Tilting building near Bangkok 'should be demolished'
A seven-storey apartment building under construction at the back of Zeer department store north of Bangkok has been declared off limits, after it tilted and was inspected by local administrators.
Public works officials with Khu Khot Municipality in Pathum Thani, who have jurisdiction over the site, said details about the land owner and firm constructing the building will be announced later. Construction stopped on Sunday night after a verbal warning by public works officials, and owners living by the building filed a complaint with police.
Thanes Weerasiri, head of Engineering Institute of Thailand under HM’s Patronage, said the building has tilted at six degrees, and should be demolished, or heightened and rebuilt. The tilting was caused by the foundation not being solid enough, and the stakes unable to manage the total weight. Heightening of the building could cost the project owner the same amount of money needed to demolish and rebuild it.
“Personally I think it should be demolished and rebuilt,” he said.
Building had continued until recently, before the inclination became visible on Sunday night, but workers have since been evacuated. Signboards showing details of the project, including its owner, have been removed since the news emerged, except for one notice about the construction firm: Choke Charoen Co Ltd.
The construction continued for more than a year, and it has been extended once, public works chief Nares Srimuang said. He said a civil engineer would soon determine if the builders violated regulations or implemented beyond the conditions originally requested.
