Why buildings collapse

To those who want to save money on professionals, he advises: "One should not be penny wise and pound foolish". Mr Ede says a building collapses when the load is beyond the strength of the building. He gives the example of asking a baby to carry a heavy box: "The baby will not be able to withhold the strain. Even if the foundations and the materials are strong enough for what they were originally built for, that purpose may change.

So, Mr Ede says, if a building was designed to be a home and is then turned into a library where boxes and boxes of books are piled up, the building may strain under the weight. He says another reason why the load is often heavier than the original design is because extra storeys are added. In March an upmarket apartment block which had more storeys than planned collapsed in Lagos, killing 34 people the Guardian reported.

This came two years after a church accommodation for the famous preacher TB Joshua collapsed, also, authorities said, because it had more floors than it could hold. In that case more than people lost their lives.

At all points of construction the strength of the building should be tested, says Mr Ede. It's the enforcement of the law which is the problem," he says. That's a big problem, he says, when at every stage of construction there is someone with a strong motivation to save money or take money.

There are many physical reasons a building can collapse but only one driving motivation for that to happen, says Mr Ede. That's money. And for him this is the real reason buildings collapse - corruption. How do you demolish a skyscraper? The problem with the skyscraper wind effect. Image source, EPA. Dozens of people are still feared trapped under the rubble in Nairobi. The foundations are too weak. This includes investigation by city, county, and state authorities, as well as by private investigators hired by personal injury attorneys.

Oxide Jacking. Want to continue reading? You Might Like. The American Lawyer. Mentioned in a Law. This is perfect for attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions or for attorneys that have fulfilled their CLE requirement but need to access resourceful information for their practice areas. View Now. Team Accounts Our Team Account subscription service is for legal teams of four or more attorneys. Each attorney is granted unlimited access to high quality, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry along with administrative access to easily manage CLE for the entire team.

Bundle Subscriptions Gain access to some of the most knowledgeable and experienced attorneys with our 2 bundle options! Our Compliance bundles are curated by CLE Counselors and include current legal topics and challenges within the industry. Our second option allows you to build your bundle and strategically select the content that pertains to your needs. Both options are priced the same. Go to CLE Center. From Data to Decisions Dynamically explore and compare data on law firms, companies, individual lawyers, and industry trends.

Exclusive Depth and Reach. Go to Legal Compass. Healthcare Real Estate November 30, - December 01, Scottsdale, AZ Join the industry's top owners, investors, developers, brokers and financiers for the real estate healthcare event of the year! Go to Events Go to Webcasts. When questioned about this, Gupta said work on that front could not progress as the pandemic began.

In the current survey, such buildings have been found across eight zones in Bengaluru, according to a BBMP official who did not want to be named. The final survey is supposed to be submitted by the end of October. It is an ongoing process and we will issue notices.

In cases where there is immediate danger, we are ordering them to vacate immediately. But despite all these surveys, the truth remains that the BBMP hardly acts. In most of these instances of buildings collapsing, the buildings were occupied by tenants from low income groups who knew little about the structural defects of the house until the eleventh hour. While they were unhurt, they lost whatever they purchased — from furniture to appliances.

It almost seems as if the fact that people did not die in these incidents has made the BBMP breathe easy. The basement cracked and 32 families living in the buildings were forced to leave.