The progressive failure of 15 balconies and the engineering techniques for their reconstruction

Despite the fact that structural failures are not desirable, it’s worth to observe that it always provides relevant information for enhance design and building techniques. Additionally, failure investigations can provide a clear understanding of the involved technical problems, avoiding known mistakes to be produced again. However, the causes of many structural failures are not registered in the technical literature, in a way that some unsubstantiated information produced by the media is usually prominent. The lack of technical reports concerning structural failures gives rise to the repetition of very basic errors, which may inclusive produce progressive failures. In this context, the present paper aims at providing the main reasons for the progressive failure of 15 reinforced concrete balconies of a residential building in Maringá, Paraná state, Brazil. The engineering techniques used for demolishing and reconstructing the balconies of the mentioned building are also discussed. Finally, it is important to highlight that the activities described in this article have contributed in a very positive way for recovering the right of property, the psychological health and the feeling of security of the residents of this damaged building.