BCA investigation into Tania Flats collapse concluded, authority says

An investigation by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) into the collapse of a Paceville apartment block a year ago was recently concluded and is being reviewed internally by the authority. 

The multi-storey apartment block collapsed at around 10.30pm almost a year ago to the day, just hours after 32 student residents were evacuated due to safety concerns.

The BCA told Times of Malta that it would meet with “all parties related to the incident” to discuss its findings and “determine the appropriate way forward”.

The investigation, tasked with identifying the cause of the collapse and precautionary measures that can be introduced to improve construction sector safety, was led by lawyer Robert Musumeci and geological engineer Adrian Mifsud.

A copy of the investigation conclusions was not provided by the authority, and no details about its findings were forthcoming.

Noting that the construction sector had “for many years, operated with limited regulation”, the BCA said it was “firmly committed to the ongoing regularisation and the professionalism that the sector brings”.

“Notwithstanding the conclusions of these investigations, the BCA remains committed to continuing to strengthen the policies and legislative framework regulating the construction sector.”

Tania Flats was adjacent to an active construction site at the time of its collapse. That site developed by Excel Developments – part-owned by mega developer Joseph Portelli – was served with a stop works notice the day before after a resident reported damage during demolition works.

Excel Developments insisted that the collapse was not linked to any work carried out by the company, however, and that demolition works had been completed a month prior.

Initial investigations into the collapse by the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers found “no evidence” that excavation works were taking place at the site. 

Architect Christopher Mintoff, who previously headed the Kamra tal-Periti and who had for years represented the owner of the ground-floor maisonette in Tania Flats, filed a report with the BCA days before the collapse warning the property was “a danger to its users”.

“This might be the last warning the building may give prior to a more serious scenario. These types of structures fail slowly, then suddenly,” Mintoff wrote, recommending the structure be reinforced until a more long-term solution could be found.

Speaking to Times of Malta shortly after the collapse, Mintoff said he had not seen anything untoward in the next-door demolition works, and that the developer’s architect had been “exemplary” in his handling of the situation.

Mintoff also said the building had structural issues following an extension which was constructed five years previously. It later emerged that he and two other architects had disagreed over the safety of the building at the time of the extension, with Mintoff arguing that the addition of a penthouse had caused damage to the party walls. 

When Mintoff returned to the site in June last year, before the collapse, he was surprised at how much the building had deteriorated, describing it as a “catastrophe” and filing a report with the BCA identifying “new damages” and “cracks”.

The BCA investigation was opened the day after the collapse.

The BCA said it was currently reviewing the findings of the investigation internally.