Investigation of the Collapse of a Building in the Final Stage of Its Construction

Abstract

In 2009, the Municipal Court of the City of Cajetina, Republic of Serbia, issued an order to a Commission of court-appointed experts (Commission) to perform an analysis of the collapse of a building in the final stage of its construction. The Commission was appointed by the Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade. The study reveals the steps taken in the process of determining the cause of collapse and the problems that have led to it, the conclusions and findings. Poor design and bad execution led to the collapse of the building. The causes of collapse were structural defects in calculations and rebar detailing, disregard of the procedures related to technical supervision and the procedure of obtaining a building permit, violation of building codes and good practice. The cause was determined using the following methods: analysis of documentation, analysis of regulations and legislation, in situ observations, interviews with participants on the process, and structural analysis through three dimensional modelling. The study also shows that safety factors in the built construction elements were low and inadequate. This work summarizes the principles, conclusions and findings of forensic investigation.