When a Building Fails: What Happens Next?
Lance Luke
9/4/20265 min read
A structural failure is one of the most serious situations that can occur in a building or construction project. Whether it involves a failed column, damaged structural component, partial collapse, or another condition that threatens the stability of a structure, the response needs to be immediate, organized, and based on safety.
As a building consultant, I look at these situations from a very practical standpoint. The first question is not who is responsible. The first question is whether people are safe.
Life Safety Comes First
When there is any possibility that a building or portion of a building could collapse, the affected area should be secured and occupants should be removed from danger.
Building officials and other appropriate authorities should also be contacted immediately.
Depending on the condition, temporary shoring, bracing, barricades, or other emergency stabilization measures may be necessary. However, emergency repairs should be carefully coordinated because the damaged condition may later become important evidence in determining what actually happened.
The priority should always be:
Protect people first. Stabilize the structure second. Investigate the cause third.
Don't Disturb the Evidence
One of the biggest mistakes following a building failure is cleaning everything up before the condition has been properly documented.
Damaged materials can tell a story.
Cracked concrete, failed connections, reinforcing steel, structural members, corrosion, water intrusion, fasteners, welds, foundations, and even debris patterns may provide clues about how and why the failure occurred.
Before significant demolition or repairs begin, the condition should be thoroughly photographed and video documented whenever it is safe to do so.
Relevant parties and their experts may also need an opportunity to examine the site.
Once important evidence is removed or destroyed, it may be impossible to recreate the exact conditions that existed when the failure occurred.
Bring in the Right Experts
Structural failures are rarely situations where someone should simply walk onto the property, look around for 10 minutes, and announce what caused the problem.
A proper investigation may require several professionals.
Depending on the circumstances, this could include:
Structural engineers
Building consultants
Architects
Construction experts
Materials specialists
Testing laboratories
Contractors
Insurance professionals
Construction attorneys
The objective is to determine the root cause, not simply identify the most visible damage.
For example, a cracked structural element may be obvious, but the crack itself may only be the result of another problem.
Was there a design issue?
Was something installed incorrectly?
Was the specified material actually used?
Was the construction performed according to the approved plans?
Were modifications made in the field?
Was deterioration occurring for years before anyone noticed it?
Were inspection warnings ignored?
What was the history of inspection repair and maintenance?
These are the kinds of questions a good investigation needs to answer.
Preserve the Project Records
The physical building is only one part of the investigation.
The paperwork—or today, more often the digital records—can be just as important.
Important records may include:
Architectural drawings
Structural drawings
Approved permit plans
Specifications
Contracts and subcontracts
Shop drawings
Requests for information
Change orders
Inspection reports
Testing reports
Concrete test results
Daily construction reports
Meeting minutes
Photographs
Videos
Emails
Text messages
Building information modeling files
Project management records
These documents can help investigators reconstruct what was designed, what was approved, what was changed, and what was actually built.
I have always emphasized the importance of good documentation in construction. When something goes wrong, documentation can become extremely important.
A photograph taken months earlier or a seemingly routine inspection report could eventually help explain the entire failure.
Finding the Cause Is Not Always Simple
People naturally want an immediate answer after a structural problem:
Who caused it?
But building failures are often more complicated than that.
There may be one cause, or several contributing factors.
A failure might involve the original design, construction workmanship, improper materials, unauthorized modifications, inadequate maintenance, environmental exposure, corrosion, water intrusion, overloading, or a combination of conditions.
That is why conclusions should be based on evidence rather than assumptions.
In some cases, laboratory testing may be required. Investigators may need to examine concrete strength, steel properties, welds, connections, soil conditions, or other components.
A meaningful root-cause investigation can take time.
Getting the answer right is more important than getting an answer quickly.
Responsibility Can Involve Several Parties
Once the cause is established, another question follows:
Who is responsible for correcting the problem and paying for the resulting damage?
The answer depends heavily on what caused the failure and the contractual relationships on the project.
Potentially involved parties can include the owner, developer, architect, engineer, general contractor, subcontractors, suppliers, manufacturers, and others.
Insurance companies and bonding companies may become involved as well.
This is one reason contractors and owners should understand their contracts and insurance coverage before a problem ever occurs.
Waiting until a major structural failure happens to discover what your policy excludes is not a good risk-management strategy.
Insurance Does Not Automatically Cover Everything
There is sometimes an assumption that if something goes wrong, insurance will simply pay for it.
Unfortunately, it is rarely that simple.
Construction projects can involve several different types of policies, and the coverage depends on the circumstances.
A policy may cover resulting property damage while excluding the cost of repairing the defective work itself. Coverage limits can also be significantly lower than the financial consequences of a major structural failure.
Large and complicated projects deserve equally serious attention to insurance.
The amount and type of coverage should reflect the actual risk of the project.
Having insurance is important.
Having the right insurance is more important.
Good Contracts Are Part of Building Safety
Contracts may seem like a business issue rather than a building issue, but when a major failure occurs, contract language becomes extremely important.
A good construction contract should clearly address responsibilities, insurance requirements, warranties, indemnification, changes in the work, damages, and allocation of risk.
Standard industry contracts can provide a good starting point, but every project is different.
The contract should match the project.
If responsibilities are unclear before construction begins, they can become even more unclear when something goes wrong.
Prevention Is Better Than Investigation
The best structural failure investigation is the one you never have to conduct.
That starts with doing the fundamentals correctly:
Use qualified design professionals.
Hire competent contractors and subcontractors.
Follow the approved plans.
Use the specified materials.
Perform required inspections.
Document construction properly.
Address deficiencies when they are discovered.
Maintain the building after construction.
And most importantly, never ignore warning signs.
Cracks, movement, corrosion, deflection, water intrusion, unusual sounds, deteriorated structural components, or other changes in a building should not automatically be dismissed as cosmetic.
Some are harmless.
Some are not.
When there is doubt about a condition affecting structural integrity, have it evaluated by a qualified professional.
The Bottom Line
When a structural failure occurs, confusion can develop quickly. Owners, contractors, engineers, attorneys, insurers, government officials, and other parties may all become involved.
The best response is a disciplined one.
Protect life safety.
Secure the building.
Preserve the evidence.
Document the condition.
Preserve the project records.
Bring in qualified professionals.
Determine the root cause before assigning blame.
And make sure your contracts and insurance were designed to protect you long before the emergency happened.
Buildings usually give us information about their problems. The challenge is recognizing the warning signs, documenting them properly, and taking action before a building problem becomes a building failure.
Lance Luke
National Building Expert
Building Consultant & Construction Expert
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