An architect days ago had found damage on the building that collapsed in Paceville that was not present when a condition report was carried out last November.

The building in question collapsed on Wednesday night, and was located next to a construction site.

The architect's report was filed with the Building and Construction Authority on 9 June, on behalf of his clients - understood to be the owners of part of the property which collapsed in Paceville on Wednesday night. It is also understood that this report is what led to the stop works notice being issued by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on the construction site right next door on Tuesday.

The authorities had evacuated all 32 residents in the building on Wednesday, prior to the collapse.

The report, by Architect Christopher Mintoff dated 9 June covered both Unit 13, as well as Tanya Flats Unit 1. The report noted that works on the adjacent property were in the demolition/excavation phase. "With reference to the Condition Reports of the properties in question, dated 11/11/2024 and 30/11/2024 respectively, due to these works, the following observations were made today".

Regarding Unit 13, the report noted that the pillars forming the sides of the windows and main door were failing in compression, and also that the facade showed signs of warping. It also said that the front door could not be opened due to the altered frame. "At this point it was difficult to open the front door, and was deemed to be dangerous to try and force it open. Therefore the interior of the property could not be investigated. These damages were not present at the time of the Condition Report."

Regarding Tanya Flats Unit 1, the report notes that new damages were noted in the common stairwell, between ground floor and first floor. "The door into the apartment was opened with great difficulty, indicating structural movement on this side of the building. Throughout the property, cracks shown the in the condition report have become far more noticeable."

It read that the bottom of a doorway leading to a bedroom shows new cracks from the floor upwards, and also that new cracks were noticed in the ceiling of rooms and in the corridor.

The report concludes that "Masonry structures fail slowly, and then suddenly. It is clear that the movement of loads is being distributed throughout the property, with its elements coming to rest in an altered state. This is the cause of the distributed diverse damages. At a point, some of these elements will fail beyond their tolerance, causing the rest of the structure to suffer a greater share of the loads and associated movements. At this stage, the most probable cause of failure would be one of the vertical walls suffering a failure in shear, leading to failures in the elements it is connected to." The architect declared that the property in question was a danger, and "this might be the last warning the building may give prior to a more serious scenario."

The report recommended that third parties in the vicinity are informed of this situation, that adjacent works that might cause vibrations or diminish the structural integrity of the building in any way cease, and that the property is to be reinforced.

The report which was filed with the BCA is what led to the stop notice on the works taking place on the adjacent site.