A concrete structure that gave way outside a four-storey HDB block along Tampines Street 23 has been removed, after close to seven hours. No one was hurt as a result of the incident that happened on Sunday morning (Sep 25).
The structure serves as a sun shield for a unit on the fourth storey of Block 201E. According to Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC Cheng Li Hui, an engineer and safety officer have assessed the situation.
Tampines Town Council, which is the building owner of the HDB block, was directed by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to engage a professional engineer to advise on the necessary measures to remove the dislodged sun breaker, as well as to carry out a detailed investigation and recommend permanent rectification works.
The professional engineer engaged by Tampines Town Council has inspected and assessed that the structural integrity of the main building is not affected by the incident, said BCA.
A sun breaker on the third floor was also damaged during the fall but Ms Cheng said the structure will “unlikely” be removed on Sunday as it may not be safe to do so. “It’s still quite attached, so we will be building a proper platform and we will be looking at removing it over the next week,” she said.
BCA also said that as an added safety precaution, the professional engineer is also required to inspect all the other HDB blocks in the area with similar architectural facade.
Meanwhile, a statement from HDB said that the sun breaker is “non-structural in nature and will not affect the building’s structural integrity”.
“HDB engineers have inspected the block and ascertained that the building is structurally safe. There were no injuries,” the emailed response added. “Our engineers are investigating the cause of the incident.”
According to an eyewitness who spoke with Channel NewsAsia, the sun breaker fell at around 10am. “I heard sounds of glass shattering,” she said.
The owner of the affected unit, Mr Choo Keat Thin, said an HDB officer has been called to check the internal structure of his flat.
“I was watching TV, and I heard a ‘boom’ sound,” said Mr Choo. “So I came to the window to take a look and I saw the beam fell. I thought this beam will cause danger to the public downstairs, so I call 999.
“It’s a shock to realise that such a big part of the external block … to just collapse and, luckily it did not roll over and hit the bottom or the flat below.”
While HDB and town council officers waited for the arrival of a crane to remove the structure, HDB and town council officers used some cables and a net to hold up the sun breaker. The area was cordoned off, with police at the scene.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia
