Despite the expansion of buildings and construction in different regions of the Kingdom in the last few years following an increase in demand for properties intended for investment or ownership, this vertical and horizontal urban expansion fueled technical and engineering shortcomings in the constructed buildings and houses. This raised several questions about the implementation of the conditions of building regulations and compliance with technical and engineering standards of the Saudi Building Code and the role of municipality supervisors in this aspect. To shed light on this thorny subject, Okaz/Saudi Gazette interviewed several officials, experts and owners of properties. What worries citizens intending to purchase modern houses, especially apartments offered for sale, is the absence of a mechanism that guarantees that flats are free from construction defects that usually appear a short time after the purchase of the property. Many cases have been registered in the past. There is an important question that needs an answer: how do we deal with the earthquakes that have hit different regions of the Kingdom? Are the buildings earthquake-resistant? And how far can they resist natural events and disasters? In east Jeddah's Al-Haramain Planned District, an area where citizens wish to purchase apartments offered for sale in spite of the high prices, Ramzi Al-Sulami was supervising the construction of a building owned by his father. He said an adjacent building has been vacated upon the directives of the Civil Defense. Technical and engineering defects appeared. This was after several Saudi nationals had purchased apartments from the Arab contractor. Al-Sulami said his father and the Arab contractor began construction at the same time. The contractor completed his four-story building in one year, whereas the building of Al-Sulami's father took two and a half years. Apartment owners noticed defects in the plumbing system after seven months. These appeared in the internal and external walls. The Civil Defense ordered the evacuation of the whole building to safeguard its occupants. Meanwhile, several citizens in Jazan, especially those living in Al-Oshaima and Al-Jabal districts, said houses that are likely to collapse are a big worry for them. They ask about their fate in case there are more earthquakes like the ones that hit the region recently. They have fears the houses might collapse on them, as they have no alternative. They said the demolition process is increasing their agony. They expressed fears about the occurrence of a disaster, as these dilapidated houses cannot withstand effects of natural phenomena. Okaz/Saudi Gazette visited several districts in the region. They saw bulldozers razing expropriated properties to the ground. Citizens expressed fear about tremors exacerbating the situation. They said they felt the recent earthquakes that hit Jazan region. They saw the tempo of life in these districts amid the debris surrounding them from every side. The small compensation amounts forced citizens to live in these expropriated houses that are likely to collapse. They demanded the Ministry of Housing to give them priority in getting houses, due to their difficult financial circumstances. They expressed satisfaction that Jazan region has been given priority over other regions in distribution of houses. They expressed their gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for this generous gesture. Okaz/Saudi Gazette interviewed several officials and specialists on building specifications and standards. Chairman of the Engineering Offices Committee at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Yahya Hamza Koshak spoke about some problems and defects that have started appearing, especially in apartments offered for sale because of non-abidance by the basic principles and standards in building. He said the absence of a supervisor to hold the engineer or contractor accountable if he ignores the Saudi Building Code led to the problem. Koshak further said, “The building design should be according to standards. The problem is in the implementation, especially since the majority of contractors ignore what is in the design drawings, specifically in apartments offered for sale. The engineer who designed the project should be the one to supervise construction.” Koshak added, “The expatriate contractors who are working without supervision are aggravating problems in buildings in general. The majority of apartments offered for sale are built in this way.” Koshak said the majority of contractors do not hold commercial registrations. Furthermore, they take the help of untrained workers, who are assigned work in several buildings or houses at the same time. These workers do not implement what is in the drawings meticulously. They want to complete their work fast without any consideration for quality, amid the absence of the engineer who made the design. As to buildings in Jeddah's Historical Area, Koshak said, “They need renovation to protect them, but who will renovate them? To repair suchhouses specialists in ancient buildings are required, especially since the building materials used in their construction are completely different.” Director General of the National Center for Earthquakes and Volcanoes in the Saudi Geological Survey Hani Mahmood Zahran,said, “The center provides the municipalities with geological and seismic information according to each region and its geographic formation, which differs depending on the location whether it is on the coast, mountains or desert.”
— Abdulmuhsin Al-Sabti, Iftikhar Bahfain, Nader Al-Enizi & Abdullah Al-Qahtani contributed to this report
