Why Structural Audit is important to carry out of any old structure?
A common man doesn’t know what the word structural audit means? Why is it important to carry out the structural audit of any old structure – may it be a building, a mall or a bungalow?
What does a doctor do for an ailing patient?
Well, first he does a proper examination of the patient. Then he carries out different tests with the help of which he identifies a disease from its signs, symptoms and of course the medical test results. Based on these, he decides the future course of medical treatment.
Let’s see now how it works in case of structural audit of any building.
Here the role of a doctor is played by a structural engineer who identifies the structural problems like structural cracks, distress or settlements and many more. These can be carried out by visual inspection also and once it is done, some testing work needs to be carried out to check the strength and structural stability of the building which includes non-destructive testing like ultra-sonic pulse velocity test, rebound hammer test and concrete core test.
Structural audit parameters may vary for residential buildings, commercial buildings and industrial buildings.
What are the rules to get the structural audit done?
Very few people are aware that according to Maharashtra Co-operative Housing Society’s bye law No 77, Structural Audit is a mandatory requirement which states that if the age of a building is between 15 to 30 years, structural audit must be carried out once in 5 years and for buildings older than 30 years, it should be carried out once in 3 years.
It is very well said that stitch in time saves nine. Life is precious — may it be a human life or the life of your building. Get the structural audit done as per the government rules and enjoy a tension free happy life for the years to come.