Building Failure

Filed in Civil Engineering, Construction Industry, Construction Technology on

Oct.04, 2009

by Mohammed Azad Hossain

Building components tend to fail depending on materials, designs, method of

construction, environmental conditions and the use to which the building is
put. Substandard materials and design errors are major causes of
component failure.

Some of the main causes for building collapses are bad design, faulty
construction, foundation failure, extraordinary loads, unexpected failure
modes or a combination of causes. But collapses also occur due to natural
disasters such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, cyclones and fires.

Common design faults

All structures are designed to support loads without deforming excessively.

These loads include live load, which is the weight of people and objects, rain
and wind, and the dead load of the building itself.

Internal factors/human errors

The internal factors for bad design dont only mean errors of computation,
but a failure to account for loads the structure will be expected to carry,
erroneous theories, reliance on inaccurate data, ignorance of the effects of
repeated or impulsive stresses, and improper choice of materials or
misunderstanding of their properties. The structural engineer is responsible
for these failures, which are created at the drawing board. Sometimes
failures occur due to obvious negligence or gross human error.

The external factors

These are often natural, such as extraordinary loads, heavy rain,
earthquakes, hurricanes and a defective site, with very unusual ground
conditions, like sinking holes or swampy land. A building that is intended to
stand for some years should be able to meet all these challenges. This is
incorporated into the design. Identification of the characteristics of particular
site conditions by the engineers/consultants, through suitable geo technical
studies, can help with site selection and site progress that reduce the risk of
failure.

Inadequate awareness

Many structural failures have been the consequence of poor technical

research and knowledge. As technical awareness gets better, errors are
becoming by far the major cause of known structural collapses, mainly in
technologically advanced countries. An error in this situation is a gross error
or mistake, not a negligible computation error or construction divergence.

Common construction faults

Inappropriate construction

The contractors failure to build in accordance with drawings and

specifications can also add to failure of structures. Use of inferior or sub-
standard building materials is another reason buildings fail. Overloading
during the life span of a building can critically weaken the structural
reliability of it. Extra loads due to unauthorised change of use or additions
and alterations to the structure can intensify an under-designed building and
can contribute to its eventual failure.

Performance failures

Performance failure can be described as an intolerable difference between

anticipated and existing design and construction. The engineers design
interpretation must be put aside at the construction stage for the structure
to be effectively constructed.
Failure may occur due to consultants and contractors inadequate
supervision and control of site operations and quality control. Such errors
ultimately lead to a situation, which may involve such failures, which are
related to excavation and equipment, inappropriate sequencing, not enough
temporary support; unnecessary structure weight; untimely taking away of
shoring or formwork; and non conformance to design objectives.

Common material faults

Most structural failures are associated with materials and are the
consequence of human error involving a lack of knowledge about materials
or the combination of contrary materials. There are structural failures that
can be endorsed to irregularity in materials. Although much reliance is given
on modern structural materials, the manufacturing or production faults may
exist even in the most dependable structural materials, such as standard
structural steel. Stone frontage sheets or glass curtain walls may have
hidden serious faults.

Prevention

Most of the structural failures (other than those caused by natural disasters)
have occurred due to such faults, which are controllable. Good operational
planning and detailed deliberations can save the failures of the valuable
structures. The well-designed structures, coupled with the hard effort of the
experts and correct materials can ensure the structure a complete success.
Some other important points of failure prevention are:

Professionalism

It is of extreme significance for building professionals, including builders and

government bodies, to understand that the design process does not stop at
the conclusion of design drawings and specifications. The design aim must
take second place in the construction stage.
Increased antagonism during construction bidding, along with developers
aim of profit making, can place intense pressure and demand on the
engineers/consultants to create the most inexpensive and efficient design.
However, this should not compromise safety. Building experts have a great
liability to make sure that the safety of the buildings and infrastructures is to
the maximum.

Statutory bodies should be more proactive in imposing strict regulations in

building design, codes and standards and impose penalties for the violators.

Integrated efforts by all parties

Consultants and contractors must have total control of site operations and
quality. Site staff are required to be well qualified and competent and
correctly trained in the trade in which they are working to ensure good
workmanship and high quality of building works. Independent inspections by
statutory bodies are essential to make sure that the building is constructed
in accordance with approved plans and specifications.

