Reasons for Dubai building collapse revealed

Tuesday, 8 September 2009 7:41 AM

A building in Deira collapsed last month because its structure was weak and incorrect building materials had been used, Dubai Municipality has revealed.

The building, located near the Ramada Hotel across the street from the Dubai Police HQ, was in the final stages of completion when it collapsed on August 16. Eleven construction workers narrowly escaped death when the six-storey building fell to the ground.

Hussain Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality, said that the collapse was due to faults in the building’s structure.

"There were faults found in all three of the categories," he told UAE daily Gulf News in comments published on Monday. "There was an engineering fault, misuse of building materials, and the structure of the building was found to be weak. That is evident from the fact that the building collapsed on itself from its middle."

A committee was set up to identify the causes of the collapsed building by Dubai Municipality the day after the collapse.

The investigation report will be released to the media after it has been viewed by the Executive Council. Lootah said.

The building next to the collapsed building will be demolished because of damage to its structure, he said.

Arabian Business identified Sharjah-based Al Hazza Building Contracting Company as the contractor working on the project.

The firm has insured the building for a contract value of AED70m with National General Insurance (NGI).

Join the Discussion

Disclaimer:The view expressed here by our readers are not necessarily shared by Arabian Business, its employees, sponsors or its advertisers.

Please post responsibly. Commenter Rules

Read All 10 Comments

Posted by: VC Sunday, 13 September 2009 9:42 AM[UAE]

Well the answer is GREED. Nobody had time, before the economic crisis, to validate what was going into the buildings. Everybody had their hands full with work. All statutory authorities were flooded with designs waiting to be verified, designers had their tables full and contractors had their orders books saturated with work. Everybody was running to create the biggest, the best. Well Done! Bravo! Some works are simply breathtaking and not imaginable in any other part of the world. So can we get back to basics now and get our act right from here on!

Reply to this comment.

Posted by: Hal-Luke Savas Saturday, 12 September 2009 10:42 PM[UAE] - United Kingdom

I am almost sure answer lies in the make up of the construction crew. Having worked in Middle East for 25 years or so, I came to notice that some crews treat construction as 'finish it at any cost'.. in short quality is not the main aim but to finish it earliest and hang tiles on it to hide whatever is behind. Does anybody know what was the top construction crew make up on this project ? Hal-Luke Savas MBA FCIM MBIFM ICIOB affCIBSE londonmanagement@aol.com

Reply to this comment.

Posted by: ARABI Wednesday, 9 September 2009 11:15 AM[UAE] - UAE

I hope to see all those involved in the construction of the building taken to COURT.

Reply to this comment.

Posted by: Atheek Ahmed Wednesday, 9 September 2009 9:48 AM[UAE] - UAE

As per DM regulations full time Architectural and Engineering Consultants to be available on the site.DM has given full authority to the consultants for monitoring the quality and standards.Approved drawings from DM might be not fully implemeted.Its not the fault of the company but its fault of the team depolyed on this project on behalf of the contractor and consultant. see any thing wrong in the

Reply to this comment.

Posted by: Fishy Tuesday, 8 September 2009 6:15 PM[UAE]

I agree with vigilant, the design is approved by DM. If there is a fault in design, somebody in DM has to account for it. As well as inspectors who checked as the structure is being built. The article does not sound right. A building collapsing from the middle is fishy, as it is the outside corners that carry the most load. Columns in the center part shares the load with four other posts at least. That is why a stable pile of any loose substance is shaped like a pyramid- the center "can" carry the most load. If the structure is weak, it will go down by outer walls first. Perhaps it was delibirately felled to get the insurance. That building has a tolet sign for quite a while and no one is renting. Nobody getting seriously hurt is another fishy story.

Reply to this comment.

Read All 10 Comments

Log in Not registered? Register now!

Retrieve password form

Services:

Related:

Stories

Also in Construction

Also in UAE

Join the Discussion

Further reading

Features & Analysis

Most Popular

Most Discussed