Estudio patológico de las afectaciones del conjunto residencial Niza IX

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to conduct a pathological analysis of the Niza IX Residential Complex, located on 127th Street in Bogotá. This complex consists of eight five-story apartment blocks, built with a structural system of load-bearing walls and foundations on continuous slabs, supported by an improvement of the natural soil. Since their construction, the buildings have shown signs of damage that compromise both their structural stability and the safety of their inhabitants. The study was carried out through visual inspection and the application of non-destructive laboratory tests, selected due to the complexity of the failures and the potential risk of collapse. To this end, two main tests were used: sclerometry, under standard NTC-3692 of 2018, and ultrasound, in accordance with standard NTC-4325 of 1997. Taking into account the soil study provided, the main cause of the cracks is differential settlement, generated by deficiencies in soil improvement and inadequate structural distribution design. This led to poor building performance, increasing the risk of cracking and compromising their durability. The results of the ultrasound test indicated that, in a 12 cm thick wall, the deepest crack reached 10 cm, which makes it highly vulnerable to leaks and the penetration of contaminants that can affect the concrete and its reinforcement. For its part, the sclerometry showed that the structural elements maintain adequate compressive strength, ruling out faults in the quality of the concrete. In conclusion, the damage observed is not due to deficiencies in the materials, but rather to poor structural design, particularly in the distribution of loads and the presence of overloads, which explains the presence of cracks in the load-bearing elements.