A check system must be utilised to assess the integrity of structures based

on the professional engineers design and to give independent design results
to ascertain the sufficiency of the major structural rudiments of the
buildings.

The recognised check should therefore give particular concentration to

unusual design details. The inspector and checker should concentrate on
significant areas such as transfer beams and columns, and the centre of
attention should be kept on areas where errors are critical and frequent.

Conclusion

Design is a human endeavor and thus it is subject to error. Due to this,

some designs are destined to fail.
In case of a building failure there must be a transparent investigation with
professional engineers and forensic experts experienced in identifying the
root cause of failure. And having found the possible causes of the failure, it
is vital to know how to avoid it in the future. The primary step in preventing
building failures is to develop a programme for educating all parties on
lessons learnt from past failures. It is not advisable that a mistake once
committed and affected is repeated.Many decisions in design are based on
engineering judgement, but not only on the understanding of theory or any
computational tools. Even experience in extensive design in academic
context can provide only limited perspective in engineering decision making.
Most lessons in engineering decision making come from the cases of
histories of failures of structures, which itself are the results of a bad
judgement, thus making us understand the pitfalls in conceptual design.

From these experiences from past, the common causes of structural failures
are understood. The most common causes of structural failures are:
(1) Poor communication between the various design professionals involved,
e.g. engineers involved in conceptual design and those involved in the
supervision of execution of works.

(2) poor communication between the fabricators and erectors.

(3) Bad workmanship, which is often the result of failure to communicate the
design decisions to the persons, involved in executing them.

(4) Compromises in professional ethics and failure to appreciate the

responsibility of the profession to the community at large could also result in
catastrophic failures.

Other common causes of structural failure are:

(5) lack of appropriate professional design and construction experience,
especially when novel structures are needed.
(6) complexity of codes and specifications leading to misinterpretation and
misapplication.

(7) unwarranted belief in calculations and in specified extreme loads and

properties.

(8) inadequate preparation and review of contract and shop drawings.

(9) poor training of field inspectors.

(10) compressed design and/or construction time.

5 Guaranteed Solutions to Building Collapse in Nigeria

BY Jumia House 30 April 2015 Miscellaneous

On Sept 12th 2014, a six-storey guest house belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations
collapsed, killing over 100 people and most of them where foreigners. The reason for the collapse is still
under investigation but according to reports, the building was originally a two-storey building said to be
less than four years old, which the church decided to expand. It was also reported that the building had
no approval from relevant agencies of the government.

This is one of the tens to hundreds of building collapse cases in Nigeria with each of them having its own
reason for collapsing. The frequency of collapse building structures in Nigeria in the past few years have
become very alarming and worrisome and many lives and properties have been lost.

A visit to the collapsed scenes makes one to wonder why such a building should have been allowed to
stand in the first instance and also reveals the extent people can go to cut corners at the expense of
property, safety and lives.

This is a follow up to the conversation that matter I started on Unite Nigeria on why building collapse in
Nigeria where I shared several insights from different perspectives on why buildings collapse in Nigeria,
you should read it, the statistics are staggering!
But in this article, I will be sharing 5 guaranteed solutions to building collapses in Nigeria. My goal is to
add to the general body of knowledge out there from my own personal 9 years experience in Nigerias
construction industry as a professional building contractor.

Strict Adherence to Quality Building Materials

Experts have revealed that one of the major causes of building collapse is the failure and lack luster
effort of building contractors to pay strict adherence to quality building materials. A research by the
Standard Organization of Nigeria indicates that poor quality building materials are major causes of
building collapse in Nigeria. The research pointed directly at cement because most cement used in
building construction does not hold other particles strongly.

From a professional point of view, there are three cement types presently in use worldwide, which are
32.5mpa, 42.5mpa and 52.5mpa.

The 32.5mpa can only be used for plastering and block making.

The 42.5mpa is for multipurpose usage such as block moulding, concreting, slabs and high rise buildings
but it cant be used for plastering.

The 52.5mpa can be used for high density works such as bridges, embankments, dams and retainer
walls.

