Large sections of the top most storey of a reinforced concrete multi-storey car park
building, built in late 1980’s in the centre of a coastal town, suddenly collapsed on
the floor below and as a result a huge part of the building collapsed to the ground.
The collapse points to various things that could have gone wrong with the design,
specifications, construction, maintenance and/or other factors.
(a) Suggest and discuss the possible causes of this unexpected collapse of the
building. Plan an investigation and identify the information/documents which may
be required in deciding what really caused the collapse in the first place. Outline
what your final report is likely to consist of.
(b) As a forensic engineer, give details of the process that you may follow during
such an investigation, including any specific field/laboratory tests to be undertaken.
Discuss the different dispute resolution processes that could apply to such a failure
and what role would you play as an expert witness in court.
Sample Solution
