Repeated pattern of symmetric concretecracks from both sides of a column from 3rd floor and upwards.

[ednar]

The picture shows the building under construction, it was November 2011.

October, 2012 there was no noticeable cracks.

October 2013 there is significant random patch work and cracking of hollow block segments.

But one column on the opposite side there is a column with different kind of cracks, each floor starting 3rd floor there is symmetric pattern of cracking like a Christmas tree from left and right of the column directed upwards, starting approximately from the joint of the slab and the column.

I didn't take the picture of the cracks, I may get it later. Must those cracks will be structural (since the pattern repeats symmetrically on every floor starting 3rd, but there are no cracks noticeable on the slab of the ground floor). Or it might be just hollow block wall innocuous concrete cracking only?

The under construction picture may give the idea what kind of technique they used and what caused so many cracks in the hollow block sections and maybe the repeated pattern cracks around the column. I'll try to get more information if needed.

 

[JAE]

A couple of observations:

1. On your photo 1.jpg - to the right of one of the floors, in the faded red wall portion, you can actually see efflorescence stains "dripping" down off the crack -that would immediately suggest moisture is involved. This shows up in the top right of photo 2.jpg.
2. It appears that the vast majority of the cracks are in the infill portions of the walls vs. the beam-column areas.
3. In photo 4.jpg with the vast array of cracks on the left - many of these seem to be interrupted by the structural beams - again suggesting that this is an infill wall issue and not a structural frame effect.

 

[ednar]

It looks like there is no column there as well.

So those are all plastering issues then.

Thanks for clarification.