CASE STUDY

SKAA3243/SKAB 3243 – Theory of Structures

Session 2020/2021 - Semester 2

TOTAL COLLAPSE OF A SIX STORIES

REINFORCED CONCRETE BUILDING

Prologue

This case study requires investigation on the structural failure that leads to the total collapse of a
six-storey reinforced concrete building. Information related to the building and failure scenarios
are given herein, however the real inventory of the building will not be disclosed.

The building housed multiple local institutions and establishments such as offices, bank, and a
nightclub. It was functioning as per designed and shows some structural defects gradually after
completion. Eventually, the building collapsed 15 years after construction and killed many.

Figure 1 shows the front façade of the building. It had thirty-six reinforced concrete columns that
supported six concrete floors, totaling a weight of 6,000 tons. A parking lot was composed of the
underground while a bank branch took up most of the ground floor. The next floor was a popular
nightclub. The remaining floors were occupied by a budget hotel.
 Figure 1: Front façade of the building

All the mechanical equipment such as water tanks and air conditioning units, which were used to
cool off the building in the hot climate, resided on the roof. The total height is twenty-four meters.

However, throughout its service life, additional loads (as illustrated in Figure 2) were added to the
building which include;

i. 22 tons vault placed in the bank on the ground floor (4 years after completion)
ii. Two additional cooling towers were added by the owner on the roof of the building (7 years
after completion.
iii. Exterior layer on each floor were fixed with a heavy-duty ceramic that carries a total of 50
tons due to architectural reasons (11 years after completion).
iv. An extra cooling tower was added on the roof (15 years after completion).
 Figure 2: Additional loads to the building
Although the building experienced no severe impact during its lifetime, there was no proper
maintenance of the building and structural defects were either ignored or superficially treated.
Based on observation by individuals working in the building, visible cracks and incidents occurred
in different floors of the building years before the total collapse as depicted in Figure 3. The
building was thus in a state of progressive deterioration, up till its eventual collapse.
 (Between 3-8 years after completion)

(Between 9-14 years

after completion)

(12 years after completion)

Figure 3: Sequence of damages and structural failures in the building

Figure 4 shows the aftermath of the collapse in which the building is left with nothing but rubbles.
Based on early investigation report, the two major columns that were affecting the overall collapse
of the building is shown in Figure 5. Column A experienced micro-cracks initially due to the over
stressed condition. The weakening of the support structure in Column A caused the other load
propagate to another column; Column B.
 Figure 4: The aftermath of the collapse

Figure 5: The two columns that collapsed in the beginning

Soon after the disaster, an ariel photograph (Figure 6) is taken on the building site which shows
that heavy equipment, which were not stated in the original design plan, were found in the debris.
Those equipment are the extra loads added by the owner during the building’s 15 years of lifespan.
Figure 7 shows an image taken on the excavated foundation site of the building.

Figure 6: An aerial overview of the building collapse with the water tank and air conditioner
compressor lying on top of the heap of debris
Figure 7: An examination of the piles disclosed poor construction practice where the piles were
arranged haphazardly and in one case, there were 11 piles instead of the expected 9 piles

INVESTIGATION INSTRUCTION

In this project, your team is being appointed as the independent consultant to investigate the failure.
You are allowed to make assumptions where necessary and it should be stated clearly in your
report. The scope of the work for this project is listed in Table 1:

Table 1: Scope of Work

No. Scope of works Brief

1 Material test, building Type of tests and procedures (location of sampling, number of
site and construction samples, etc)
method assessment You may include some examples from past events/ failures to
support your discussion.

2 Structural design & Please present the data and details required (type of load,
analysis check complete load path, estimation of load, etc) to perform
structural analysis of the building and types of analysis
methods together with the procedure for design check.

3 Maintenance and Types of inspection and tests that can be conducted based on
periodical inspection the progressive deterioration occurred in the building as
reported during its service life.
 4 Building by law Requirement for renovation works and regulations.

5 Safety and health Issues related to the safety requirement by the safety
department, DOSH.

6 Report Your team are required to write a report about the detail
investigation works and procedures that covers the scope of
works as mentioned above.

CASE STUDY REPORT INSTRUCTION

This is a group project. The group members of maximum five (5) students will be assigned by the
lecturer in the middle of the semester. The report and presentation carry 10% of the final mark for
the course.

Learning outcome
After finishing this group project, the students are expected to be able to:
1. Implement and apply knowledge learnt from the course.
2. Appreciate the role of engineers in solving complex engineering problems through case study.
3. Learn and practice good presentation skill.
4. Write professional technical report.
5. Work in a team.

Report
In this case study project, you are required to write a group report. The maximum length of the
report must not exceed 10 pages of A4 paper, 1.5 line spacing, times new roman and 11 font size
including figures, pictures and references. The components of the report should include the scope
of works given by the client while at the same time professional report writing need to be followed.
At the end of your investigation, you need to conclude in the report:
➢ What is the most probable cause of structure failure based on your analyses?
➢ How does the additional loads on the building (after construction) contribute to the
structural failure/ collapse?
➢ How does the local site conditions could affect the collapse of the building?
➢ What is the important of periodical inspection and how could it prevent the collapse?
➢ What is the lesson learnt from such failure?
➢ What would be the recommendation for other existing structural building/infrastructure
projects that may be exposed to the same situations?

Presentation
Prepare the slides for a maximum of 10 minutes presentation about the case that your group is
reporting. Submit the file to your class lecturer in week 14 (depends on lecturer decision). Class
presentation will be in week 15 or to be decided by your lecturer. Every member of each group
must prepare and practice for the presentation. The presenter representing the group will be chosen
at random on the presentation day.

Marks
The marks for the case study project will be based on the following components

Criteria Marks
Report Writing
Sufficient content 60
Correct grammar, sentence structure, 10
continuity, etc.
Presentation
Slide. (Hint: slide should be simple, 15
legible, no animation and not too much
graphics)
Smoothness. (Hint: Do not read the note 15
nor reading from the slide)
Confidence, convince ability