T 1.18 Failure of a building

Buildings may unexpectedly become unusable. This may be caused by partial or complete destruction of the building due to a fire, storm, flooding, earthquake, or an explosion, for example. However, a building may also become unusable when it is no longer possible to gain entry to it. This could be triggered by any of the following events, for example:

• restriction of access to the area surrounding the building due to a chemical spill, detection of an old bomb (and the controlled explosion or defusing of the bomb), flooding, extensive fires, or the cordoning off of large areas due to drastic changes in the ground (such as the appearance of craters, for example) arising as a result of underground construction work (e.g. during underground railway construction),
• failure of the central access control system, a strike by the guards, or
• the building is cordoned off due to asbestos contamination or because the fire protection measures required by law have been violated, resulting in prohibition of the use of the building by the corresponding authorities.

The effects of a building failure on business operations will be more or less pronounced depending on the purpose the building is used for, e.g. as a computer centre, office building, warehouse, production hall, or branch office).