In the article, “Hotel New World
Collapse”, Lim (2009) discuss the events leading up to the collapse of Hotel
New World, which was caused by a series of engineering faults and poor building
management. Hotel New World was a multi-storey building that was constructed in
1971 and was located along Owen Road. According to Lim, the collapse of Hotel
New World in 1986 was so devastating that it did not leave any walls and
columns standing. After the collapse, rescue teams consisting of both local and
foreign specialists were dispatched. Lim states that former president Wee Kim
Wee "appointed a commission of inquiry" for the collapse
investigation on 22 March 1986. Lim states that according to the investigation
report, the primary reason for the collapse “was due to inadequate structural
design of the building”. The additional installation on the roof also
contributed and accelerated the collapse. The investigation report also
mentioned that visible “cracks in the column, wall, and floor” were observed
prior to the collapse. Further investigation shows that the team behind the
construction consisted of unqualified personnel. Overall, the tragedy of the Hotel New World could have been prevented if
there were proper construction guidelines to follow and maintenance of the
building was carried out regularly. In this article, Lim has convincingly
conveyed that both adequate structural design and proper building management
are vital in maintaining the building’s structural integrity.
One reason why Lim is convincing is
that proper building management is vital in maintaining the building’s
structural integrity. According to Thean, Vijiaratnam, Lee, and Broms (1987),
cracks of various sizes were found on 5 columns during the remodelling of a
night club on the second floor by the contractor in 1980. He notified building
owner Ng Khong Lim who instructed him to carry on without bothering about the
cracks. Cracks are a clear indication of a structure failing and if they are
not rectified, it could lead to more complications. The report also stated that
when the same contractor returned to the nightclub in 1985 to wallpaper the
columns, he claimed that new cracks were found on other columns. If Ng Khong
Lim had rectified the cracks as soon as he was informed, the integrity of the
building would not deteriorate. It may also prevent the collapse of the Hotel
New World.
Another reason is that the
structural design of the building contributes to maintaining the building’s
structural integrity. According to Thean, Vijiaratnam, Lee, and Broms (1987),
the building was “grossly under-designed” and "it was a matter of time
before the building would collapse. If the structural design of the building
had been adequate, the building might still be standing today as it stood for
15 years despite being under-designed. This shows the importance of adequate
structural design in maintaining the building’s structural integrity.
The last reason is that the structural design did
not take into consideration the further installation of the building. According
to Thean, Vijiaratnam, Lee, and Broms (1987), substantial loadings that were
not included in the structural design were added to the building causing the
building to be overloaded even more. Any installation on the building has to be
considered during the designing phase such that there will be an allowance to
ensure that the building will be able to support the load in the future or consult a professional to check with the building is to able to support such
loadings. This is will ensure that the building will have adequate structural
design and additional installation will not jeopardize the integrity of the
building.
The collapse of the Hotel New World
is an important lesson for engineers because it could have been avoided if
there are adequate structural design and proper building management.
References:
Lim (2011) Hotel New World
collapse. Retrieved on 10 February 2020, from https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_783__2009-01-02.html
Thean, L, Vijiaratnam, A, Lee, S.,
Broms, B (1987). Report of the Inquiry into the Collapse of Hotel New
World, p. 21, 61, 62, 63. Retrieved on 10 February
2020,
