to avoid impeding the flow of the Tama River, is brighter than expected, and it is expected to become a haven for marine life in Tokyo Bay. We hope that further research will be carried out to further improve this environmentally friendly structure.