Toppling of tall building in Shanghai

Collapse of unoccupied residential buildings in Shanghai around 5:30am on June 27, 2009. Improper pile construction (short, small diameter and un-reinforced concrete piles) may have been the most likely reason for this failure. Excavation for an underground garage was performed on one side of the building and the excavated soil was dumped on the other side, thus applying a large lateral shear force on the weak piles and breaking them. Reference: [url]http://www.zonaeuropa.com/200906c.brief.htm[/url]