100 StoriesThe Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995—Hebel Haus™ to Survive Without a Scratch

The Great Hanshin earthquake occurred before dawn on January 17, 1995. This major earthquake struck the Kinki region, causing it great damage. It struck the Asahi Kasei employees who lived in that region. While protecting their families and life, they were also putting their effort into supporting customers.

This first step that was taken on the day of the earthquake was confirming the safety of the employees and their families. Fortunately, there were no deaths or severe injuries among the employees, but many of their and their families’ homes took severe damage. That is why Asahi Kasei established a support system where they secured temporary homes for the employees who suffered from the disaster, and asked for relief funds from all group employees.

Meanwhile, service calls were flooding to the Hebel Haus™ emergency customer support right after the earthquake. There was no time to organize the information or think of solutions until the support staff arrives the next day from various places. President of Asahi Kasei Homes and emergency response general manager Yuji Tsuchiya emphasized, “We have to check on the inhabited homes first,” and sent out units that can diagnose the status of the building.

In the inspection, every inhabited Hebel Haus™ in the main areas that suffered severe damage were visited one by one to check their resistance against the earthquake. It was the first time to experience such a great earthquake, so the inspection was conducted thoroughly.

What was reported back was the overwhelming strength of Hebel Haus™ that goes beyond expectation. At the fire scene where the fierce fire lasted for a long time over a large area, despite its exposure to the fire, Hebel Haus™ stood there and prevented the spread of the fire. Hebel Haus™ withstood and supported neighboring houses that came falling like Dominoes, receiving appreciation, “If it wasn’t for Hebel Haus™, the house would have collapsed completely and we would have been pinned under it.”

The result of this inspection confirmed that none of the Hebel Haus™ units collapsed, protecting the tenants. However, many were worried if they should keep living in the unit without inspection. To reassure the tenants, another structural diagnosis visit was conducted and the tenants were informed of the details of the maintenance required, if any.

And finally, the restoration started. Many of the victims who witnessed the performance of Hebel Haus™ during this earthquake came to visit the exhibit. In addition to the reports of the inspection results, the direct response from the victims is proof that the performance of Hebel Haus™ is highly recognized.

While the surrounding buildings were getting completely destroyed, Hebel Haus™ withstood in the fire without collapsing. The strength of Hebel Haus™ was reiterated through the Great Hanshin earthquake, which caused tremendous damage. However, even if the house itself does not collapse, if the neighboring house tilts, it may apply excess load on the house by gravity, causing it to tilt as well. This led to developing a new system device to meet the demand for houses that can be restored with minimum cost even in such cases.

Hebel Haus™ did not suffer any major or minor damages, exhibiting its strength during the Great Hanshin earthquake, which caused severe damage to buildings. Even during severe shaking, it did not collapse, and even during the large-scale fire that spread afterward, the building acted as a firewall, preventing the surrounding area from catching on fire and spreading.