Tripoli's unsafe buildings: Risk survey shows major blind spots

Report by Theresia Rahme, English Adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

A municipal survey in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli has identified hundreds of buildings as structurally dangerous, but recent collapses have raised concerns about the reliability of the risk classification and the lack of funding for detailed engineering inspections.

The study, carried out by the Tripoli municipality in cooperation with the Order of Engineers, found that around 1,000 buildings in the city could be considered hazardous. It singled out 105 buildings as "high risk" and potentially at risk of collapse.

However, two buildings that collapsed on January 24 and February 8 were not among the 105 flagged as the most dangerous, despite having been inspected as part of the survey. 

Municipal authorities later reinforced seven other buildings, reducing the number of structures categorized as high risk to 96, including 31 classified as heritage buildings.

The collapses have fueled questions over how the city determined which buildings were most at risk, and what standards were used to classify them.

According to information obtained by LBCI, the assessment was conducted as a rapid visual inspection rather than a comprehensive engineering study. Engineers relied on what is commonly known as a "rapid test assessment," documenting visible structural concerns without performing technical testing.

The rapid assessment focused on three main factors: the condition of the building's structural frame and beams, the state of the foundations, and cracks that could pose immediate danger to pedestrians.

A full structural evaluation would typically require testing the strength of concrete and steel reinforcement, analyzing load-bearing capacity, examining soil and foundation conditions, and, in some cases, opening structural elements to confirm their internal condition. None of those steps was carried out.

Officials said the municipality lacks the funding needed to conduct complete engineering assessments across the city.

In the absence of detailed studies, uncertainty remains over the safety of buildings that were inspected but not classified as high risk, as well as other structures that may not have been surveyed. Residents and local officials have warned that public safety will require clearer planning and more serious solutions to address Tripoli's aging and deteriorating buildings.