₦airaland Forum

Let's awaits Obi_nna's view on this considering it affects his home state..

providencia:
If you are building up to a storey building in this country you are on your own. Our building materials expecially cement is not what it used to be!

Cement quality is never a reason for building collapse in Nigeria.
Most likely cutting of corners - insufficient cement in concrete or mortar, too much sand to cement ratio, specified reinforcements not used, concrete not properly cured before proceeding with subsequent floors, poor foundation works, etc

mirrael68:
Cement quality is never a reason for building collapse in Nigeria.
Most likely cutting of corners - insufficient cement in concrete or mortar, too much sand to cement ratio, specified reinforcements not used, concrete not properly cured before proceeding with subsequent floors, poor foundation works, etc

All you listed contribute.
I have more than 18 years of experience of supervising personal projects and that of close relative. I will tell you for the last time that our building materials is not as sturdy as it used to be. Cement expecially

I have carried out test on cement by product through construction and reconstruction over the years

Imagining electing failures as governor yet blaming Lagos. In another thread it was Enugu not Anambra again.

So Onitsha is this useless What failure of a glgovernor allow shoddy developer build rubbish in 2025 for God sake risking lives of the populace. The failure of a givernor should be sacked immediately

Surface2AirToto:
The rate at which buildings are collapsible left right and center these days. Quack engineers dey one side dey do their own, Lagos Government dey one side dey do their own. It is well.

The contractors and the owner of this project, would know that a collapsed building equates all investments to zero......

The contractors and owner(s), must be charged to court, fined heavily and jailed......

This is the only way, this collapse wave would end......

I think no life was lost

ADAMUdaCOWBOY:
"A three storey building with four suspended floors?" Mr reporter, are you okay at all?

It's quite amazing to read this huge blunder from a reporter. four suspended floors is a 5 storey structure. Many reporters make this silly mistake. A bungalow is a single storey structure, a duplex is a two storey structure and so on. A storey is defined as the number of suspended levels above the ground level.

mirrael68:
But how can a three story building have four suspended floors? Something is wrong. If it's 3 - storeys , it's 3 suspended floors. If it's 4- storeys it's 4 suspended floors.

You are also wrong sir. Three suspended floors is a 4 storey structure as the structure has four suspended levels above the ground. Which is, the first - third floor level and the roof level. A bungalow is a typical e.g of a single storey structure.

mirrael68:
But how can a three story building have four suspended floors? Something is wrong. If it's 3 - storeys , it's 3 suspended floors. If it's 4- storeys it's 4 suspended floors.

It was funny to me too

eminemkayc:
You are also wrong sir. Three suspended floors is a 4 storey structure as the structure has four suspended levels above the ground. Which is, the first - third floor level and the roof level. A bungalow is a typical e.g of a single storey structure.

i dont think so.

the term "suspended" means it above ground level, there's no "floor" at the roof level only beams.
possibly the OP wanted to use the american description which is 4floors (no suspended) which is 3storey or 3 suspended floors
again there's the possiblility of having a partial rooftop slab which can make it termed 4 suspended floors

This is what you get in a country where quacks are allowed to do the jobs meant for professionals! The building industry in Nigeria has been infiltrated by quacks who go about bearing the title "Engineer''! Building collapses can only be tackled when government makes a strict law prohibiting quacks from building houses for people.

The other profession that has been so much bastardized in Nigeria is the medical profession! From quack doctors, quack nurses and the illiterates who pose as Pharmacists, all contributing to the increased death rate in Nigeria! I currently work in a hospital as a pharmacist and what I see on daily basis make me weep for Nigeria. Go to most hospitals in the east, they hardly employ Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals! In an attempt to maximise profits, they seldom employ professionals!

The kind of prescription errors we see and correct in the facility where I work are not corrected in those facilities not employing Pharmacists and the government looks the other way while people are poisoned to death with drugs on daily basis. Of course, autopsies are not usually carried out on dead people in Nigeria, so there's no way to trace the cause of death! Government agencies like PCN and NAFDAC in southeast only take bribes and seldom carry out enforcement activities in these hospitals and that is what has given them the impetus to kill Nigerians with reckless abandon! Even doctors too encourage such quackery by training the so called "auxiliary nurses" even when we have a pool of nurses being churned out every here and there.

We must begin to emphasize professionalism in every field if we want to grow as a nation because with the level of quackery in Nigeria, foreigners seldom patronise our hospitals and engineering firms thereby causing loss of forex that would have been generated from these sectors! Government agencies saddled with the responsibilities of checkmating quackery in various fields neet to stop taking bribes and do their jobs! Sit up and save Nigerians from untimely death!

DORS:
i dont think so.

the term "suspended" means it above ground level, there's no "floor" at the roof level only beams.
possibly the OP wanted to use the american description which is 4floors (no suspended) which is 3storey or 3 suspended floors
again there's the possiblility of having a partial rooftop slab which can make it termed 4 suspended floors

I've been practicing structural engineering for close to 20years and within this period, the definition/description of building structures havent changed. The definition of a storey remains consistent the world over. In North america it is the same as it is in Europe. The difference is in the naming configuration of the floors and has nothing to do with the presence or otherwise of a physical slab. While the U.K refers to the slab on grade as the ground floor, the U.S refers to it as the first floor and the numbering continues upwards. This is the distinction. It doesn't impact on the definition of a storey. A three storey structure has two suspended floors and a roof level. a seven story structure has six suspended floors and a roof level, a bungalow is a single storey structure. Once again, a storey is defined as the number of suspended levels above the ground. Please use the internet to gain adequate clarity on this.

