Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

The State Audit Office (SAO) has issued a statement explaining the decision to reduce the wall thickness of elevator shafts in its 30-storey building, which allegedly contributed to its collapse during a recent earthquake.

 

The SAO's statement clarified that the adjustment in wall thickness was intended to comply with building standards for interior architecture, ensuring corridor widths met regulatory guidelines. The building's construction was undertaken by a joint venture, ITD-CREC, comprising Italian-Thai Development Plc and China Railway No.10 Thailand Co. Supervision of the project was handled by PKW joint venture, with Forum Architect Co and Meinhardt (Thailand) responsible for its design.

 

Originally, the contractor discovered that the initial wall size, combined with additional decorative elements, risked narrowing the corridor width and breaching the Interior Ministry's regulations and the Building Control Act. In response, the contractor consulted the project supervisor and designer who advised modifying the shaft walls from 30 centimetres to 25 centimetres, strengthened with additional steel reinforcements. This change was confirmed by both the supervisor and designer, and the revised design was sanctioned by the Auditor-General and the State Audit Commission.

 

 

 

Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong has raised concerns about the impact of these modifications on the building’s integrity, noting that the reduced thickness of 25 centimetres was considerably below the 60 centimetres typically found in similar structures. He announced that a team of engineers will conduct a thorough investigation to determine if the wall thickness reduction was a factor in the collapse. The investigation will include a detailed examination of the original building blueprints.

 

With China Railway No.10 (Thailand) being a subsidiary of a Chinese state enterprise, Chinese authorities are also involved in evaluating the incident's implications. As investigations unfold, the decisions behind the building’s design adjustments will be closely scrutinised to provide insights into the factors leading to this catastrophic failure.

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-04-25

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong has raised concerns about the impact of these modifications on the building’s integrity, noting that the reduced thickness of 25 centimetres was considerably below the 60 centimetres typically found in similar structures.

 

What the...???

 

So 60cm is typical, they went for 30cm, but reduced it further to 25cm.......there must be design specifications for the thickness and reinforcement and they should not be amended just to make corridors a little wider??????

 

And so the excuses begin.....

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

In response, the contractor consulted the project supervisor and designer who advised modifying the shaft walls from 30 centimetres to 25 centimetres, strengthened with additional steel reinforcements.

 

Totally safe and legal.

Honestly guv. 

If this building was constructed on schedule, there might be thousands of dead government workers right now, talk about dodging a bullet.

The original reports stated that the initially approved width was 35cm, not 30.