Use of Forensic Engineering for Abandoned Building

This descriptive study focused on the forensic investigation of abandoned Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) building in Manila. The post-fire investigation was conducted on structural elements in order to ascertain their in situ residual strengths and also to provide data for use in future assessment. Tests were conducted on beams, columns, and slabs in both the affected and the unaffected parts of the buildings. From the results, visual examination of the fire-affected buildings revealed that the steel corrosion and concrete deterioration are the major factors that affected the stability and integrity of structural members of the abandoned GSIS building in Manila. There was a notable reduction in the in situ strengths of the fire-affected structural members when compared with the unaffected members. However, the abandoned GSIS building is still in serviceable condition in terms of its structural members.