31/08/2024
-□There was widespread concerns on the safety of the structure located in the (CBD) area
- □The announcement followed concerns from stakeholders that the columns were inadequate to withstand the load of the structure, which was upgraded back in 2011 following an ex*****on of contract between NAPSA and YANGTS JIANG ENTERPRISES LIMITED (YJL), who in-turn engaged a team of consultants to deliver the project as a “design and build” turnkey project.
- □All Society Business park work upgrades were set for completion in December 2020
- □BICON Zambia Ltd were the consultants responsible for the supervision of the structural engineering works
- □Bicon said the column strengthening works on the office block are expected to be completed in December, 2020.
- □They announced that the column strengthening works were set for completion after November 2020
- □The scope of the project involved the conversion of the-then existing 18-storey office block, which was formerly occupied by the Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS) into a 148-room hotel as well as the demolition of Central Arcades and the construction of a Retail Mall, Parkade and an Office Block on top of the parkade.
- □The entire Society Business Park Project was completed on a sectional basis starting with the RETAIL MALL and PARKADE in 2016, followed by the OFFICE BLOCK in 2017 and then the HILTON GARDEN INN in 2018.
- On the 13th of October, 2019, one column on the 1st floor failed by way of crushing at the intersection of the column and slab which also as a result of the failure stressed the three neighbouring columns on the 1st floor level.
- □NAPSA ordered an evacuation of the Tenants of the office block in order to facilitate a detailed examination of the office block
- □IN THE FACE OF DEMOLITION, Where is Bicon Zambia chief executive officer Renatus Mushinge and Broadrick Masesa, the company’s Associate Director/ Project Structural Engineer?
- □They stated that repairs to the failed and stressed columns on the first floor were inspected by all stakeholders, including the Independent Engineer, the Engineering Institution of Zambia (EIZ) and the Association of Consulting Engineers (ACEZ), among others. Summon all of them
- □NAPSA engaged the services of Independent Consultants to undertake a detailed investigation in order to determine the structural integrity of the entire office block and the supporting parkade structure below. Where are they today?
- □The summary of the Independent Engineers findings were as follows: –
- (1). The slabs for the parkade and the office block were found to have had adequate capacity to carry the design load
- (2). Although not showing any signs of stress, 153 columns in the parkade and office block out of a total of 258 columns, which carry the parkade and office block, had column capacities lower than the design capacity due to LOWER CONCRETE strengths than the specified concrete strength. □This entailed that all the columns were earmarked for strengthening in order to increase the load bearing capacity and factor of safety of the structure
- □BICON Zambia were the Design Structural Engineers who submitted a proposal for the strengthening of the columns and identified by the Independent Engineer.
- □EIZ had on three occasions together with other stakeholders visited the site and were informed of the column strengthening works.
- □BICON Zambia had on several occasions shared with EIZ and NCC copies of the reports in connection with the column strengthening works.
- □BICON Zambia had even attended a hearing called for by EIZ in connection with the project. Was this meeting a joke just for commissions?
- □The contractor, who took over from YJL executed the column strengthening works under FULL-TIME supervision of BICON Zambia so as to complete the column strengthening works on time.
- □The Independent Engineer contracted by NAPSA also provided regular oversight and closely monitored the works on site.
- □EIZ as the regulator of the engineering industry had unfettered access to the site to inspect the works and to request information they wished to obtain with respect to the works to enable them issue informed statements to the public.
