Building under construction in Bratislava collapses

A FIVE-LEVEL building construction in Bratislava collapsed warning on Sunday morning, July 1, there were no injuries or deaths. The building was house a wellness centre and parking for 3nity, a multifunctional development on Plynárenská Street that is under construction, though one residential building is complete and occupied. The collapse of the structure left a crater filled glass and other construction debris. No reason the collapse of the building is known but Slovakia’s Police Corps started a criminal investigation to investigate the collapse.

“A criminal investigation has initiated based on the offence of public endangerment,” stated Tatiana Kurucová, the Bratislava regional Police Corps spokesperson, quoted by the TASR newswire. “An expert in construction has deployed to find out why the building collapsed.”

When the 3nity development is completed will consist of 411 flats in its residential part in three high-rise buildings and a commercial area shops, services and offices. The developer is Nadlan, a member of Vara Group from Israel, has been active in Slovakia since 2005, to the 3nity website. ASB magazine wrote that the project costs are projected at €80 million.

The area around Plynárenská Street has several administrative buildings and headquarters several large companies, that of SPP, Slovakia’s primary natural gas utility. Before the 2008 financial and economic crisis, there been plans of making the area the ‘Manhattan of Bratislava’ but subsequent construction projects were delayed or abandoned the impacts of the crisis.

The 3nity project is still under construction though flats in one of the high- tower are completed and some are occupied. After collapse of the future wellness centre and parking garage building, had two above-ground floors and three underground floors, residents of the occupied tower evacuated due to concerns possible structural damage. But the residents later returned their homes after specialists conducted an on- inspection and pronounced the building safe.

Parts of the development under active construction and if the building had collapsed a work day there may have injuries or deaths as dozens of people are working the construction site.

“The skeleton the wellness centre was completed and finishing works were start,” stated Iveta Adamcová of Nadlan, as quoted by the Trend economic weekly, adding the wellness centre had an open date in 2013.

The developer stated that the collapse of the skeleton of the building not affect the statics of the other buildings in the area and said it plans erect the building again and open the wellness centre and parking garage in 2014.

The developer was silent possible reasons for the collapse.

“During this phase cannot estimate damages,” said Adamcová, adding that this will part of its further investigation as its attempt to determine the reasons for collapse.

Metrostav, Czech construction company, was building the structure that collapsed and TASR newswire reported that the firm is rechecking statics calculations.

Experts interviewed the Trend weekly indicated that could be three reasons behind the collapse: incorrect calculation of the roof’s load and underlying statics of the building; faulty construction processes; or insufficient drainage the roof as it was designed a ‘green roof’ to be covered vegetation.

A structural engineer told Slovakia’s public-service TV broadcaster, RTVS, this collapse should not occurred if norms and safety directives were followed.

“For a collapse, the mistake must been enormous,” Ján Kyseľ, head of the Association of Statics Experts told RTVS. “We saw the whole course [of collapse] and those images are available indicate that there had to be some of overloading.”

Kyseľ told the Sme daily a set of imperfections might have led to the collapse, stating that developers and builders sometimes focus reducing costs rather than quality construction.

The Association of Statics Experts also called more supervision of construction sites and said that there had been oversight in the past in Slovakia than is now.


Adapted and abridged from: The Slovak Spectator, July 3, 2012.