Engineers rush to repair damaged pillar at Government Complex

Engineers have expedited repairs on the damaged concrete pillar of Building A at the Chaeng Watthana Government Complex in Bangkok following an evacuation on Monday.

Initial assessments indicate that the main pillar on the second floor of the building, adjacent to the post office, has sustained chipping and cracking due to the earthquake that occurred last Friday.

Officials from the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning removed the outer cement layer to inspect the internal structure of the pillar, explained Pairuch Laoprasert, the complex's construction supervisor.

He clarified that the chipping only affected the external plaster layer and did not compromise the structural integrity of the pillar, which is crucial to the building’s framework.

“If the structure were compromised, there would be cracks in multiple locations,” he said.

Pairuch stated that engineers will immediately apply epoxy, which is stronger than cement and possesses the same strength as concrete once hardened, to seal the crack. He also assured that further inspections would be conducted to identify any additional cracks in the building.

Additionally, engineers plan to install thin slide glass at the building’s welds and cracks to monitor vibrations. If the building shifts, the glass will break, serving as an indicator of movement.

Separately, a vendor operating a shop at the ground-floor market of Building A stated that he was unsure from which floor the ceiling plasterboard or cement fragments had fallen, as he was on the ground floor at the time. He reported running out of the building after seeing others panic.

However, he noted that Monday’s incident felt different from last Friday’s earthquake, stating that he did not experience any tremors.

“From my observation, the cracks on the exterior have been there since 28th March. However, the cracks on the walls of the lower market area are older, having been visible for two to three years,” he said.



The vendor expressed little concern about the safety of the building, believing that the structural integrity remained intact and that any damage was likely limited to the ceiling or plasterwork.

He also urged the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning to conduct a thorough inspection of the building, particularly as Building A contains a large number of rooms. Furthermore, he recommended checking the surrounding area to determine whether the ground had subsided.

(2025/03/31-00:00)