How safe is your building? Only a structural engineer can give an answer. For that, he or she should have been in the team that constructed the building, monitoring every stage of the work. But there is no rule that such a professional should be in the team. There are only guidelines. In western countries, structural certification is mandatory. Here, builders can decide whether to engage a structural engineer or not.
The government agencies seem to be not taking the initiative to tighten construction norms to ensure the safety of buildings. Usually, the buildings are designed on the Indian Standards Code, says S. Suresh, member of the Association of Structural and Geotechnical Consultants. A structural engineer need not issue a safety certificate during or after the construction.
A buyer may be under the impression that his building will stand for 100 years. An earthquake or cyclone may strike once in 50 years. Can the building which outwardly looks safe stand a wind velocity of 140 kmph or an earthquake high on the Richter scale? A structural engineer can ascertain safety only if stringent monitoring has been done at all stages of construction. Hence, he or she should be involved right from the planning stage, Mr. Suresh says. Sometimes, a structural engineer is called only at the start of the construction, as his or her role is considered only advisory.
Mr. Suresh contends that no structural engineer can certify such a building. Their work has two parts — the design and the execution. The structural drawing is important as the grid lines will be shown in that. It needs to be decided at the planning stage how many pillars are needed and where they should be erected.
Pending before the Supreme Court is a public interest litigation filed after the Gujarat earthquake on whether a structural engineer needs to certify a building.
Though structural safety is important with more and more multi-storey apartment complexes coming up to meet housing needs, the building rules in the country are yet to specify these norms. As Kochi has recently been denoted as an earthquake zone, the construction safety norms should be made stringent. An earthquake audit is likely to come up soon as part of the UNESCO programme to make buildings earthquake-resistant.
News Published Under: The Hindu