Ensuring safe buildings: Defects found as ageing structures pose challenges

More than 600 buildings across Singapore were found to have major defects each year from 2023 to 2025. Data from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) reveals that these were out of more than 7,000 buildings inspected annually. It also says immediate remedial action was taken in some cases. BCA says current regimes are in place to ensure timely maintenance. Structural checks are conducted every five years for non-residential buildings, focusing on critical elements like beams and columns. But how are these problems caught in the first place? Ivy Chok finds out how engineers are keeping tabs on our commercial and industrial buildings.