Dr Ali Abbas is a senior lecturer and expert in structural engineering at the University of East London. He explains the structural defects behind Ronan Point, and gives his view on why, 50 years on, the lessons learned are more important than ever.

Politicians and developers are under immense pressure to deliver affordable housing to address enduring shortages in London. However, this must be funded properly, as the use of cheap construction materials and techniques can endup costing lives.

Ronan Point was a tragedy resulting in deaths and injuries. It was also an eye opener for the construction industry and building regulators.

It served as a stark warning for the dangers of design and construction methods which do not adequately safeguard against progressive collapse, which is like a domino effect.

The fall of one tile starts a chain of events leading to the collapse of all tiles, one by one. The iconic photograph of the doomed tower eerily resembles collapsing dominos.

The floors (i.e. the domino tiles) in Ronan Point were supported by ready-made walls taking the weight. A gas explosion on the eighteenth floor caused the wall to blow out, meaning the four floors above were left unsupported, leading to them crashing down on the floors below.

There were also construction defects in the joints between ready-made walls and floors. These joints can be particularly challenging in ready-made building components, which are usually used to speed up construction and drive down costs.

The tragedy has led to changes in building regulations to ensure structural robustness requirements, achieved by tying the building together with steel cables, which safeguard against disproportionate collapse.

They also effectively ensures a building’s ability to withstand accidental events like fire and explosions without being disproportionately damaged.

The Ronan Point tragedy increased awareness of the importance of adequate design to sustain horizontal pressure on structures, such as a gas explosion or other natural causes such as strong winds.

Recently, another tragedy struck at Grenfell Tower, west London. Construction defects on the façade and gaps led to the fire spreading.

As with Ronan Point, cheap and poorly constructed materials were the main cause of tragedy and death. Engineers, regulators and engineering students continue to learn from failure and must keep looking at ways to prevent them happening.