An architect has spoken on how to know if a building might collapse, following the collapse of a school in Jos which killed 22 persons including school children, and another collapse of a two-storey building in Kubwa, Abuja, last week.
Ebi Bozimo says Indicators of potential collapse include deep wall cracks and unsettling vibrations on the building. He, however, added that these signs may not always be immediately visible.
“Whatever the case, a building can be inspected even after construction,” he said. “Structural engineers use non-destructive testing used for inspecting elements of the building such as the beams, the columns, the slabs and ensure that what was used to construct them is actually what is needed to keep them up.”
Mr. Bozimo also pointed out that natural events like earthquakes and ground tremors could cause a building to collapse. He, however, added that many buildings collapse due to systems failure that manifests as structural faults. He identified improper use, overloading, and poor construction as common causes.
“Buildings sometimes can collapse because they were improperly put together or the materials used were not what was specified by the designers, or the process by which they were assembled was not as it ought to be. Also, when buildings are used differently from how they were intended, for instance, larger loads than expected were put on the building, they can collapse. For Instance, you don’t put a library which contains heavy things like books on a building which was just meant for merely residential purposes.”
Mr. Bozimo called on the government to regulate the construction industry by ensuring only licensed professionals practice. He also said sanctions should be imposed on unqualified individuals.
“In too many jurisdictions, construction is seen as an all-comers affair. Everybody and their mama gets up and becomes some kind of contractor. Contracting is not building. Building is a scientific thing. You are taking elements, people’s resources and money and putting them into a structure that must resist gravity and daily regular wear and tear. Not everybody has the qualifications. The government has to make an example of people who are not qualified to be in construction and put them under sanction. At that point, maybe there will be a chilling effect on just everybody wanting to become a builder.”
He also highlighted the need for better building information management and record-keeping to monitor building lifespans. Recall that the Governor of Plateau State, on Sunday, condoled with the families of the 22 victims of the building collapse, and declared three days of mourning in the state while in Abuja, the head of Public Affairs of the FCT Emergency Management Agency, Nkechi Isa, said efforts are ongoing to search for any other persons that may be trapped in the building that collapsed in Abuja.
