Reasons Why Buildings Fall Apart

Buildings are designed to stand the test of time, but sometimes, they face challenges from natural forces or structural defects. Understanding the factors that can lead to a building's deterioration is crucial for ensuring the success of your construction projects.

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Curious about the underlying causes of building failures? Keep reading to discover more.

Geological Events

Natural geological events, particularly earthquakes, put stress on the building and can cause collapse. In areas where earthquakes are common, seismic codes help ensure that buildings in the area are able to withstand minor to severe earthquakes without collapse. Structures in areas where building codes are not followed or do not apply may be vulnerable to collapse during seismic events.

Fire

Fire does not often cause structural collapse, but it certainly can. Fires become so hot that they can cause some of the building's elements to change, warp, or expand. When this happens, the floors and ceilings of the building are weakened. When the fire is extinguished by water, this too adds weight and stress to the upper floors. Both problems can cause the building to collapse.

Extreme Weather

Certainly, weather events that cause high winds, heavy snow, rain, and flooding are all problems that can lead to structural collapse. During hurricanes, for example, high wind that rushes into a building can cause a sudden buildup of pressure inside, leading the roof to blow off. During a blizzard or snowstorm, a buildup of heavy snow on the roof of a building can cause roof collapse.

Structural Defects

Structural defects are certainly one of the most common and obvious reasons that buildings collapse. A famous example of this is the Surfside building collapse in 2021, when defects in the building construction caused water to permeate the concrete, leading to the deterioration of the rebar inside the structure. This building was not constructed according to building codes and thus collapsed.

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