NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamian Contractors Association President is condemning what he has described as “a blatant departure” from the country’s building code in several subdivisions across New Providence, questioning, “Why is this being allowed?”
Leonard Sands told Eyewitness News that the BCA has expressed “grave concern” over the issue and is questioning how such structures pass Ministry of Works inspections.
“There is no way that the Ministry of Public Works can be the inspectorate for all of the construction in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. It is impossible, just as there is no way the Royal Bahamas Defence Force can effectively monitor the entire border of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. We accept that. That is a fact. What brings this conversation to the fore is beyond that issue; there seems to be a blatant departure from the Bahamas building code, which is currently still under review and has not yet been revised to a place where there is a new addition,” said Sands.
He added: “Our last building code issued by the Ministry of Public Works requires that in all structures made of masonry or concrete, a belt beam or a bond beam must be included. There are some systems where you do not have to have structural tie columns in the building system. However, no building system allowed by our building code permits any structure to be built without a belt beam. We see where there are several established home-building companies in the Bahamas building homes that do not have a belt beam, intermediate columns, or corner structural columns.”
He added: “We in the BCA decry this activity and say that these homes will not stand the test of time and that the consumer is getting shorted on what they think they are buying. The real test will be when a hurricane comes. That is where the Bahamas’ building code has stood shoulders above anywhere else in this region. I invite anyone to show me anywhere in the building code that what is being built is allowed. The public has to understand that architects and contractors are authorities in construction. Our technical knowledge is leaned upon to ensure the public is protected. I want the public to know this is a grave concern because when something goes wrong, we suffer the reputational hit. We would like to have an explanation about this.”
Sands noted that there are a number of irregularities happening and the public is not being safeguarded. “We don’t know why this is being allowed to happen. They have to stop this. There are multiple subdivisions where this is being done. This is a case study for us. We have looked at it; it doesn’t work. It doesn’t meet the structural code. Why are they allowing this?”
The BCA issued a public service announcement earlier this month, noting that it is deeply concerned about the recent trend among new housing developers offering structurally inferior homes to the public.
Alarmingly, many of these new buildings do not appear to comply with the current Bahamas Building Code 3rd Edition 2003.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, which devastated entire communities in Abaco and Grand Bahama, the BCA says it has witnessed a shift from stronger, resilient structures to weaker ones. According to the code, critical structural elements such as top plates and proper anchoring are essential for building integrity. V
According to the BCA, the code specifies that top plates of stud-bearing walls must be doubled and lapped at each intersection, with joints lapped not less than four feet. Additionally, sills of interior and exterior bearing walls resting on masonry must be bolted at the corners and at intervals of not more than 4 feet with 5/8-inch bolts embedded seven inches into the masonry. These requirements are in place to ensure the structural stability and safety of buildings.
Loading ...
