BCA tells Nex to probe collapse of false ceiling, take necessary measures
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has instructed the owner of Nex shopping mall to inspect the ceiling structures of the building, after parts of a false ceiling collapsed in the mall's basement on Sunday.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, a BCA spokesman yesterday said the authority had instructed Nex's owner to get its professional engineer to conduct a detailed investigation into the cause of the incident.
The owner of Nex, developer Gold Ridge, had appointed a professional engineer to inspect the affected ceiling, and the affected ceiling board has since been replaced.
BCA directed the engineer to inspect and assess the condition of the ceiling structure at the affected location, as well as other areas in the building. It also instructed Gold Ridge to carry out permanent rectification measures as recommended by the engineer.
The spokesman said BCA was alerted to the fallen ceiling board at around 2.30pm on Monday and sent an engineer to check on it.
"Our engineer observed that part of a ceiling board had fallen from (the underside of) Level 1 to Basement 2. Water leakage from choked plumbing of a toilet in one of the shops at Level 1 of the mall had caused the ceiling board to become damp and break," she said.
No injuries were reported.
A Nex spokesman said it had engaged the professional engineer to inspect the affected premises on Saturday night after the leak occurred, which is required before rectification works can be arranged. The engineer carried out the inspection on Sunday night, and instructed Nex's contractor to proceed with the repairs. "We have since been working closely with BCA on the incident and rectification report," she added.
On Monday, several shops in Nex's two basements reopened for business after suspending operations on Sunday because of the water leak. An employee at a Pezzo outlet in Basement 2, who declined to be named, told ST on Monday that the store had to shut on Sunday due to water dripping from the ceiling in front of its premises.
