Building experts call for proper education in foundation construction

Nigerian building experts are calling for proper education in foundation construction.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum, the National President of Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), Mr. Kunle Awobodu, blamed the increase in building collapses on faulty foundations.

“Building collapse has become a menace in Nigeria, especially in Lagos, which has the highest incidents in the world. This should be an embarrassment to those who construct foundations such as geo-technicians."

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Mr. Oreoluwa Fadayomi, the President of Nigeria Institution of Structural Engineers, stressed the need for proper foundations.

“There’s a need for public education when it comes to foundation; people need to know that there are experts who are skilled in knowing the types of soil and the kind of foundation that should be used when building on different types of soil in order to avoid structural failure.

“The first thing to do when building is to investigate the soil no matter the size of the project; no two soils are the same and a site can have different types of soil even on the same plot of land; so, every soil must be investigated and this can only be done by the appropriate expert.”

Everyone at the forum advised builders to take foundations seriously.