Another building in ruiru cracks - maybe a big earthquake coming

[RV Pundit]

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Maybe all these boreholes have weaken the Nairobi swamp?

Gov should launch scientific investigation

[audacityofhope]

https://www.citizen.digital/news/5-storey-building-collapses-in-kiambu-after-mass-evacuation-n309735

A five-storey building in Ruiru Town, Kiambu County has collapsed.

The building collapsed hours after more than 100 tenants were evacuated when cracks were seen on its pillars on Sunday afternoon.

The evidence is right there but some with zero knowledge construction are at liberty to remain clueless. This is what I posted not long ago.

Today it's ruaka.Every day now.I suspect cement

Your suspicions are unfounded.  The load-bearing structural elements on storied buildings are beams & columns, not cement or concrete. Construction 101. All construction engineers (I am not talking computer engineers) know it is chuma with its tensile strength that carries and transfers the load to the ground safely.

[RV Pundit]

It came down
https://nation.africa/kenya/counties/kiambu/five-storey-building-collapses-in-kiambu-hours-after-over-100-tenants-evacuated--4027142

[sema]

The load-bearing structural elements on storied buildings are beams & columns, not cement or concrete

so what's the problem with these beams and columns?

[Kadudu]

Quality, quantity, where they properly dimensioned etc. Only a structural engineer can give an answer.

Next building please!

so what's the problem with these beams and columns?

[KenyanPlato]

upuzi of cutting corners. buildings rentals need Soberity. my dad who is developer will never cut corners and if there is deviation from original engineering recommendations he consults 2 other engineers. he is old school. he insists on all his slaps curing for 21 days. if money runs out he suspends the construction until he gets funding. results no issue since 1971 he has not once had a building issue. in 1983 he tore a whole side of a building after cracks developed during construction. the mistake was rectified at a steep cost but that building is still steady ..hii yote is due to greed of new builders who want to maximize profits and ignore engineers. they are no dumping kenyan structural engineers and hire Chinese fakes. I know a man that just lost a 6 storey house in ruiru a few years ago. he has gone mad. his kenyan structural engineers warned him that he couldn't build more than 4 floors the idiot fired them and hired the Chinese. the house crumbled and destroyed over 10 cars

[audacityofhope]

The load-bearing structural elements on storied buildings are beams & columns, not cement or concrete

so what's the problem with these beams and columns?

For a quick answer, I refer you to a 2014 post by an RV calling himself @RVItem

... Travel along outering near pipeline estate and you see 7 storey "flats" with tiny beams and columns that literally stand on stone blocks.Most of these stones do not pass through KBS or any QA body to ascertain their true strength.....similarly bars of low quality are being sold in Kenyan market. I have seen every quack engineer assume a ca 5-10mpa compressive strength of concrete. So Kenyan fundis are pushing the frontiers of construction industry into new limits. People literally tell fundis "build me a flat like that one across the road". They bake a half baked drawing using just macho and take it for approval.

The council engineers approve anything if you tip them well yet on the other hand a proper design may get delayed for no reasons...

[RV Pundit]

But why the regularity; Something need to be done; This why Ruto need to speed up housing. Informal housing where every tom and dick build a house need to stop

[Githunguri]

Three issues only.

1) Poor foundation (Small base which doesn't sit on firm ground vis-a-vis the weight of the building).

2) Small columns and beams which are also distanced over 12ft span...while at the same time using light rebar D12

3) Lack of sufficient cement and too much sand in concrete which is also given little time to settle or no watering...people build a slab today using 32.5 cement...tomorrow they start columns three days later they do stones then 5 days later another slab..that structure will collapse.

How comes two buildings built during the same period...one collapses the other still stands firm?

Even if there is a crackdown,unless the owners of the said buildings don't follow the laid out procedures..buildings will continue to collapse.

If you are doing a 5 storey structure.Have strong bases even if 2SQM bases on rock,Small column spans of 12 ft with D20 rebar,buy class 25 ready mix concrete and give the columns and slab few days after concreting.

In my Kiambu neighbourhood,I expect five more structure to collapse..NCA and Kanju have warned the owners but they don't need the advice.

Hasara kwao.

[gout]

Got this from an engineer friend.

Interaction between materials; cement, sand and other aggregates. Too much clay in the sand, dust in aggregates and poor practices. Steel is only as good as the concrete binding it.

https://www.citizen.digital/news/5-storey-building-collapses-in-kiambu-after-mass-evacuation-n309735

A five-storey building in Ruiru Town, Kiambu County has collapsed.

The building collapsed hours after more than 100 tenants were evacuated when cracks were seen on its pillars on Sunday afternoon.

The evidence is right there but some with zero knowledge construction are at liberty to remain clueless. This is what I posted not long ago.

Today it's ruaka.Every day now.I suspect cement

Your suspicions are unfounded.  The load-bearing structural elements on storied buildings are beams & columns, not cement or concrete. Construction 101. All construction engineers (I am not talking computer engineers) know it is chuma with its tensile strength that carries and transfers the load to the ground safely.

[KenyanPlato]

For those who have been asking why buildings are collapsing and where things go wrong.... This short statement sums it all up. pic.twitter.com/K3WvNxcnvb

— Martin Tairo Maseghe (@mmtairo) November 21, 2022

?t=7d2IfeW7BMEwvSbSPi07qw&s=19

[audacityofhope]

For those who have been asking why buildings are collapsing and where things go wrong.... This short statement sums it all up. pic.twitter.com/K3WvNxcnvb

— Martin Tairo Maseghe (@mmtairo) November 21, 2022

?t=7d2IfeW7BMEwvSbSPi07qw&s=19

The clip cut the man in mid sentence. Simplistic but captures essence.

So @Plato, why do you ascribe to me all manner of names when I speak the same language as this man in your post?

In an early post in this thread, I made reference to a 2014 post by @RVItem

... Travel along outering near pipeline estate and you see 7 storey "flats" with tiny beams and columns

A Foreman on site should never be left unsupervised by a higher professional. They will go to the hardware and buy less than ideal material sizes to pocket the difference in cost. These are structural defects in the making. You will be amazed at how many storied buildings are completed without a structural engineer stepping on the site.
Someone mentioned the prevalency of 'Nataka kama hio nyumba ya jirani' syndrome.

[audacityofhope]

BUILDINGS COLLAPSE in Kenya for only ONE REASON: CORRUPTION. The rest are details! I will be making this argument in @ntvkenya  tonight from 9.30pm. pic.twitter.com/TqCJPoYVRI

— Prof. Alfred Omenya (@aomenya) November 22, 2022

?s=20&t=73baUunntMY1-SksKIWDpQ