BCA orders Rivervale Mall to repair wall after photos of building defect circulated online

The owners of Rivervale Mall in Sengkang have been asked to hire a professional engineer to investigate the cracks that appeared on the mall’s façade and to carry out rectification works, said the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on Wednesday (25 Aug).

This came after photos of the cracks that appeared on the exterior wall of Rivervale Mall were circulated on social media.

In response to the matter, Rivervale Vista Residents’ Network issued a statement on Facebook noting that the mall management has since cordoned off the affected area while safety checks are being carried out.

“The safety of our residents is always our primary concern. We are in touch with the Mall management and they have since cordoned off the affected area while safety checks take place.

“For our residents who frequent the mall, please be mindful in the meantime. Stay safe and take care,” it wrote.

Speaking to The Straits Times yesterday, BCA noted that an engineer was sent to investigate the damage and found that apart from the damaged façade wall, the cracks on the wall had been patched up before.

It added that a directive has been issued to building owners asking them to hire a professional engineer to investigate the defect. They were also ordered to carry out rectification works.

Now, based on the Google Street view of Rivervale Mall, it appears that the defect had appeared on the mall’s façade since 2011.

The cracks were later patched up in 2016, as seen in the picture below.

Interestingly, the defect reappeared again in 2018 – this time on a larger scale.

Netizens question BCA’s inspection

Penning their thoughts under Mothership’s Facebook post on the matter, a handful of netizens questioned if BCA conducts annual inspections on buildings, while a few of them expressed concerns about defects on HDB buildings.

“If this can happen to the bedok industrial I’m sure it can happen to any old building may have such chances… it’s time for transparency albeit industrial or an old hdb…we need to know that annual inspection is done whether a building cost so much to build,” said one netizen.