Creating a breakthrough to solve the problem of renovating old apartments

Evidence is that when storm No. 3 recently hit, some districts of Hanoi had to urgently evacuate households from their degraded apartment buildings. This requires drastic intervention from all levels and sectors with breakthrough solutions to quickly solve the problem of renovating and rebuilding old apartment buildings.

Get involved strongly to create consensus

An old apartment building in Ba Dinh district. Photo: Thanh Hai

Currently, in Hanoi, there are nearly 1,600 old apartment buildings, built between 1960 and 1990 of the last century. Most of the apartment buildings have degraded to this point, posing a potential risk of insecurity. Of which, there are 6 dangerous areas of level D (the most dangerous level) that must be demolished for reconstruction, such as: Building C8 Giang Vo Collective Housing Area, G6A Thanh Cong Collective Housing Area, Building A Ngoc Khanh Collective Housing Area, Ministry of Justice Collective Housing Area... Faced with that reality, since 1999, Hanoi has set out the task of renovating old apartment buildings, with the goal of gradually eliminating old apartment buildings. However, according to a report from the Department of Construction, the renovation and reconstruction of old apartment buildings by the end of 2023 will reach 1.14% of the plan, with 19 areas being renovated and rebuilt.

Ms. Chu Thi Ha, 68 years old, living in room 202, building A2, Thanh Cong Collective, said: Up to now, her family has lived in this collective house for more than 45 years. After nearly half a century of existence, building A2 has visibly deteriorated with many peeling walls, even many concrete sections with exposed rust inside, feeling very insecure every time there is a storm. Therefore, more than ever, the people here are waiting for breakthroughs to contribute to speeding up the renovation of old apartments in the area.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Tam, Staircase Area 3, Room 409, Building G6A Thanh Cong Collective shared that in order to ensure the safety of households living in old collective houses before the recent storm No. 3, local authorities have supported the relocation of households to hotels in the area to avoid the storm. The functional departments of Ba Dinh District People's Committee coordinated with Thanh Cong Ward People's Committee to organize on-duty, ready to move people and property out of the old collective houses.

Mr. Nguyen Le Quoc Toan, Vice Chairman of Thanh Cong Ward People's Committee, said: To proactively respond to storm No. 3, Thanh Cong Ward authorities have proactively developed a plan and urgently implemented a review to determine the residential locations of people at potential risk of causing unsafety when the storm makes landfall. In addition, through propaganda, mobilization and support from the ward, the majority of households have proactively moved to other places of residence in advance.

Regarding the issue of renovating old apartment buildings, Mr. Nguyen Le Quoc Toan informed that in the area there are about 80 apartment buildings built before 1980 and up to now, all of them are in a state of disrepair. In particular, among them is the G6A Thanh Cong apartment building, which is a level D dangerous building. Implementing the direction of the City People's Committee and Ba Dinh District on promoting the renovation of old apartment buildings, the ward government has mobilized the entire political system to participate, organizing many propaganda and mobilization sessions to help people understand, comply with, and support the city's policy. Along with that, the ward also closely coordinates with the Urban Management Department, the District Construction Investment Project Management Board and other departments and offices in organizing the inspection of apartment buildings.

Mr. Tran Duy Anh, Specialist of the Urban Management Department of Ba Dinh District, said: With the spirit of strong participation to create change, as well as creating high consensus among the people, in addition to the participation of the wards, the head of the District People's Committee directly stood up to dialogue and answer questions of people living in the area that had to be renovated to create consensus.

Need breakthrough solutions

According to Mr. Tran Duy Anh, Ba Dinh district is also aiming for a number of breakthrough solutions in planning work to gradually remove bottlenecks in the renovation of old apartment buildings in the area. Specifically, implementing the direction of the City People's Committee leaders for the area of ​​detailed planning at a scale of 1/500 to renovate, reconstruct and rebuild old apartment buildings adjacent to the station location of the urban railway line (line No. 3, Nhon - Hanoi station), the district will organize research on TOD areas, which are allowed to apply architectural planning criteria, technical infrastructure, social infrastructure, space requirements and land use other than those specified in the national technical regulations on construction planning, ensuring compliance with the adjustment of the Capital's Master Plan.

For the model, the planning solution for residential groups and residential areas (old residential areas, renovated and reconstructed residential units) is determined according to the principle: maintaining the main technical infrastructure network (mainly traffic), landscape areas, lakes... (due to connection with the technical infrastructure system, traffic framework of the city); research to innovate internal roads or some internal dependent roads, branch roads in residential areas...

Research on increasing height, number of floors, architectural planning indicators, technical infrastructure, social infrastructure, ensuring compliance with National Technical Regulations on Construction Planning (QCVN 01:2021/BXD); Technical Regulations QCDP01:2022/TPHN - Technical regulations on planning and architecture in the areas of Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung districts issued with Decision No. 975/QD-UBND dated March 21, 2022 of Hanoi People's Committee, Specialized design standards...

Focus on liberating and re-exploiting land resources, as well as considering solutions to eliminate some existing housing groups, adjusting land use purposes (about 30%) to create a land fund for construction into commercial and service land (studying solutions to convert apartment buildings located on the outskirts, around the perimeter of old apartment buildings into commercial and service land to create resources, attract investors...).

For the old apartment complex Giang Vo, Thanh Cong has relatively similar current characteristics (many old, degraded high-rise apartment buildings): research on renovation, reconstruction and reconstruction in the direction of arranging additional commercial and service land in the "outside" of the old apartment complex, adjacent to main traffic routes, allowing on-site collection and resettlement, raising the height of the building, increasing the land use coefficient, renovation and reconstruction content, freeing up about 30% of land fund for commercial and service development; creating space, public service works at traffic intersections, green spaces, public underground spaces; through renovation, reconstruction and reconstruction of old apartment buildings (solving the needs of the building itself and surrounding technical infrastructure); creating the main spatial axis...

Regarding the results of the project to renovate old apartments in Ba Dinh district up to this point, Mr. Tran Duy Anh said that up to now, the district has organized the inspection of 32/74 old apartments in the wards of Doi Can, Cong Vi, Ngoc Khanh, Thanh Cong, Giang Vo, Lieu Giai, Truc Bach, and is completing the report of results to request the Department of Construction to appraise as a basis for submitting to the City Inspection Council to approve the inspection results. The first phase of 10 completed files has been submitted to the Department of Construction.

At the same time, the District People's Committee has organized a review and proposed the Department of Construction to report to the City People's Committee to add to the inspection plan of old apartment buildings in Hanoi for 60 apartment buildings in the area, which have not had inspection results and are not on the list of apartment buildings to be inspected according to Plan No. 334/KH-UBND dated December 31, 2021 of the City People's Committee.

Regarding the detailed planning work at a scale of 1/500, the District People's Committee has approved the contractor selection plan, organized online bidding and signed a contract with the Institute of Construction Planning.

Hanoi has set up tasks and detailed planning projects for the Ngoc Khanh, Thanh Cong, and Giang Vo residential areas. The selection of a consulting unit to develop a 1/500 detailed plan for the Lieu Giai Residential Area is underway.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/tao-dot-pha-de-giai-bai-toan-cai-tao-chung-cu-cu.html