PROPERTY TRANSACTION GUIDE

How built professionals, owners contribute to building collapse, by Lagos official
By Emmanuel Badejo

Guardian, Monday, 20th July 2009

AWAY from the conventional view that non-professionals have been major culprits of collapse building, a Lagos official recently said the menace are often perpetrated in connivance with some professionals within the built sector.

The official, Mr. O. Kotun, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, who spoke recently at an event in Lagos, said that, in his experience over the years, some built professionals and property owners are responsible for building collapse. While he said that professionals fail by not complying with planning regulations, owners, in a bid to get cheaper construction job done, contribute to the development through the use of quacks and unskilled labors.

Giving details on the involvement of the professionals, Kotun, a planner, said that, architects for instance develop non-constructible design or a design that is totally complex. "A building is susceptible to collapse if the design is not constructible. Non-constructible in the sense that the building is overloaded with too many design components." Two, "If designs are too complex such that the execution of such is not properly supervised, it could lead to failure of structural members."

On the part of engineers' actions, the official said they over-reinforce structural elements, under-reinforce structural members and non-adoption of soil investigation with geotechnical reports.

The builders on their part, compromise the issue of standard construction materials on site, unable to meet clients' requirement on quality of finished works and inadequate or improper concrete mix.

The Permanent Secretary, bemoaned property owners and developers for engaging non-professionals in construction supervision, perpetrating illegal conversion/renovation without professional input, truncating construction period due to lack of funds thereby exposing uncompleted structures to adverse weather conditions and over loading of structural members. Also identified as owners/ developers' action, which ultimately lead to collapse are lack of maintenance culture and under-reinforcement to cut costs.

The planners contribute by deviating from the scheme layout.

But, the official, who was optimistic that the challenge could be surmounted, tasked his colleagues to forthwith ensure full compliance with town planning regulations and standards.

He added: " Effective and close field monitoring in order to ensure that illegal, poor workmanship and non-compliance are detected at infancy level; Supervision of stage to stage construction work in partnerships with relevant professionals like engineers, builders and others.

Planners, according to him should not hesitate from demolishing all structures that do not conform with building plan approval or that are marked to be distressed.

To do this, however, Kotun said that the challenges of shortage of manpower, tools and equipment, inadequate funding for the enforcement unit must be reduced to the minimum. He also said that, decision makers, particularly, the executives should have the will power to do the needful, whenever it is necessary.