Design flaw cause of building collapse

Dubai: The collapse of a Deira building last month was found to be caused by faults in its design, engineering and building materials, said Hussain Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality, on Sunday.

Lootah was speaking at a majlis, a Gulf traditional gathering, held at the residence of Dubai Police Chief Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim.

The building, near the Ramada Continental Hotel in Abu Hail, was in its final stages of completion when it collapsed on August 16.

Lootah said the completed investigation hadn't been released to media because the Executive Council wanted to see it first.

He said the investigation had a three-pronged approach, focusing on design, engineering and the building material used, "as well as some other aspects such as whether there was ground water beneath the building."

"There were faults found in all three of the categories," he said. "There was an engineering fault, misuse of building materials, and the structure of the building was found to be weak. That is evident from the fact that the building collapsed on itself from its middle."

The building adjacent to the collapsed building had no engineering faults, he said, but would have to be taken down because the fall of the first building affected its structure.