Therefore to ensure the avoidance of building collapse, builders should always ensure that the right
cement specification is used for the appropriate construction types.

The RIGHT Human Resource

Another major guaranteed solution to building collapse in Nigeria is the employment of the right human
resource to any building and construction project. To ensure that the right human resources are
engaged in building and construction projects the following steps should be adhered to;
Engagement of professionals and competent workforce:

Contractors in other to cut the cost of projects, most times engage the services of nonprofessionals
who are not licensed to engage in any building projects. Experts have blamed incompetent artisans and
weak supervision of workmen as one of the major reasons of building collapse. It is generally said that
the best way to manage a crisis is to avoid it, it is advisable that the best way to manage crisis resulting
from building collapse is to prevent it by avoiding the use of quacks and non building professionals in
any major building projects.

Training and retraining of building practitioners:

All relevant building regulating bodies should ensure constant continuous education and professional
development of its members that will help them update their skills and knowledge.

The RIGHT Design Structure

Having the right design structure is a guaranteed solution to building collapse. Building contractors
should ensure that their designs are reviewed and approved by appropriate authorities before
construction begins. This is so because most designs in Nigeria are copied from other countries without
considering the conditions that led to such design.

Bad design does not only mean poor architectural design, but it involves some other professional design
inputs. To get the right design structure, it is advisable that the contractor engages the services of a
building designer. The areas to look out during design to guarantee reduction of building collapse
includes;

Designers should ensure adequate feasibility study on the authenticity of the land and nature, soil
adequacy, site inventory and analysis.

Ensure the avoidance of inadequate or poor design details, poor supervision, sub-standard material
specification and faulty or lack of maintenance schedule.
Proper Maintenance Culture

Poor maintenance culture is another factor that can lead to building collapse. The truth is that even the
best constructed buildings need constant attention and if the attention is delayed, what can start as
being something very minor is liable to turn quickly into an expensive man-made disaster.

No building can exist throughout its lifespan without the need for one form of maintenance or the
other. Experts believe that maintenance work commences on the day the contractor leaves the site.

The necessity for maintenance work on buildings is noted in the fact that all buildings as well as the
materials and components therein, deteriorate or suffer loss in aesthetic, strength and or functional
value with exposure to the elements of weather over time.

The following strategies can be used to ensure proper maintenance of a building;

Corrective maintenance: This is a maintenance strategy that involves every activity performed to
identify, detect and rectify a fault so that the failed structure or building element can be restored to its
normal state. This type of maintenance is carried out in other to restore the structure to its original
state. If this type of maintenance is to be used, then the element is allowed to be used until it breaks
down to a point where it can only be repaired or replaced.

Preventive maintenance: This is another type of maintenance that is performed on a building structure
to lessen the likelihood of it failing. Just as the name implies, it is performed immediately it is detected
to avoid an unexpected collapse.

Condition based maintenance: This strategy involves maintenance when the need arises. It involves the
use of actual condition of the structure to decide what maintenance needs to be done. This can be done
by monitoring the buildings elements such as walls, floors, roof etc to identify which element that
requires maintenance before a major failure occurs.

Passing and Signing the National Building Code

The national building code is the document that is expected to regulate the conduct and operations of
professionals and stakeholders in the construction industry. It is some sort of guideline for those who
operate in the building/environment sector. Experts believes the absence of a National Building Code
has been largely responsible for the incessant incidence of collapsed buildings being witnessed across
the country and that passing the national building code into law will definitely;

Regulate and stop the use of non-professionals and quacks in the building and construction industries
who are also major contributors of building collapse.

Ensure the compliance by contractors to stop the use of untested products and materials in all
construction projects as a way of preventing structural defects.

Proper maintenance culture. Just as I stated earlier that poor maintenance culture can lead to building
collapse. The national building code will ensure that builders implement good maintenance culture
regularly and always.

Conclusion

Apart from some very rare cases of the act of God, most building collapse cases in Nigeria are majorly
man-made. By following these 5 solutions, I can guarantee to a very large extent that the numbers of
building collapse cases in Nigeria will drastically reduce if not totally eradicated.

Obviously, these are not all the guaranteed solutions to building collapse in Nigeria, as I continue my
research and study on this subject matter, be rest assured to get more updates from me!