Potential damage to residential building due to adjacent surcharge fill loading-case studies in Surabaya, Indonesia

Housing construction is a common construction activity and is always needed from
time to time. House construction can be in the form of building new house or renovating an
existing building. The impact of construction work to adjacent building or structure is something
that cannot be avoided but must be minimized. The case study in this research aims to increase
the awareness of all parties in construction project related to the potential damage to the
surrounding buildings that may occur. This research was conducted with a case study on the
construction of residential houses in Case A and Case B located in Surabaya-Indonesia. Field
observations, analysis of damage causes, rectification methods and estimated cost were carried
out in this study. These two case studies presented the damages analysis on residential house due
to settlement which caused by adjacent surcharge fill loading. This settlement causes a
differential settlement on both sides of the existing building, which had impacts on floor slope
and cracks in wall. Proposed rectification works were made to restore the house to reach
minimum serviceability requirement and prevent further damage in the future. The cost of
repairing and retrofitting the damage existing house significantly increases the budget for a new
house construction project. Therefore, careful planning in construction project considering the
impact of soil settlement is needed more attention, especially in a dense urban area. Good
communication and coordination between contractors and owners of neighbouring building are
also needed to minimize the potential conflicts during or after construction works.