Unit building in Zijun Chang'an suspected of foundation settlement 

Unit building in Zijun Chang'an suspected of foundation settlement 

After cracks appeared in the building walls, there is a gap of about 25 cm between the balcony of Mr. Li's first-floor apartment and the ground.

Building foundation suspected of settlement, owners collectively defend rights
On August 3, an owner surnamed Cui, living in Room D7—1005 of Zijun Chang'an Community in the southern suburbs of Xi'an, posted a notice downstairs: The foundation at the southwest corner of Building D7 has settled, and the building has become dangerous. Owners are requested to see this notice and, after on-site inspection, go to the property management office at 9 a.m. on August 4 to defend their rights for the safety of life and property of the owners in this building.
"I discovered cracks in the building walls when I went out to buy groceries the day before yesterday (Sunday). I called the property management, and they said they would send someone to look," said Mr. Cui. According to owners in Zijun Chang'an Community, the foundation settlement at the southwest corner of Building D7 is up to about 30 cm deep. On the morning of August 4, a group of owners went to the property management to demand an explanation. Finally, it was agreed that the developer would invite staff from the third-party Machinery Industry Survey and Design Research Institute to observe the foundation of Building D7 on the 5th.
On August 5, a Huashang Net editor saw at the southwest corner of Building D7 in Zijun Chang'an Community that the ground adjacent to the building had settled, exposing part of the wall that was hidden underground. Measurement showed that the deepest settlement reached nearly 30 cm. According to workers carrying out construction in the community, this area is a green belt, and because it has been watered continuously recently, settlement occurred; it is not a problem with the building foundation.
 

Property management says settlement caused by backfill, owners not convinced
On the morning of August 5, a supervisor surnamed Zhang from the project department of Xi'an Dafang Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., the developer of Zijun Chang'an, said that there is no problem with the foundation of Building D7. The settlement seen by the owners is settlement of backfill soil, and the building structure will not be affected.
Supervisor Zhang explained that the cast-in-place piles under Building D7 are tens of meters deep, and the foundation is very solid. The current problem is in the three-to-four-meter area between the west side of Building D7 and the east side of the underground garage. This land is backfill, with a depth of about 4 meters. Because Xi'an has collapsible soil, the backfill has settled, and this settlement will not have any impact on the safety of the main building. The responsible person said that another contractor was responsible for the backfill project under Building D7. Now that unqualified backfill has brought so many hidden dangers, the developer will hold it accountable.
However, the developer's explanation did not completely relieve the owners' anxiety. Owner Mr. Liu, who lives on the 8th floor, said that no matter what causes the settlement, it is ultimately not good for the building itself. "It is not easy for everyone to buy an apartment; the quality of the house must not have problems, otherwise what will happen to these more than 300 families?" said one owner.
In addition, owners of Building D7 also found another crack on the north side of the building, besides the southwest corner.
 

Third-party survey agency intervenes, results in three days
At around 2 p.m. on the 5th, staff from the Machinery Industry Survey and Design Research Institute used an electronic level to observe the settlement monitoring points around Building D7 to determine whether the wall cracks were caused by foundation settlement. "Backfill settlement will not affect the safety of the main building, but whether the main building itself has settled is currently unknown," said a staff member of the Machinery Industry Survey and Design Research Institute. The observation results will not be available until this Friday (the 8th).