1) Building description
2) Visual inspection
The physical
observations made during the inspection are summarized below, and figures from
2 to 11 present part of the conducted visual observation.
1.
Vertical and horizontal cracks were observed in
the building’s walls.
2.
Most of the wood beams are worn. Also, some of
the beams are highly stressed and deflected.
3.
Many beams are rotten with clear trails of
mold.
4.
Roof plywood is deteriorated in many places and
removed in some areas.
5.
Several places have a sign of water leakage.
6.
Corrugated sheets are eroded in several spots.
7.
Humidity is obvious in all rooms.
8.
Walls paint peeling is clear in many places, as
well as the separation of the finishing layer.
9.
Many walls patching and repaired defects were
observed.
10. An unleveled
floor is noticed in many places.
11. Many services
serious problems were observed.
3) Tests
Due to the
nature of the building and the uncertainty about the existence of reinforced
concrete elements, tapping the walls with a steel hammer was carried out to
locate concrete areas to inspect, but no concrete elements were found.
However, a
verification core was extracted from one area, and it was evident that the wall
was built from blockwork filled with cement mortar.
A trial pit had
been dug to inspect the type of footings. The trial pit was located at the
corner of some buildings and the excavation reached to the external wall
foundation.
4) Discussion
of the Visual Inspection
Based on the conducted visual inspection and
observations, and the experience with similar buildings, the structure had been
undergoing a normal deterioration due to the aging effect combined with the
influence of the temperature and humidity variation, and lack of proper and
continuous maintenance. Also, due to the footing nature, some places
experienced settlement due to the strata subsidence that led to diagonal
cracks.
The excessive deflection in some of the roof’s
beams leads to ponding that allows the rainwater to accumulate and deteriorate
the roofing system further.
Improper compaction and the Chloride content in
the flooring screeds had led to the subsidence in flooring cracks in some
areas.
5) Conclusion
From the preceding observation and
investigation, the structural condition of the building is considered bad, and
80% of the building’s structure requires extensive maintenance, retrofitting,
and robust.