A concrete sunshield at a HDB block in Tampines collapsed on Sunday morning.
The concrete sunshield on a HDB block along Tampines Street 23 that gave way on Sunday (25 September) has been removed after almost seven hours, reported Channel NewsAsia.
According to the Housing and Development Board (HDB), the sunshield outside the fourth storey unit in Block 201E 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,” it said in a statement. “Our engineers are investigating the cause of the incident.
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) instructed the Tampines Town Council, the building owner of the HDB block, to engage a professional engineer to carry out a detailed investigation, advise on the necessary measures to remove the dislodged sunshield, and recommend permanent rectification works.
After conducting an inspection, the professional engineer engaged by Tampines Town Council assessed that the main building’s structural integrity was not affected by the incident. As an added precaution, BCA also required the professional engineer to inspect the other HDB blocks within the area with similar architectural façades.
An eyewitness revealed that the sunshield collapsed at about 10am. “I heard sounds of glass shattering,” she said.
“I was watching TV, and I heard a ‘boom’ sound,” said Choo Keat Thin, owner of the affected unit. “So I came to the window to take a look and I saw the beam had fallen. I thought this beam would cause danger to the public downstairs, so I called 999.”
“It was a shock to realise that such a big part of the external block…just collapsed. Luckily, it did not roll over and hit the bottom or the flat below,” he said.
Town Council officers and the HDB used a net and some cables to hold up the concrete structure while waiting for the arrival of a crane to remove the dislodged sunshield.
Cheryl Marie Tay, Senior Journalist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories, email cheryl@propertyguru.com.sg