.

.

The OP said 4 SUSPENDED FLOORS not 4floors , the other guy said 3suspended floor (not 3 floors) your own description is saying 3 SUSPENDED FLOOR and a roof.
you only added "and a roof" and did not call the roof suspended floor and you said he's wrong?
On suspended floor he's right because you repeated the same thing he said he just did not add "and a roof.

You're not calling the roof a SUSPENDED FLOOR but a floor.

eminemkayc:
I've been practicing structural engineering for close to 20years and within this period, the definition/description of building structures havent changed. The definition of a storey remains consistent the world over. In North america it is the same as it is in Europe. The difference is in the naming configuration of the floors and has nothing to do with the presence or otherwise of a physical slab. While the U.K refers to the slab on grade as the ground floor, the U.S refers to it as the first floor and the numbering continues upwards. This is the distinction. It doesn't impact on the definition of a storey. A three storey structure has two suspended floors and a roof level. a seven story structure has six suspended floors and a roof level, a bungalow is a single storey structure. Once again, a storey is defined as the number of suspended levels above the ground. Please use the internet to gain adequate clarity on this.

I always like know even when im sure, so I used the internet. Which do not agree with your definition for storey, agrees with my floor definition for UK and US, and agrees with my exception I stated earlier to call a roof a suspended floor. It further states you cannot even call it a floor without slab
Here>>

Good question — no, a roof is generally not called a suspended floor.

Here’s why:

A suspended floor is a structural floor slab supported by beams, columns, or load-bearing walls, designed to carry loads above ground level. It’s meant for occupancy or supporting loads (people, furniture, equipment).

A roof is the top covering of a building that provides weather protection. It may be structurally similar to a floor slab (especially in flat roofs), but its primary purpose is not to serve as a floor for occupancy — unless it is specifically designed as a roof deck or roof terrace.

So, you wouldn’t count a roof as a “suspended floor” when describing the number of storeys.

Exception:
If the roof is designed as an accessible structural deck (e.g., for parking, garden, or heavy equipment), some engineers might treat it as a “suspended slab” for structural design calculations — but even then, you would still call it a roof slab rather than a floor in everyday terminology.

Would you like me to give you a quick comparison table of floor slab vs. roof slab (structurally and in building terminology)?

eminemkayc:
I've been practicing structural engineering for close to 20years and within this period, the definition/description of building structures havent changed. The definition of a storey remains consistent the world over. In North america it is the same as it is in Europe. The difference is in the naming configuration of the floors and has nothing to do with the presence or otherwise of a physical slab. While the U.K refers to the slab on grade as the ground floor, the U.S refers to it as the first floor and the numbering continues upwards. This is the distinction. It doesn't impact on the definition of a storey. A three storey structure has two suspended floors and a roof level. a seven story structure has six suspended floors and a roof level, a bungalow is a single storey structure. Once again, a storey is defined as the number of suspended levels above the ground. Please use the internet to gain adequate clarity on this.

DORS:
I always like know even when im sure, so I used the internet. Which do not agree with your definition for storey, agrees with my floor definition for UK and US, and agrees with my exception I stated earlier to call a roof a suspended floor. It further states you cannot even call it a floor without slab
Here>>

Good question — no, a roof is generally not called a suspended floor.

Here’s why:

A suspended floor is a structural floor slab supported by beams, columns, or load-bearing walls, designed to carry loads above ground level. It’s meant for occupancy or supporting loads (people, furniture, equipment).

A roof is the top covering of a building that provides weather protection. It may be structurally similar to a floor slab (especially in flat roofs), but its primary purpose is not to serve as a floor for occupancy — unless it is specifically designed as a roof deck or roof terrace.

So, you wouldn’t count a roof as a “suspended floor” when describing the number of storeys.

Exception:
If the roof is designed as an accessible structural deck (e.g., for parking, garden, or heavy equipment), some engineers might treat it as a “suspended slab” for structural design calculations — but even then, you would still call it a roof slab rather than a floor in everyday terminology.

Would you like me to give you a quick comparison table of floor slab vs. roof slab (structurally and in building terminology)?

Hello, kindly re-read my response to you which you quoted before responding to me. There should be no rush to respond without comprehending the stated facts in there. With reference to roof slab classification, it has nothing to do with what 'some engineers' think as you have said. The classification of roofs is in accordance with clause 6.3.4.1 of EN 1991-1-1:2002 with specific reference o table 6.9. Kindly please go through the referenced code and gain clarity. In the meantime, the summary once again is as follows;
a. A storey is defined as the number of suspended levels (NOT SLABS) above the ground. Be it a steel structure, reinforced concrete structure, composite structure, etcetera
b. A three storey structure has three suspended levels above the ground, comprising of two suspended floor LEVELS and the roof level. A bungalow is a single storey structure, a duplex is a two storey structure, etc. If you have anything contrary to this well defined provisions as spelt out in relevant EN codes, ACI codes, etc kindly bring my attention to this.
This closes it. Kindly visit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkn9j8tEf3c
to gain additional clarity. Thank you