Causes of Building Collapses

What is it about?

The majority of building collapse incidents that occurred between 2021 and 2025 took place in the hottest months of the year (summer), particularly in the world's hottest regions. This indicates that the primary cause of the collapse is variations in the volumetric expansion rates of the materials that make up the building's structure. For instance, although not exactly the same, the volumetric expansion of concrete is getting close to that of the steel utilised for reinforcement. As a result, in huge buildings that use a lot of steel and concrete, the rates of expansion of the two materials differ greatly, particularly when temperatures are high. Because concrete is brittle and lacks ductility, this causes steel to expand more quickly than concrete, resulting in cracks in the concrete's microstructure that ultimately cause the building to collapse. Meanwhile, because temperature has a significant impact on chemical reactions, the rate at which water escapes from the concrete composition increases at high temperatures. This causes the concrete to become brittle, shrink excessively, and lose its original qualities.

Featured Image

Photo by Milo Bunnik on Unsplash

Photo by Milo Bunnik on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Gathering information on building collapse accidents, including dates and circumstances, and examining the physical characteristics of building materials to find elements that contribute to a building's longevity.

Perspectives