[SystemSafety] Engineering investigations into taller buildings

[Peter Bernard Ladkin]

Thirteen-story towers in the Ledbury estate in Peckham, south London, was built to the same kind of
construction technique as the Ronan Point block, whose floors collapsed in a domino effect
top-to-bottom after a gas explosion in a corner apartment in 1968
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronan_Point

Southwark Council bought the towers sometime later, and believed they had been reinforced to avoid
the Ronan-Point effect. But apparently they haven't, at least not effectively.

An astonishing quote from the council in a Guardian report:
[begin quote]
 “We didn’t own the blocks when they were constructed at the end of the 1960s, but all the reports
we found suggested the blocks were strengthened following the Ronan Point incident in 1968 to make
them safe to include a gas supply.

“Arup’s structural investigations suggest this strengthening may not have occurred, and we have
therefore turned off the gas until further investigations can be done.”
[end quote]

They bought a building constructed using the same techniques as Ronan Point, and "reports...
suggested" they had been reinforced. What about due diligence? Possessing or looking for original
engineering documentation? Contacting the contractor who allegedly performed the reinforcement to
get their documentation and see what they know? Inspecting the block when you buy it, if there isn't
any documentation?

It seems there is a lot that can be done on building safety. Let us hope that the increased
attention following Grenfell Tower will lead to that.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/10/london-tower-blocks-residents-ordered-out-over-gas-safety-fears

The often parlous state of building electrical safety is a topic which has concerned me since I
first learned about it in 2011. I've written about it before so won't repeat here.

On the other end, I regularly use two so-called "smart buildings". In both of them, the window
blinds come down and go up according to whim. In the area there is at least one guru who can be
asked to fiddle with the control panel and get them to behave as wished. Attempts to transfer
knowledge aren't that successful. It's like the old days with Unix and PDPs/VAXs. Maybe the
equivalent of the PC revolution will be - individual room sensorics and control! Oh, then it
wouldn't be "smart".

PBL

Prof. Peter Bernard Ladkin, Bielefeld, Germany
MoreInCommon
Je suis Charlie
Tel+msg +49 (0)521 880 7319  www.rvs-bi.de





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