Construction experts say independent review of plans could prevent structural problems
Czech experts say that construction companies’ projects should be subject to compulsory controls so as to prevent structural problems in new buildings. Though mistakes by project architects can endanger lives and entail huge costs, very few firms currently have their designs gone over by independent experts, iHned.cz reported.
Builders Metrostav Development have laid the blame for the problems on a subcontractor, which they say made miscalculations at the planning stage.
The situation is not without precedent, wrote iHned.cz. Four years ago residents had to be evacuated from the luxury Prague Marina complex in the city’s Holešovice district when the structure’s supporting stays began to shift.
Though there are dangerous buildings around us, the problem is not visible, Jan Vítek of the Czech Concrete Society told the news site at a recent conference focused on a planned amendment to the country’s construction law.
Mr. Vítek is not alone in calling for compulsory project reviews to be enshrined in law. And such checks, according to other industry figures, should be carried out by independent experts.
Vladimír Janata of the Czech Constructional Steelwork Association told iHned.cz that at present such controls are rarely carried out. Supervision of building projects, even the most high-profile ones, is not compulsory, he pointed out.
Very few Czech construction companies have their plans checked by outside firms. However, that is common practice in a number of other states and the local industry would do well to take inspiration from them, Mr. Janata said.
But those hoping for such a development shouldn’t perhaps hold their breaths. The Ministry for Regional Development is at present drafting amendments to the construction law and is planning to completely overhaul that legislation in future. However, it has not looked into the possibility of introducing independent controllers.
The deputy head of the construction department at the Ministry for Regional Development, Vladimíra Sedláčková, told iHned.cz that she favoured making use of the institutions that are already enshrined in Czech law.
Ms. Sedláčková said that responsibility for structural stability lay with project architects and subsequently with site managers, whose task is to ensure that construction projects are carried out properly.
Building firms counter that if a project architect has indeed made a mistake then site managers have virtually no chance of uncovering it, iHned.cz reported. This is why outside reviews are necessary, they argue.
According to Vladimír Janata of the Czech Constructional Steelwork Association, every project architect would be glad to have their work gone over by another pair of eyes.
The most common result of errors in the planning stages are cracks in walls, which in the worst cases can impact a building’s overall structural stability. This can lead to construction firms having to find millions of crowns to cover the cost of repairs.
