Architects demand construction quality checks after wall collapse

Grant Prior 7 years ago
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Architects are calling for urgent checks on the build quality of all public buildings in the wake of a wall collapse in Scotland which led to the closure of 17 schools in Edinburgh.

Nine tonnes of masonry came down in the collapse
Nine tonnes of masonry came down in the collapse

The Cole report into the failure at Oxgangs Primary School in January 2016 was critical of the standard of bricklaying and main contractors’ quality assurance systems.

Now the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland is demanding public bodies “review the build quality of their recently commissioned properties.”

President of the RIAS, Willie Watt, said: “When major inquiry reports are published there is a tendency for everyone to breathe a sign of relief, mutter “well that’s that dealt with” and move on.

“That should not be the case with this, extremely well researched and deeply concerning report.

“The message is simple and the responsibility of all commissioning authorities is clear.

“An early process of inspection by appropriately qualified experts should proceed as urgently as the various public commissioning authorities, local, health and governmental, can muster the skilled individuals who can do this work.

“The Royal Incorporation’s own submission to the Inquiry agreed strongly that without diligent and careful checking at every stage of the building process problems are almost inevitable.

“In this instance it was fortunate that nobody was injured, or killed.”

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