Cause of 'movement' that triggered evacuation of Sydney high-rise tower remains unclear

The Master Builders Association says it's too early to tell what the cause of the problem is at a Sydney high-rise apartment complex that had to be evacuated. Updated

Resident's luggage is seen outside the Mascot Towers building in Mascot, Sydney. Source: AAP

The cause of structural issues that triggered the evacuation of a Sydney high-rise apartment complex tower remains unclear.

All 122 units and all but two ground-level shops in the Mascot Towers in the inner-south Sydney suburb Mascot are currently empty after concerns about the building's structural integrity prompted its closure on Friday.

 

Engineers assessed the apartment block after cracks were found in the building's car park.

Residents had to evacuate their apartments at a high-rise building in Sydney.

AAP

 

Master Builders Association executive director Brian Seidler told SBS News it's yet to be seen whether the problem "is a question of building or design or under-design".

“The structural integrity will be assessed firstly by the engineer, who played a role in the design of the building and the architect, the other thing is who built the building, who was the developer, there’s a whole host of pieces that have to be worked out," he said.

“The building is 10 years old, is another issue, maintenance issues, there’s a whole host of things we have to be mindful of before a proper call can be made."

Engineers Australia said the situation was further evidence that changes were needed in the building and construction sector.

Residents have been evacuated from an apartment in the Sydney suburb of Mascot.

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